Ovarian cancer is 1 of the most significant malignancies in the Western world, and the antiangiogenesis strategy has been postulated for prevention and treatment of ovarian cancers. Kaempferol is a natural flavonoid present in many fruits and vegetables. The antiangiogenesis potential of kaempferol and its underlying mechanisms were investigated in two ovarian cancer cell lines, OVCAR-3 and A2780/CP70. Kaempferol mildly inhibits cell viability but significantly reduces VEGF gene expression at mRNA and protein levels in both ovarian cancer cell lines. In chorioallantoic membranes of chicken embryos, kaempferol significantly inhibits OVCAR-3-induced angiogenesis and tumor growth. HIF-1α, a regulator of VEGF, is downregulated by kaempferol treatment in both ovarian cancer cell lines. Kaempferol also represses AKT phosphorylation dose dependently at 5 to 20 μM concentrations. ESRRA is a HIF-independent VEGF regulator, and it is also downregulated by kaempferol in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, this study demonstrated that kaempferol is low in cytotoxicity but inhibits angiogenesis and VEGF expression in human ovarian cancer cells through both HIF-dependent (Akt/HIF) and HIF-independent (ESRRA) pathways and deserves further studies for possible application in angio prevention and treatment of ovarian cancers.

Background: MircoRNAs(miRNAs) are short, endogenously non-coding RNAs. The abnormal expression of miRNAs may be valuable for the diagnosis and treatment of tumors.

Dietary flavonoids have been shown to be protective against various types of cancers. Here we studied the effects of 12 different flavonoids and other substances on cell proliferation and VEGF expression in human ovarian cancer cells, OVCAR-3. Cell growth was determined to pinpoint the best time for drug treatment. By LDH assay, no cytotoxicity was observed for OVCAR-3 cells with all 12 chemicals except mevinolin. Six flavonoids, including apigenin, taxifolin, luteolin, quercetin, genistein, and kaempferol, were shown to inhibit the ovarian cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. From both RT-qPCR and ELISA results, all flavonoids have shown varied degrees of inhibition in VEGF expression. Taxifolin and naringin showed the least inhibition effect. They both lack a double bond in the second ring structure that may be important in inhibiting VEGF expression. The rank order of VEGF protein secretion inhibitory potency was genistein > kaempferol > apigenin > quercetin > tocopherol > luteolin > cisplatin > rutin > naringin > taxifolin. Genistein, quercetin, and luteolin have shown strong inhibition to cell proliferation and VEGF expression of human ovarian cancer cells, and they show promising in the prevention of ovarian cancers.

Several types of terminally differentiated somatic cells can be reprogrammed into a pluripotent state by ectopic expression of Klf4, Oct3/4, Sox2, and c-Myc. Such induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have great potential to serve as an autologous source of cells for tissue repair. In the process of developing iPS-cell-based therapies, the major goal is to determine whether differentiated cells derived from iPS cells, such as cardiomyocytes (CMs), have the same functional properties as their physiological in vivo counterparts. Therefore, we differentiated murine iPS cells to CMs in vitro and characterized them by RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry, and electrophysiology. As key markers of cardiac lineages, transcripts for Nkx2.5, alphaMHC, Mlc2v, and cTnT could be identified. Immunocytochemical stainings revealed the presence of organized sarcomeric actinin but the absence of mature atrial natriuretic factor. We examined characteristics and developmental changes of action potentials, as well as functional hormonal regulation and sensitivity to channel blockers. In addition, we determined expression patterns and functionality of cardiac-specific voltage-gated Na+, Ca2+, and K+ channels at early and late differentiation stages and compared them with CMs derived from murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as well as with fetal CMs. We conclude that iPS cells give rise to functional CMs in vitro, with established hormonal regulation pathways and functionally expressed cardiac ion channels; CMs generated from iPS cells have a ventricular phenotype; and cardiac development of iPS cells is delayed compared with maturation of native fetal CMs and of ESC-derived CMs. This difference may reflect the incomplete reprogramming of iPS cells and should be critically considered in further studies to clarify the suitability of the iPS model for regenerative medicine of heart disorders.

