Programmed Cell Death (PCD) is considered to be a pathological form of cell death when mediated by an intracellular program and it balances cell death with survival of normal cells. Pyroptosis, a type of PCD, is induced by the inflammatory caspase cleavage of gasdermin D (GSDMD) and apoptotic caspase cleavage of gasdermin E (GSDME). This review aims to summarize the latest molecular mechanisms about pyroptosis mediated by pore-forming GSDMD and GSDME proteins that permeabilize plasma and mitochondrial membrane activating pyroptosis and apoptosis. We also discuss the potentiality of pyroptosis as a therapeutic target in human diseases. Blockade of pyroptosis by compounds can treat inflammatory disease and pyroptosis activation contributes to cancer therapy.

Metformin activates AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB pathway and induces mitochondrial dysfunction to drive caspase3/GSDME-mediated cancer cell pyroptosis,

Resveratrol (RES), a polyphenolic compound present in grapes and red wine, has potential anticancer properties. The present study aimed to examine the effects of resveratrol and its underlying mechanism on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines HepG2, Bel-7402 and SMMC-7721. It was demonstrated that resveratrol inhibited the viability and proliferation of HCC cells assessed by MTT and EdU assays. TUNEL assay revealed that resveratrol induced cell apoptosis by increasing HCC apoptosis rate from 3±0.78% to 16±1.12% with upregulation of B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2 associated X, apoptosis regulator and cleaved-poly (ADP-Ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP), and downregulation of Bcl-2, caspase-3, caspase-7 and PARP. As a sirtuin (SIRT) 1 activator, resveratrol elevated SIRT1 protein expression and its enzyme activity and decreased expression levels of phosphorylated (p)-phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), p-AKT Serine/Threonine Kinase 1 (AKT), and its downstream target p-Forkhead Box O3a in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, inhibition of SIRT1 enzymatic activity by EX527 resulted in increased phosphorylation levels of PI3K and AKT. This demonstrated that resveratrol inhibited the PI3K/AKT pathway by SIRT1 activation. In addition to inhibition of cancer cell migration, tumor suppressor gene DLC1 Rho GTPase activating protein level was upregulated and its phosphorylation was enhanced by AKT with resveratrol treatment. These findings suggested that resveratrol inhibits proliferation and migration through SIRT1 mediated post-translational modification of PI3K/AKT pathway in HCC cells.

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