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2021) Knock-down of microRNA miR-556-5p increases cisplatin-sensitivity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) via activating NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3)-mediated pyroptotic cell death,

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As an oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenoid, Cucurbitacin E (CuE) possesses potential antitumor properties in sorts of malignancies. However, its effect on human esophageal carcinoma cells has not been previously unearthed, and the mechanism underlying its anticarcinoma activity remains vague. Hence, this study was arranged to probe the function of CuE on esophageal carcinoma cells and its specific mechanism. Human esophageal carcinoma cells (ECA109 and EC9706) and human normal esophageal epithelial cells (Het-1A) were selected for subsequent experiments. The expression levels of Rac1 in esophageal carcinoma cells were measured. After transfection of sh-Rac1 or pCDNA3.1-Rac1, esophageal carcinoma cells were exposed to CuE. Then, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine staining were utilized for measurement of cell proliferation ability, cell scratch assay for inspection of cell migration rate, and Transwell for detection of cell invasion ability. The phosphorylation levels of protein kinase B and mTOR were analyzed by Western blot. Rac1 was highly expressed in esophageal carcinoma cells. Transfection of sh-Rac1 in esophageal carcinoma cells resulted in suppression on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as downregulated phosphorylation levels of AKT and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in esophageal carcinoma cells, while transfection of pCDNA3.1-Rac1 had an opposite effect, implicating that Rac1 can promote the viability of esophageal carcinoma cells. Esophageal carcinoma cells subjected to CuE treatment had decreased expression of Rac1, suppressed cell viability, and decreased phosphorylation levels of AKT and mTOR. Transfection of pCDNA3.1-Rac1 and CuE treatment in esophageal carcinoma cells enhanced viability of esophageal carcinoma cells and promoted the phosphorylation levels of AKT and mTOR in comparison with cells treated with CuE alone. CuE inhibits proliferation, invasion, and migration of esophageal carcinoma cells via downregulating Rac1 to block the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT/mTOR pathway.

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e16033 Background: Camrelizumab has been approved as a standard therapy in the second-line treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of camrelizumab combined with commonly used neoadjuvant chemotherapy (paclitaxel and platinum) in neoadjuvant treatment of ESCC. Methods: In this single-arm, phase Ⅱ study, patients with advanced ESCC who were expected to receive neoadjuvant therapy followed by radical surgery were recruited. The patients received 2-4 cycles of camrelizumab (200mg, iv, q3w) in combination with paclitaxel (155mg/m2, iv, q3w) and nedaplatin (80mg/m2, iv, q3w) as neoadjuvant therapy, and the therapeutic effects were determined every 2 cycles. The radical surgery was performed on patients whose tumors were evaluated as resectable. The primary endpoint was pCR, and the secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR). Results: From May 2020 to January 2021, 24 patients with a median age of 60.5 years (50-73) were enrolled. Among them, 21 patients were available for efficacy analysis, of which 1 achieved complete response (CR), 7 achieved partial response (PR), and 13 had stable disease (SD). The ORR was 38.1% and DCR was 100%. The tumor in 10 patients shrank significantly after neoadjuvant therapy and these patients preferred radiotherapy instead of surgery as the radical therapeutic method. 2 patients abandoned surgery because of personal reasons. 2 patients were in the process of neoadjuvant therapy and had not undergone surgery yet. The remaining 7 patients underwent radical surgery and 4 patients (57.14%) achieved pCR (pT0N0M0). The main treatment-related grade 3/4 adverse event (AE) was neutropenia (1/21). All the AEs were manageable. The average intraoperative blood loss was 221mL and the average hospitalization time after operation was 12.7 days (range 8-19 days). No anastomotic leakage and treatment-related death occurred. Conclusions: Camrelizumab in combination with paclitaxel and platinum as a neoadjuvant therapy was well tolerated. The pCR rate of 57.14% was higher than the expected 40%. This encouraging result promoted us to continue this phase Ⅱ study. Clinical trial information: ChiCTR2000033761.

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