Chronic exposure to excess iron promotes EMT and cancer via p53 loss in pancreatic cancer

Based on the evidence that hemochromatosis, an iron-overload disease, drives hepatocellular carcinoma, we hypothesized that chronic exposure to excess iron, either due to genetic or environmental causes, predisposes an individual to cancer. Using pancreatic cancer as our primary focus, we employed cell culture studies to interrogate the connection between excess iron and cancer, and combined in vitro and in vivo studies to explore the connection further. Ferric ammonium citrate was used as an exogenous iron source. Chronic exposure to excess iron induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) in normal and cancer cell lines, loss of p53, and suppression of p53 transcriptional activity evidenced from decreased expression of p53 target genes(p21, cyclin D1, Bax, SLC7A11). To further extrapolate our cell culture data, we generated EL-KrasG12D( EL-Kras) mouse(pancreatic neoplastic mouse model) expressing Hfe+/+ and Hfe-/- genetic background. p53 target gene expression decreased in EL-Kras/Hfe-/- mouse pancreas compared to EL-Kras/Hfe+/+ mouse pancreas. Interestingly, the incidence of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia and cystic pancreatic neoplasms(CPN) decreased in EL-Kras/Hfe-/- mice, but the CPNs that did develop were larger in these mice than in EL-Kras/Hfe+/+ mice. In conclusion, these in vitro and in vivo studies support a potential role for chronic exposure to excess iron as a promoter of more aggressive disease via p53 loss and SLC7A11 upregulation within pancreatic epithelial cells.

Stimulatory effect on the transport mediated by organic anion transporting polypeptide 2B1

Drug-drug interaction(DDI)is one of causes of adverse drug events and can result in lifethreatening consequences.Organic anion-transporting polypeptide(OATP)2B1 is a major uptake transporter in the intestine and contributes to transport various clinically used therapeutic agents.The intestine has a high risk of DDI,because it has a special propensity to be exposed to a high concentration of drugs.Thus,understanding drug interaction mediated by OATP2B1 in the absorption process is important for the prevention of adverse drug events,including decrease in the therapeutic effect of co-administered drugs.Acute drug interaction occurs through the direct inhibitory effect on transporters,including OATP2B1.Moreover,some compounds such as clinically used drugs and food components have an acute stimulatory effect on transport of co-administered drugs by OATP2B1.This review summarizes the acute stimulatory effect on the transport mediated by OATP2B1 and discusses the mechanisms of the acute stimulatory effects of compounds.There are two types of acute stimulatory effects,substrate-independent and-dependent interactions on OATP2B1 function.The facilitating translocation of OATP2B1 to the plasma membrane is one of causes for the substrate-independent acute stimulatory effect.On the contrary,the substrate-dependent effect is based on the direct binding to the substrate-binding site or allosteric progesterone-binding site of OATP2B1.