Bacterial ghosts: A breakthrough approach to cancer vaccination.

Cancer is a devastating disease worldwide with high mortality rates and is a foremost concern for society. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy for treating cancer, harnessing the power of immune system to recognize and kill tumor cells. Bacterial ghosts (BGs), a novel platform in cancer vaccination, are suitable for personalized and effective immunotherapeutic interventions.

New horizons in cancer immunotherapy: The evolving role of R848 and R837 (Review).

Therapeutic approaches that increase the efficacy and safety of cancer treatments and improve disease outcomes have been developed worldwide. Immunotherapy uses the body's immune system to inhibit cancerous growth in tissues and organs. Various approaches have been developed to effectively control and inhibit cancerous growth, including checkpoint inhibitors, T-cell transfer therapy, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and immunomodulators.

mRNA vaccines: a new era in vaccine development.

The advent of RNA therapy, particularly through the development of mRNA cancer vaccines, has ushered in a new era in the field of oncology. This article provides a concise overview of the key principles, recent advancements, and potential implications of mRNA cancer vaccines as a groundbreaking modality in cancer treatment. mRNA cancer vaccines represent a revolutionary approach to combatting cancer by leveraging the body's innate immune system.

Harnessing the power of probiotic strains in functional foods: nutritive, therapeutic, and next-generation challenges.

Functional foods have become an essential element of the diet in developed nations, due to their health benefits and nutritive values. Such food products are only called functional if they, "In addition to basic nutrition, have valuable effects on one or multiple functions of the human body, thereby enhancing general and physical conditions and/or reducing the risk of disease progression". Functional foods are currently one of the most extensively researched areas in the food and nutrition sciences.

Topical Application of Temperature-Sensitive Gel Containing Caerin 1.1 and 1.9 Peptides on TC-1 Tumour-Bearing Mice Induced High-Level Immune Response in the Tumour Microenvironment.

The development of topical cream drugs that increase the immune activation of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes against tumour and chronic viral infection-associated lesions is of great immunotherapeutic significance. This study demonstrates that the topical application of a temperature-sensitive gel containing caerin 1.1 and 1.

Immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as a stand-alone and in combination therapy.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is of major concern for society as it is associated with high mortality and is one of the most commonly occurring of all cancers. Due to the number of mutational variants and general heterogeneity of this type of cancer, treatment using conventional modalities has been challenging. Therefore, it is important to have improved therapeutic treatments like immunotherapy, that can specifically treat the disease while causing minimal damage to healthy tissue and additionally provide systemic immunity.

Host-Defense Peptides Caerin 1.1 and 1.9 Stimulate TNF-Alpha-Dependent Apoptotic Signals in Human Cervical Cancer HeLa Cells.

Host defense caerin 1.1 and 1.9 peptides, isolated from the glandular secretion of Australian tree frogs, the genus , have been previously shown to have multiple biological activities, including the inhibition of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 early protein E7 transformed murine as well as human cancerous cell proliferation both and .

Significance of LL-37 on Immunomodulation and Disease Outcome.

LL-37, also called cathelicidin, is an important part of the human immune system, which can resist various pathogens. A plethora of experiments have demonstrated that it has the multifunctional effects of immune regulation, in addition to antimicrobial activity. Recently, there have been increasing interest in its immune function.

Salivary microRNA miR-let-7a-5p and miR-3928 could be used as potential diagnostic bio-markers for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Backgrounds: MicroRNAs (miRNA) are a class of non-protein-coding RNAs that have significant biological and pathological functions. The importance of miRNAs as potential cancer diagnostic biomarkers is gaining attention due to their influence in the regulation of cellular processes such as cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to identify significant miRNAs from saliva as potential diagnostic biomarkers in the early diagnosis and prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Therapeutic Effects of Ten Commonly Used Chinese Herbs and Their Bioactive Compounds on Cancers.

Effective cancer therapy is one of the biggest global challenges. Conventional cancer therapies have been at the forefront of combating cancers, but more evidence showed considerable side effects, limiting their use. There are various new therapies in development, but combined approaches for treating cancer are much expected.

Cripto-1 overexpression in U87 glioblastoma cells activates MAPK, focal adhesion and ErbB pathways.

Discovering the underlying signalling pathways that control cancer cells is crucial for understanding their biology and to develop therapeutic regimens. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of Cripto-1 on pathways controlling glioblastoma (GBM) cell function. To this end, changes in protein phosphorylation in cells overexpressing Cripto-1 were analysed using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis tool, as well as the Uniprot resource to identify the functions of Cripto-1-dependent phosphorylated proteins.

miR-496, miR-1185, miR-654, miR-3183 and miR-495 are downregulated in colorectal cancer cells and have putative roles in the mTOR pathway.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by suppressing the target mRNA and inhibiting translation in order to regulate multiple biological processes. miRNAs play important roles as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in the development of various types of human cancer. The regulation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) by miRNAs has been studied in several types of cancer, including colorectal cancer (CRC).

Vaccinations for Colorectal Cancer: Progress, Strategies, and Novel Adjuvants.

Although cancer is a leading cause of death, significant breakthroughs have been made in its treatment in recent years. In particular, increasingly effective cancer vaccines are being developed, including some for colorectal cancer. There are also currently a variety of compounds that can act as adjuvants, such as signalling molecules called cytokines.

