Quinone oxidoreductase 1 is overexpressed in gastric cancer and associated with outcome of adjuvant chemotherapy and survival

BACKGROUND Quinine oxidoreductase 1(NQO1)plays a vital role in protecting normal cells against oxidative damage and electrophilic attack.It is highly expressed in many solid tumors,suggesting a role in cancer development and progression.However,the role of NQO1 in gastric cancer and its effect on cancer development and prognosis have not been fully investigated.AIM To investigate the clinical relevance of NQO1 protein expression in gastric cancer and to explore the potential of NQO1 to serve as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.METHODS In this retrospective study,gastric cancer specimens of 175 patients who were treated between 1995 and 2011 were subjected to immunohistochemistry analyses for NQO1.The correlation of NQO1 expression with gastric cancer prognosis and clinical and pathological parameters was investigated.RESULTS NQO1 protein was overexpressed in 59.43%(104/175)of the analyzed samples.Overexpression of NQO1 was associated with a significantly inferior prognosis.In addition,multivariate analysis suggested that NQO1 overexpression,along with tumor stage and patient age,are prominent prognostic biomarkers for gastric cancer.Moreover,NQO1 overexpression was correlated to a better response to 5-fluorouracil(5-FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy.CONCLUSION NQO1 overexpression is associated with a significantly poor prognosis and better response to 5-FU in patients with gastric cancer.These findings are relevant for improving therapeutic approaches for gastric cancer patients.

Probes and nano-delivery systems targeting NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1:a mini-review

The two-electron cytoplasmic reductase NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 is expressed in many tissues.NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 is well-known for being highly expressed in most cancers.Therefore,it could be a target for cancer therapy.Because it is a quinone reductase,many bioimaging probes based on quinone structures target NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 to diagnose tumours.Its expression is higher in tumours than in normal tissues,and using target drugs such asβ-lapachone to reduce side effects in normal tissues can help.However,the physicochemical properties ofβlapachone limit its application.The problem can be solved by using nanosystems to deliverβ-lapachone.This minireview summarizes quinone-based fluorescent,nearinfrared and two-photon fluorescent probes,as well as nanosystems for delivering the NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1-activating drugβ-lapachone.This review provides valuable information for the future development of probes and nano-delivery systems that target NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1.

NQO1 Mediates Lenvatinib Resistance by Regulating ROS-induced Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the third leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide.As a first-line drug for advanced HCC treatment,lenvatinib faces a significant hurdle due to the development of both intrinsic and acquired resistance among patients,and the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown.The present study aims to identify the pivotal gene responsible for lenvatinib resistance in HCC,explore the potential molecular mechanism,and propose combinatorial therapeutic targets for HCC management.Methods Cell viability and colony formation assays were conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of cells to lenvatinib and dicoumarol.RNA-Seq was used to determine the differences in transcriptome between parental cells and lenvatinib-resistant(LR)cells.The upregulated genes were analyzed by GO and KEGG analyses.Then,qPCR and Western blotting were employed to determine the relative gene expression levels.Afterwards,the intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS)and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry.Results PLC-LR and Hep3B-LR were established.There was a total of 116 significantly upregulated genes common to both LR cell lines.The GO and KEGG analyses indicated that these genes were involved in oxidoreductase and dehydrogenase activities,and reactive oxygen species pathways.Notably,NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1)was highly expressed in LR cells,and was involved in the lenvatinib resistance.The high expression of NQO1 decreased the production of ROS induced by lenvatinib,and subsequently suppressed the apoptosis.The combination of lenvatinib and NQO1 inhibitor,dicoumarol,reversed the resistance of LR cells.Conclusion The high NQO1 expression in HCC cells impedes the lenvatinib-induced apoptosis by regulating the ROS levels,thereby promoting lenvatinib resistance in HCC cells.

NQO1 C609T polymorphism correlated to colon cancer risk in farmers from western region of Inner Mongolia

Objective： To investigate the relationship between NAD（P）H：quinone oxidoreductase 1 （NQOI） C609T polymorphism and colon cancer risk in farmers from western region of Inner Mongolia. Methods： Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-RFLP） was performed to analyze NQO1 C609T polymorphism from 160 healthy controls and 76 colon cancer patients. Results： Among the colon cancer patients, the incidence of NQOI T allele （53.29%） was significantly higher than it in control group （33.75%, P〈0.001）. The individuals with NQO1 T allele had higher risk [2.239 （95% CI： 1.510-3.321） times] to develop colon cancer than individuals with NQO1 C allele. The incidence of NQO1 （TFI-） （34.21%） in colon cancer patients was higher than that in control group （15.62%, P〈0.001）. Odds ratios （OR） analysis suggested that NQO1 （T/F） and NQOI （T/C） genotype carriers had 3.813 （95% CI： 1.836-7.920） times and 2.080 （1.026-4.219） times risk compared with wild-type NQO1 （C/C） gene carriers in developing colon cancer. Individuals with NQO1 （T/I＇） genotype had 2.541 （95% CI： 0.990-6.552） times, 3.713 （95% CI： 1.542-8.935） times, and 3.471 （95% CI： 1.356-8.886） times risk than individuals with NQOI （T/C） or NQOI （C/C） genotype in well- differentiated, moderately-differentiated, and poorly-differentiated colon cancer patients, respectively. Conclusions： NQO1 gene C609T could be one of risk factors of colon cancer in farmers from western region of Inner Mongolia,

