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- Block, Keith I., et al.
(author)
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Designing a broad-spectrum integrative approach for cancer prevention and treatment
- 2015
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In: Seminars in Cancer Biology. - : Academic Press. - 1044-579X .- 1096-3650. ; 35, s. S276-S304
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Targeted therapies and the consequent adoption of "personalized" oncology have achieved notable successes in some cancers; however, significant problems remain with this approach. Many targeted therapies are highly toxic, costs are extremely high, and most patients experience relapse after a few disease-free months. Relapses arise from genetic heterogeneity in tumors, which harbor therapy-resistant immortalized cells that have adopted alternate and compensatory pathways (i.e., pathways that are not reliant upon the same mechanisms as those which have been targeted). To address these limitations, an international task force of 180 scientists was assembled to explore the concept of a low-toxicity "broadspectrum" therapeutic approach that could simultaneously target many key pathways and mechanisms. Using cancer hallmark phenotypes and the tumor microenvironment to account for the various aspects of relevant cancer biology, interdisciplinary teams reviewed each hallmark area and nominated a wide range of high-priority targets (74 in total) that could be modified to improve patient outcomes. For these targets, corresponding low-toxicity therapeutic approaches were then suggested, many of which were phytochemicals. Proposed actions on each target and all of the approaches were further reviewed for known effects on other hallmark areas and the tumor microenvironment Potential contrary or procarcinogenic effects were found for 3.9% of the relationships between targets and hallmarks, and mixed evidence of complementary and contrary relationships was found for 7.1%. Approximately 67% of the relationships revealed potentially complementary effects, and the remainder had no known relationship. Among the approaches, 1.1% had contrary, 2.8% had mixed and 62.1% had complementary relationships. These results suggest that a broad-spectrum approach should be feasible from a safety standpoint. This novel approach has potential to be relatively inexpensive, it should help us address stages and types of cancer that lack conventional treatment, and it may reduce relapse risks. A proposed agenda for future research is offered. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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- Ferrini, Fabio, et al.
(author)
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Characterization of the Biological Activity of the Ethanolic Extract from the Roots of Cannabis sativa L. Grown in Aeroponics
- 2022
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In: Antioxidants. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-3921. ; 11:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cannabis sativa var. Kompolti, a variety routinely used for food production purposes, is characterized by a low concentration of psychoactive molecules, although containing many other biologically attractive metabolites in all parts of the plant, including the roots. In the present work, we evaluate the specific biological activities of the roots’ extract from plants cultivated through aeroponics, an affordable and reliable method facilitating the isolation and processing of roots, with the advantage of being suitable for industrial scale‐up. Furthermore, aeroponics results in an increased net accumulation of the most biologically attractive constituents (β‐sitosterol, friedelin and epi‐friedelanol) found in the roots. The ethanolic extract of the aeroponic roots of C. sativa (APEX) and its separate components are studied to evaluate their anti‐inflammatory (modulation of the expression level of specific markers upon LPS stimulation in U937 cells, such as IL‐6, IL‐8, TNF‐α, IkB‐α, iNOS, IRAK‐1 and miR‐146a) and antioxidant (in either acellular or cellular settings) activities. The APEX anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant capacities are also functionally benchmarked using the wound‐healing assay. On the whole, the data obtained show that APEX and its main components showed significant anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities, which may render the exploitation of roots as a source of natural antioxidants and anti‐inflammatory agents highly attrac-tive, with the additional technical and economic advantages of aeroponics compared to soil cultivation.
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