The Dosage of the Derivative of (DCG) Spores Dictates Whether an IFN/IL-9 or a Strong IFN Response Is Elicited in TC-1 Tumour Bearing Mice.

Background: Anaerobic spores (CG) cause significant oncolysis in hypoxic tumour microenvironment and result in tumour regression in both animal models and clinical trials. The immune mediated response plays a critical role in the antitumour effect by the anaerobic spore treatment.

Method: Human papillomavirus 16 E6/E7 transformed TC-1 tumour bearing mice were intravenously administered with low (1 × 10 CFU/kg) or high dosage (3 × 10 CFU/kg) of Derivative spore (DCG).

Encapsulation of Plasmid DNA by Nanoscale Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Gene Transportation and Expression.

The intracellular delivery and functionalization of genetic molecules play critical roles in gene-based theranostics. In particular, the delivery of plasmid DNA (pDNA) with safe nonviral vectors for efficient intracellular gene expression has received increasing attention; however, it still has some limitations. A facile one-pot method is employed to encapsulate pDNA into zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) and ZIF-8-polymer vectors via biomimetic mineralization and coprecipitation.

Comparative proteomic study reveals the enhanced immune response with the blockade of interleukin 10 with anti-IL-10 and anti-IL-10 receptor antibodies in human U937 cells.

Blocking cytokine interleukin 10 (IL-10) at the time of immunisation enhances vaccine induced T cell responses and improves control of tumour cell growth in vivo. However, the effect of an IL-10 blockade on the biological function of macrophages has not been explored. In the current paper, a macrophage precursor cell line, U937 cells, was selected to investigate the differential expression of proteins and relevant cell signalling pathway changes, when stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the presence of antibodies to IL-10 or IL-10 receptor.

EGFR and Prion protein promote signaling via FOXO3a-KLF5 resulting in clinical resistance to platinum agents in colorectal cancer.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) supports colorectal cancer progression via oncogenic signaling. Anti-EGFR therapy is being investigated as a clinical option for colorectal cancer, and an observed interaction between EGFR and Prion protein has been detected in neuronal cells. We hypothesized that PrP expression levels may regulate EGFR signaling and that detailed understanding of this signaling pathway may enable identification of resistance mechanisms and new actionable targets in colorectal cancer.

EGF ligand fused to truncated Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A specifically targets and inhibits EGFR‑positive cancer cells.

Cancer cells have been known to overexpress the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and hence relevant multiple‑targeted therapies have been developed, with a recent clinical application of the antibody‑mediated inhibition of the EGFR. However, this strategy is not useful in cancer cells with mutations in KRAS; a GTPase downstream of EGFR which constitutively activates the pathway without EGF stimulation. Furthermore, mutations in EGFR also reduce the binding of monoclonal antibodies and thereby render them ineffective.

The Development of Toad Toxins as Potential Therapeutic Agents.

Toxins from toads have long been known to contain rich chemicals with great pharmaceutical potential. Recent studies have shown more than 100 such chemical components, including peptides, steroids, indole alkaloids, bufogargarizanines, organic acids, and others, in the parotoid and skins gland secretions from different species of toads. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), processed toad toxins have been used for treating various diseases for hundreds of years.

Comparative Proteomic Study of the Antiproliferative Activity of Frog Host-Defence Peptide Caerin 1.9 and Its Additive Effect with Caerin 1.1 on TC-1 Cells Transformed with HPV16 E6 and E7.

Caerin is a family of peptides isolated from the glandular secretion of Australian tree frogs, the genus , and has been previously shown to have anticancer activity against several cancer cells. In this work, we used two host-defence peptides, caerin 1.1 and caerin 1.

Dual mTOR/PI3K inhibitor NVP‑BEZ235 arrests colorectal cancer cell growth and displays differential inhibition of 4E‑BP1.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a downstream effector of the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway, is a critical regulator of cell metabolism, growth and survival in response to oncogenic factors. Activation of mTOR frequently occurs in human tumours making it a crucial and validated target in the treatment of cancer. mTOR inhibitors such as rapamycin and its analogues decrease cancer progression in experimental models including colorectal cancer (CRC).

A Simple Glycolipid Mimic of the Phosphatidylinositol Mannoside Core from Mycobacterium tuberculosis Inhibits Macrophage Cytokine Production.

Glycolipids from Mycobacterium tuberculosis have a profound impact on the innate immune response of the host. Macrophage-inducible C-type lectin (Mincle) is a pattern-recognition receptor that has been shown to bind trehalose dimycolate (TDM) from the mycobacterium and instigate intracellular signalling in the immune cell. There are structural similarities between the structures of TDM and phosphatidyl inositol mannoside (PIM).

Inhibitory mechanism of peptides with a repeating hydrophobic and hydrophilic residue pattern on interleukin-10.

Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is a cytokine that is able to downregulate inflammation. Its overexpression is directly associated with the difficulty in the clearance of chronic viral infections, such as chronic hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV infection, and infection-related cancer. IL-10 signaling blockade has been proposed as a promising way of clearing chronic viral infection and preventing tumor growth in animal models.