shikonin and Carcinoma

Management of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has changed rapidly in recent years with the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, only a limited number of patients can sustainably respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors and many patients develop resistance to therapy, creating an additional need for therapeutic strategies to improve the efficacy of systemic therapies.. Binding probability and target genes prediction using online databases, invasion, migration, and apoptosis assays as well as the inhibition of cancer stem cells (CSCs) markers in ccRCC cell lines were used to select the most promising phytochemicals (PTCs). Mixed lymphocyte tumor cell culture (MLTC) system and flow cytometry were performed to confirm the potential combination strategy. The potential immunotherapeutic targets and novel CSC markers were identified via the NanoString analysis. The mRNA and protein expression, immune signatures as well as survival characteristics of the marker in ccRCC were analyzed via bioinformation analysis.. Shikonin was selected as the most promising beneficial combination partner among 11 PTCs for ipilimumab for the treatment of ccRCC patients due to its strong inhibitory effect on CSCs, the significant reduction of FoxP3. We propose that a combination of shikonin and ipilimumab could be a promising treatment strategy and VCAM1 a novel immunotherapeutic target for the treatment of ccRCC.

Topics: Carcinoma; Carcinoma, Renal Cell; Humans; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors; Ipilimumab; Kidney Neoplasms; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Neoplastic Stem Cells

Shikonin, a natural small agent, has shown inhibitory effect in many kinds of cells, which increases intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and causes mitochondrial injury. In this study, shikonin showed good inhibitory effect on nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-2Z cells in vivo and vitro. The results presented here revealed that ROS levels increased markly after shikonin treated. The electron microscopy displays the change in ultrastructure of CNE-2Z cells after treatment for shikonin, which indicated that shikonin induced necroptosis. Shikonin-induced cell death was inhibited by a necroptosis inhibitor, necrostatin-1 (Nec-1), while the activity was unaffected by the caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the activation of receptor-interacting kinase (RIP) led to necroptosis. Meanwhile, shikonin also significantly inhibited tumor growth in a CNE-2Z xenograft mouse model. Taken together, shikonin induced CNE-2Z cells death by producing ROS as a necroptosis inducer. It could serve as a new therapeutic agent for treating CNE-2Z cells.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Apoptosis; Carcinoma; Cell Line, Tumor; Heterografts; Humans; Mice; Mice, Nude; Naphthoquinones; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms; Necrosis; Reactive Oxygen Species

This study aims to explore the apoptotic function of shikonin on the papillary thyroid cancer cells and the related mechanism. The papillary thyroid cancer cell lines K1 and W3 and thyroid follicular epithelial cells NTHY-ORI 3-1 were treated with different concentrations of shikonin. Cell proliferation was tested. Morphological changes of the apoptotic cells were observed by Hoechst 33342 staining. The apoptosis rate of the papillary thyroid cancer cells was measured with flow cytometry. Changes of the cell cycle were explored. The mitochondrial membrane potential changes were analyzed after JC-1 staining. Bcl-2 family proteins and caspase-3 expression with shikonin treatment was analyzed by real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Cell proliferation of K1 and W3 was inhibited by shikonin, and the inhibition was dose-time dependent. Papillary thyroid carcinoma cells treated by shikonin had no obvious cell cycle arrest but were observed with the higher apoptosis rate and the typical apoptotic morphological changes of the cell nucleus. JC-1 staining showed that shikonin reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential of papillary thyroid carcinoma cells. Real-time PCR results showed that shikonin significantly increased Bax and caspase-3 expression and upregulated Bcl-2 expression in a dose-dependent manner in papillary thyroid carcinoma cells. However, the NTHY-ORI 3-1 was almost not affected by shikonin treatment. Shikonin can inhibit K1 and W3 cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, enhance Bax levels, reduce anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 levels, result in decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential and activating caspase-3 enzyme, and finally lead to apoptosis.

Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Apoptosis; Carcinoma; Carcinoma, Papillary; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Flow Cytometry; Humans; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; Naphthoquinones; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; Thyroid Neoplasms