Publications by authors named "Jessica Catapano"

Background: Metformin is an inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation that displays an array of anticancer activities. The interference of metformin with the activity of multi-drug resistance systems in cancer cells has been reported. However, the consequences of the acquired chemoresistance for the adaptative responses of cancer cells to metformin-induced stress and for their phenotypic evolution remain unaddressed.

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Fenofibrate is a widely used anti-hyperlipidemic agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα). As a metabolic blocker, fenofibrate interferes with cancer promotion/progression via its misbalancing effects on cellular metabolism. However, the consequences of its long-term application for patients with diagnosed drug-resistant cancers are unknown.

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Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) recurrences after temozolomide (TMZ) treatment result from the expansion of drug-resistant and potentially invasive GBM cells. This process is facilitated by O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase (MGMT), which counteracts alkylating TMZ activity. We traced the expansion of invasive cell lineages under persistent chemotherapeutic stress in MGMT (U87) and MGMT (T98G) GBM populations to look into the mechanisms of TMZ-induced microevolution of GBM invasiveness.

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Combinations of metabolic blockers (incl. fenofibrate) with chemotherapeutic drugs interfere with the drug-resistance of prostate cancer cells. However, their effect on cancer stem cells-dependent microevolution of prostate cancer malignancy remains unaddressed.

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Abnormal secretion of epidermal growth factor (EGF) by non-neuronal cells (e.g., glioma-associated microglia) establishes a feedback loop between glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) invasion and a functional disruption of brain tissue.

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Aims: Constant development of chemotherapeutic strategies has considerably improved the efficiency of tumor treatment. However, adverse effects of chemotherapeutics enforce premature treatment cessation, which leads to the tumor recurrence and accelerated death of oncologic patients. Recently, sodium ascorbate (ASC) has been suggested as a promising drug for the adjunctive chemotherapy of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and prostate cancer (PC).

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Thuja occidentalis L. is indigenous for Northern America and commonly cultivated in Europe. Raw materials obtained from this tree are widely applied in the ethnomedicine and phytotherapy of numerous ailments, incl.

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Metronomic agents reduce the effective doses and adverse effects of cytostatics in cancer chemotherapy. Therefore, they can enhance the treatment efficiency of drug-resistant cancers. Cytostatic and anti-angiogenic effects of fenofibrate (FF) suggest that it can be used for the metronomic chemotherapy of drug-resistant prostate tumors.

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Epidemiological data suggests that there are functional links between bronchial asthma and lung carcinogenesis. Bronchial fibroblasts serve a prominent role in the asthmatic process; however, their involvement in lung cancer progression remains unaddressed. To estimate the effect of the asthmatic microenvironment on the invasiveness of lung cancer cells, the present study compared the behavior of human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells exposed to the signals from human bronchial fibroblasts (HBFs) derived from non-asthmatic donors (NA HBFs) and from asthmatic patients (AS HBFs).

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Unlabelled: Cellular stress responses determine tissue development, homeostasis and pathogenesis. Paracrine signaling, exchange of mechanical stimuli and intercellular transfer of small metabolites via connexin-built gap junctional channels are involved in the cellular stress detection and propagation of stress stimuli in multicellular networks. Cellular stress responses are also regulated through the activity of unpaired connexons (hemichannels) and via the intracellular interference of connexins with the cell cycle and pro-apoptotic machinery.

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