Ovarian cancer is a significant malignancy for women in the western world, and its death rate has remained unchanged over the past 50 years, leaving room for proper chemoprevention. Kaempferol is a natural flavonoid widely distributed in fruits and vegetables, and epidemiological studies have found a negative correlation between kaempferol consumption and ovarian cancer risk. To understand the mechanism behind this negative correlation, we investigated kaempferol’s ability to induce apoptosis in A2780/CP70, A2780/wt, and OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cell lines. Kaempferol inhibited cell proliferation but did not cause necrosis in all 3 cell lines. For the apoptosis, caspase 3/7 levels were induced in a concentration-dependent manner by kaempferol treatment, with A2780/wt cells being the most responsive. This induction can be diminished by pre-treatment with a caspase-9 inhibitor, indicating an intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Western blot analysis revealed that protein levels of Bcl-xL were decreased in ovarian cancer cells, while p53, Bad, and Bax proteins were up-regulated by kaempferol treatment. Our data indicate that kaempferol induces apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells through regulating pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic protein expressions in the intrinsic apoptosis pathways, and is a good candidate for the chemoprevention of ovarian cancers in humans. Further studies in animal models and clinical trials are therefore warranted.

BackgroundOvarian cancer is one of the most significant malignancies in the western world. Studies showed that Ovarian cancers tend to grow resistance to cisplatin treatment. Therefore, new approaches are needed in ovarian cancer treatment. Kaempferol is a dietary flavonoid that is widely distributed in fruits and vegetables, and epidemiology studies have revealed a protective effect of kaempferol against ovarian cancer risk. Our early studies also found that kaempferol is effective in reducing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in ovarian cancer cells. In this study, we investigated kaempferol's effects on sensitizing ovarian cancer cell growth in response to cisplatin treatment.ResultsTen chemicals were screened for sensitizing OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cell growth in response to cisplatin treatment. For kaempferol, which shows a significant synergistic interaction with cisplatin, expression of ABCC1, ABCC5, ABCC6, NFkB1, cMyc, and CDKN1A genes was further examined. For cisplatin/kaempferol treatments on OVCAR-3 cancer cells, the mRNA levels of ABCC1, ABCC5, and NFkB1 did not change. However, significant inhibition of ABCC6 and cMyc mRNA levels was observed for the cisplatin/kaempferol combined treatment. The CDKN1A mRNA levels were significantly up-regulated by cisplatin/kaempferol treatment. A plot of CDKN1A mRNA levels against that of cMyc gene further revealed a reverse, linear relationship, proving cMyc's regulation on CDKN1A gene expressions. Our work found that kaempferol works synergistically with cisplatin in inhibiting ovarian cancer cell viability, and their inhibition on cell viabilities was induced through inhibiting ABCC6 and cMyc gene transcription. Apoptosis assay showed the addition of 20 μM kaempferol to the cisplatin treatment induces the apoptosis of the cancer cells.ConclusionsKaempferol enhances the effect of cisplatin through down regulation of cMyc in promoting apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. As a dietary component, kaempferol sensitizes ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin treatment and deserves further studies for possible applications in chemotherapy of ovarian cancers.

BackgroundSmall cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by rapid progression and low survival rates. Therefore, novel therapeutic agents are urgently needed for this disease. Capsaicin, the active ingredient of chilli peppers, displays anti-proliferative activity in prostate and epidermoid cancer in vitro. However, the anti-proliferative activity of capsaicin has not been studied in human SCLCs. The present manuscript fills this void of knowledge and explores the anti-proliferative effect of capsaicin in SCLC in vitro and in vivo.Methodology/Principal FindingsBrdU assays and PCNA ELISAs showed that capsaicin displays robust anti-proliferative activity in four human SCLC cell lines. Furthermore, capsaicin potently suppressed the growth of H69 human SCLC tumors in vivo as ascertained by CAM assays and nude mice models. The second part of our study attempted to provide insight into molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-proliferative activity of capsaicin. We found that the anti-proliferative activity of capsaicin is correlated with a decrease in the expression of E2F-responsive proliferative genes like cyclin E, thymidylate synthase, cdc25A and cdc6, both at mRNA and protein levels. The transcription factor E2F4 mediated the anti-proliferative activity of capsaicin. Ablation of E2F4 levels by siRNA methodology suppressed capsaicin-induced G1 arrest. ChIP assays demonstrated that capsaicin caused the recruitment of E2F4 and p130 on E2F-responsive proliferative promoters, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation.Conclusions/SignificanceOur findings suggest that the anti-proliferative effects of capsaicin could be useful in the therapy of human SCLCs.

Background: Nicotine promotes the proliferation of human squamous cell lung cancer (SCC-L) via the α7-nicotinic receptor (nAChR).Results: Nicotine increases α7-nAChR expression via transcriptional mechanisms involving Sp1 and GATA proteins.Conclusion: Nicotine-induced up-regulation of α7-nAChR accelerates the growth of human SCC-L.Significance: SCC-L patients exposed to nicotine display fast growing lung tumors and worse clinical outcomes.