Effect of miR-27b-3p and Nrf2 in human retinal pigment epithelial cell induced by high-glucose

AIM:To determine whether the microRNA-27b-3p(miR-27b-3p)/NF-E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)pathway plays a role in human retinal pigment epithelial(hRPE)cell response to high glucose,how miR-27b-3p and Nrf2 expression are regulated,and whether this pathway could be specifically targeted.METHODS:hRPE cells were cultured in normal glucose or high glucose for 1,3,or 6d before measuring cellular proliferation rates using cell counting kit-8 and reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels using a dihydroethidium kit.miR-27b-3p,Nrf2,NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1)and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)mRNA and protein levels were analyzed using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)and immunocytofluorescence(ICF),respectively.Western blot analyses were performed to determine nuclear and total Nrf2 protein levels.Nrf2,NQO1,and HO-1 expression levels by RT-qPCR,ICF,or Western blot were further tested after miR-27b-3p overexpression or inhibitor lentiviral transfection.Finally,the expression level of those target genes was analyzed after treating hRPE cells with pyridoxamine.RESULTS:Persistent exposure to high glucose gradually suppressed hRPE Nrf2,NQO1,and HO-1 mRNA and protein levels and increased miR-27b-3p mRNA levels.High glucose also promoted ROS release and inhibited cellular proliferation.Nrf2,NQO1,and HO-1 mRNA levels decreased after miR-27b-3p overexpression and,conversely,both mRNA and protein levels increased after expressing a miR-27b-3p inhibitor.After treating hRPE cells exposed to high glucose with pyridoxamine,ROS levels tended to decreased,proliferation rate increased,Nrf2,NQO1,and HO-1 mRNA and protein levels were upregulated,and miR-27b-3p mRNA levels were suppressed.CONCLUSION:Nrf2 is a downstream target of miR-27b-3p.Furthermore,the miR-27b-3p inhibitor pyridoxamine can alleviate high glucose injury by regulating the miR-27b-3p/Nrf2 axis.

Effects of blueberry on hepatic fibrosis and transcription factor Nrf2 in rats

AIM:To investigate the effects of blueberry on hepatic fibrosis and NF-E2-related factor 2(Nrf2) transcription factor in rats.METHODS:Forty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group(A);CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis group(B);blueberry prevention group(C);Dan-shao-hua-xian capsule(DSHX) prevention group(D);and blueberry + DSHX prevention group(E).Liver fibrosis was induced in rats by subcutaneous injection of CCl4 and a high-lipid/low-protein diet for 8 wk(except the control group).The level of hyaluronic acid(HA) and alanine aminotransferase(ALT) in serum was examined.The activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione-S-transferase(GST) and malondialdehyde(MDA) in liver homogenates was determined.The degree of hepatic fibrosis was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining.Expression of Nrf2 and NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1(Nqo1) was detected by real-time reversed transcribed-polymerase chain reaction,immunohistochemical techniques,and western blotting.RESULTS:Compared with group B,liver indices,levels of serum HA and ALT of groups C,D and E were reduced(liver indices:0.038 ± 0.008,0.036 ± 0.007,0.036 ± 0.005 vs 0.054 ± 0.009,P<0.05;HA:502.33 ± 110.57 ng/mL,524.25 ± 255.42 ng/mL,499.25 ± 198.10 ng/mL vs 828.50 ± 237.83 ng/mL,P<0.05;ALT:149.44 ± 16.51 U/L,136.88 ± 10.07 U/L,127.38 ± 11.03 U/L vs 203.25 ± 31.62 U/L,P<0.05),and SOD level was significantly higher,but MDA level was lower,in liver homogenates(SOD:1.36 ± 0.09 U/mg,1.42 ± 0.13 U/mg,1.50 ± 0.15 U/mg vs 1.08 ± 0.19 U/mg,P<0.05;MDA:0.294 ± 0.026 nmol/mg,0.285 ± 0.025 nmol/mg,0.284 ± 0.028 nmol/mg vs 0.335 ± 0.056 nmol/mg,P<0.05).Meanwhile,the stage of hepatic fibrosis was significantly weakened(P<0.05).Compared with group A,the activity of GST liver homogenates and expression levels of Nrf2 and Nqo1 in group B were elevated(P<0.05).The expression level of Nrf2 and Nqo1 in groups C,D,and E were increased as compared with group B,but the difference was not significant.CONCLUSION:Blueberry has preventive and protective effects on CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis by reducing hepatocyte injury and lipid peroxidation.However,these effects may not be related to the activation of Nrf2 during long-term of CCl4.