Ion cancer

Disulfiram (DSF) can target and kill cancer cells by disrupting cellular degradation of extruded proteins and has therefore received particular attention for its tumor chemotherapeutic potential. However, the uncontrollable Cu2+ /DSF ratio reduces the efficacy of DSF-mediated chemotherapy. Herein, self-supplying Cu2+ and oxidative stress synergistically enhanced DSF-mediated chemotherapy is proposed for melanoma-based on PVP-coated CuO2 nanodots (CPNDs). Once ingested, DSF is broken down to diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC), which is delivered into a tumor via the circulation...

Magnetic hyperthermia is a crucial medical engineering technique for treating diseases, which usually uses alternating magnetic fields (AMF) to interplay with magnetic substances to generate heat. Recently, it has been found that in some cases, there is no detectable temperature increment after applying an AMF, which caused corresponding effects surprisingly. The mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are not yet fully understood. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of Ca2+ overload in the magnetic hyperthermia effect without a perceptible temperature rise...

T-bet, encoded by TBX21, is extensively expressed across various immune cell types, and orchestrates critical functions in their development, survival, and physiological activities. However, the role of T-bet in non-immune compartments, notably the epithelial cells, remains obscure. Herein, a Tet-O-T-bet transgenic mouse strain is generated for doxycycline-inducible T-bet expression in adult animals. Unexpectedly, ubiquitous T-bet overexpression causes acute diarrhea, intestinal damage, and rapid mortality...

Xerostomia is a common radiation-associated toxicity in patients with head and neck cancer. Although several studies examined the decrease in saliva production due to radiotherapy (RT) and investigated the factors associated with this side effect, little is known about the change in radiation-associated saliva composition. This systematic review is the first to summarize existing data and give an overview of the change in pH/buffer capacity, electrolytes, proteins, enzymes, and mucins due to radiation to the salivary glands...

Background A putative tumor suppressor gene called HIC1 (hypermethylated in cancer) is situated at 17p13.3, a locus where the allelic loss occurs often in human malignancies, including breast cancer. Hypermethylated in cancer 1 protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the HIC1 gene and it's a  Homo sapiens  (Human). This gene functions as a growth regulatory and tumor repressor gene. The molecular function of HIC1 gene includes DNA-binding transcription factor activity, sequence-specific DNA binding, DNA binding, histone deacetylase binding, protein binding, metal ion binding, nucleic acid binding, DNA-binding transcription repressor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific, DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific...

O -glycosylation is a common post-translational modification that is essential for the defensive properties of mucus barriers. Incomplete and altered O -glycosylation is often linked to severe diseases, such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Originating from a nontemplate-driven biosynthesis, mucin-type O -glycan structures are very complex. They are often present as heterogeneous mixtures containing multiple isomers. Therefore, the analysis of complex O -glycan mixtures usually requires hyphenation of orthogonal techniques such as liquid chromatography (LC), ion mobility spectrometry, and mass spectrometry (MS)...

Changes in the levels of lipid sn -positional isomers are associated with perturbation of the physiological environment within the biological system. Consequently, knowing the concentrations of these lipids holds significant importance for unraveling their involvement in disease diagnosis and pathological mechanisms. However, existing methods for lipid quantification often fall short in accuracy due to the structural diversity and isomeric forms of lipids. To address this challenge, we have developed an aziridine-based isobaric tag labeling strategy that allows (i) differentiation and (ii) enhanced relative quantification of lipid sn -positional isomers from distinct samples in a single run...

Colorectal cancer (CRC), a widespread malignancy, is closely associated with tumor microenvironmental hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) levels. Some clinical trials targeting H2 O2 for cancer treatment have revealed its paradoxical role as a promoter of cancer progression. Investigating the dynamics of cancer cell H2 O2 eustress at the single-cell level is crucial. In this study, non-contact hopping probe mode scanning ion conductance microscopy (HPICM) with high-sensitive Pt-functionalized nanoelectrodes was employed to measure dynamic extracellular to intracellular H2 O2 gradients in individual colorectal cancer Caco-2 cells...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Extracellular acidic conditions impair cellular activities; however, some cancer cells drive cellular signaling to adapt to the acidic environment. It remains unclear how ovarian cancer cells sense changes in extracellular pH. This study was aimed at characterizing acid-inducible currents in an ovarian cancer cell line and evaluating the involvement of these currents in cell viability. METHODS: The biophysical and pharmacological properties of membrane currents in OV2944, a mouse ovarian cancer cell line, were studied using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique...

SK3 channels are potassium channels found to promote tumour aggressiveness. We have previously demonstrated that SK3 is regulated by synthetic ether-lipids, but the role of endogenous ether lipids is unknown. Here, we have studied the role of endogenous alkyl- and alkenyl-ether-lipids on SK3 channels and on the biology of cancer cells. Experiments revealed that the suppression of AGPS or PEDS1, which are key enzymes for alkyl- and alkenyl-ether-lipid synthesis, respectively, decreased SK3 expression by increasing miR-499 and miR-208 expression, leading to a decrease in SK3-dependent calcium entry, cell migration, and MMP9-dependent cell adhesion and invasion...

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) poses challenges in therapy due to the absence of target expression such as estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Frequently, the treatment of TNBC involves the combination of several therapeutics. However, an enhanced therapeutic effect can be also achieved within a single molecule. The efficacy of raloxifene can be improved by designing a raloxifene-based hybrid drug bearing a 2,2'-bipyridine moiety (2)...

OBJECTIVE: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a prevailing LC characterized by poor outcomes. AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) functions as a tumor suppressor in several cancers. This study delved into the role of ALKBH5 in NSCLC development. METHODS: TCGA database predicted ALKBH5 expression in NSCLC patients. ALKBH5 levels in NSCLC and human bronchial epithelial cells were determined. pcDNA3.1-ALKBH5/NC, pcDNA3.1-SLC7A11/NC, and ferrostatin-1 were used to explore the interactions among ALKBH5, SLC7A11, and ferroptosis...

Electroceuticals have evolved beyond devices manipulating neuronal signaling for symptomatic treatment, becoming more precise and disease modulating and expanding beyond the nervous system. These advancements promise transformative applications in arthritis, cancer treatment, tissue regeneration, and more. Here, we discuss these recent advances and offer insights for future research.

BACKGROUND: Megaprostheses contain many more modular components than conventional total hip and knee arthroplasty, which may lead to higher serum levels of metal ions. The aim of this study was to determine serum concentrations of titanium, chromium, and cobalt ions in cancer patients after limb salvage surgery with a megaprosthesis. METHODS: A retrospective, descriptive cohort analysis consisting of patients who underwent cancer-related limb salvage surgery with a megaprosthesis at our hospital between 2010 and 2020 was conducted...

BACKGROUND: The utilization of Chinese medicine as an adjunctive therapy for cancer has recently gained significant attention. Ferroptosis, a newly regulated cell death process depending on the ferrous ions, has been proved to be participated in glioma stem cells inactivation. PURPOSE: We aim to study whether ginsenoside Rg5 exerted inhibitory effects on crucial aspects of glioma stem cells, including cell viability, tumor initiation, invasion, self-renewal ability, neurosphere formation, and stemness...

BACKGROUND: The unique microenvironment in tumors inhibits the normal functioning of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, leading to immune evasion and cancer progression. Over-activation of KCa3.1 using positive modulators has been proposed to rescue the anti-tumor response. One of the key characteristics of the tumor microenvironment is extracellular acidity. Herein, we analyzed how intra- and extracellular pH affects K+ currents through KCa3.1 and if the potency of two of its positive modulators, Riluzole and SKA-31, is pH sensitive...

Solute carriers (SLCs) control the flow of small molecules and ions across biological membranes. Over the last 20 years, the pace of research in SLC biology has accelerated markedly, opening new opportunities to treat metabolic diseases, cancer and neurological disorders. Recently, new families of atypical SLCs, with roles in organelle biology, metabolite signaling and trafficking, have expanded their roles in the cell. This Perspective discusses work leading to current advances and the emerging opportunities to target and modulate SLCs to uncover new biology and treat human disease...


Treatment plans of charged-particle therapy have been made under an assumption that all cancer cells within a tumour equally respond to a given radiation. However, an intra-tumoural cellular radiosensitivity heterogeneity clearly exists, and it may lead to an overestimation of therapeutic effects of the radiation. The purpose of this study was to develop a biological model that can incorporate the radiosensitivity heterogeneity into biological optimization for charged-particle therapy treatment planning...

Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in immunosurveillance independent of antigen presentation, which is regulated by signal balance via activating and inhibitory receptors. The anti-tumor activity of NK cells is largely dependent on signaling from target recognition to cytolytic degranulation; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear, and NK cell cytotoxicity is readily impaired by tumor cells. Understanding the activation mechanism is necessary to overcome the immune evasion mechanism, which remains an obstacle in immunotherapy...

The normal operation of organelles is critical for tumor growth and metastasis. Herein, an intelligent nanoplatform (BMAEF ) is fabricated to perform on-demand destruction of mitochondria and golgi apparatus, which also generates the enhanced photothermal-immunotherapy, resulting in the effective inhibition of primary and metastasis tumor. The BMAEF has a core of mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with brefeldin A (BM), which is connected to ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)tetraacetic acid (EGTA) and folic acid co-modified gold nanoparticles (AEF )...