Browsing by Author "Ilya Ulasov"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

FNC (4′-azido-2′-deoxy-2′-fluoro(arbino)cytidine) as an Effective Therapeutic Agent for NHL: ROS Generation, Cell Cycle Arrest, and Mitochondrial-Mediated Apoptosis
(Springer, 2024) Naveen Kumar; Alok Shukla; Sanjay Kumar; Ilya Ulasov; Rishi Kant Singh; Sandeep Kumar; Anand Patel; Lokesh Yadav; Ruchi Tiwari; Rachana Paswan; Shivashish Priyadarshi Mohanta; Kaushalendra; Jyeoti Antil; Arbind Acharya
Cytotoxic nucleoside analogs (NAs) hold great promise in cancer therapeutics by mimicking endogenous nucleosides and interfering with crucial cellular processes. Here, we investigate the potential of the novel cytidine analog, 4′-azido-2′-deoxy-2′-fluoro(arbino)cytidine (FNC), as a therapeutic agent for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) using Dalton’s lymphoma (DL) as a T-cell lymphoma model. FNC demonstrated dose- and time-dependent inhibition of DL cell growth and proliferation. IC-50 values of FNC were measured at 1 µM, 0.5 µM, and 0.1 µM after 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. Further elucidation of FNC’s mechanism of action uncovers its role in inducing apoptosis in DL cells. Notable DNA fragmentation and nuclear condensation point to activated apoptotic pathways. FNC-induced apoptosis was concomitant with changes in cellular membranes, characterized by membrane rupture and altered morphology. The robust anticancer effects of FNC are linked to its capacity to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, prompting oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis. Additionally, FNC disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, further promoting apoptosis. Dysregulation of apoptotic genes, with upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl, implicates the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway. Furthermore, FNC-induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest was mediated through modulation of the cell cycle inhibitor p21. Overall, this study highlights the potential of FNC as a promising therapeutic agent for NHL. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.
FNC: An Advanced Anticancer Therapeutic or Just an Underdog?
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022) Daria Fayzullina; Rajesh Kumar Kharwar; Arbind Acharya; Anton Buzdin; Nicolas Borisov; Peter Timashev; Ilya Ulasov; Byron Kapomba
Azvudine (FNC) is a novel cytidine analogue that has both antiviral and anticancer activities. This minireview focuses on its underlying molecular mechanisms of suppressing viral life cycle and cancer cell growth and discusses applications of this nucleoside drug for advanced therapy of tumors and malignant blood diseases. FNC inhibits positive-stand RNA viruses, like HCV, EV, SARS-COV-2, HBV, and retroviruses, including HIV, by suppressing their RNA-dependent polymerase enzymes. It may also inhibit such enzyme (reverse transcriptase) in the human retrotransposons, including human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). As the activation of retrotransposons can be the major factor of ongoing cancer genome instability and consequently higher aggressiveness of tumors, FNC has a potential to increase the efficacy of multiple anticancer therapies. Furthermore, FNC also showed other aspects of anticancer activity by inhibiting adhesion, migration, invasion, and proliferation of malignant cells. It was also reported to be involved in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, thereby inhibiting the progression of cancer through different pathways. To the date, the grounds of FNC effects on cancer cells are not fully understood and hence additional studies are needed for better understanding molecular mechanisms of its anticancer activities to support its medical use in oncology. Copyright © 2022 Fayzullina, Kharwar, Acharya, Buzdin, Borisov, Timashev, Ulasov and Kapomba.
Mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis as a therapeutic target for FNC (2′-deoxy-2′-b-fluoro-4′-azidocytidine)-induced inhibition of Dalton’s lymphoma growth and proliferation
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2024) Naveen Kumar; Sanjeev Kumar; Alok Shukla; Sanjay Kumar; Rishi Kant Singh; Ilya Ulasov; Sandeep Kumar; Anand Kumar Patel; Lokesh Yadav; Ruchi Tiwari; Rachana; Shivashish Priyadarshi Mohanta; Kaushalendra; Vikram Delu; Arbind Acharya
Purpose: T-cell lymphomas, refer to a diverse set of lymphomas that originate from T-cells, a type of white blood cell, with limited treatment options. This investigation aimed to assess the efficacy and mechanism of a novel fluorinated nucleoside analogue (FNA), 2′-deoxy-2′-β-fluoro-4′-azidocytidine (FNC), against T-cell lymphoma using Dalton’s lymphoma (DL)-bearing mice as a model. Methods: Balb/c mice transplanted with the DL tumor model received FNC treatment to study therapeutic efficacy against T-cell lymphoma. Behavioral monitoring, physiological measurements, and various analyses were conducted to evaluate treatment effects for mechanistic investigations. Results: The results of study indicated that FNC prevented DL-altered behavior parameters, weight gain and alteration in organ structure, hematological parameters, and liver enzyme levels. Moreover, FNC treatment restored organ structures, attenuated angiogenesis, reduced DL cell viability and proliferation through apoptosis. The mechanism investigation revealed FNC diminished MMP levels, induced apoptosis through ROS induction, and activated mitochondrial-mediated pathways leading to increase in mean survival time of DL mice. These findings suggest that FNC has potential therapeutic effects in mitigating DL-induced adverse effects. Conclusion: FNC represents an efficient and targeted treatment strategy against T-cell lymphoma. FNC’s proficient ability to induce apoptosis through ROS generation and MMP reduction makes it a promising candidate for developing newer and more effective anticancer therapies. Continued research could unveil FNC’s potential role in designing a better therapeutic approach against NHL. © 2023, The Author(s).
Novel Targeted Therapeutic Strategies for Ewing Sarcoma
(MDPI, 2022) Daria Fayzullina; Sergey Tsibulnikov; Mikhail Stempen; Brett A. Schroeder; Naveen Kumar; Rajesh Kumar Kharwar; Arbind Acharya; Peter Timashev; Ilya Ulasov
Ewing sarcoma (ES) is an uncommon cancer that arises in mesenchymal tissues and represents the second most widespread malignant bone neoplasm after osteosarcoma in children. Amplifications in genomic, proteomic, and metabolism are characteristics of sarcoma, and targeting altered cancer cell molecular processes has been proposed as the latest promising strategy to fight cancer. Recent technological advancements have elucidated some of the underlying oncogenic characteristics of Ewing sarcoma. Offering new insights into the physiological basis for this phenomenon, our current review examines the dynamics of ES signaling as it related to both ES and the microenvironment by integrating genomic and proteomic analyses. An extensive survey of the literature was performed to compile the findings. We have also highlighted recent and ongoing studies integrating metabolomics and genomics aimed at better understanding the complex interactions as to how ES adapts to changing biochemical changes within the tumor microenvironment. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Pharmacological Insights: Mitochondrial ROS Generation by FNC (Azvudine) in Dalton’s Lymphoma Cells Revealed by Super Resolution Imaging
(Springer, 2024) Naveen Kumar; Vikram Delu; Ilya Ulasov; Sanjay Kumar; Rishi Kant Singh; Sandeep Kumar; Alok Shukla; Anand Kumar Patel; Lokesh Yadav; Ruchi Tiwari; Kumari Rachana; Shivashish Priyadarshi Mohanta; Varsha Singh; Anuradha Yadav; Kaushalendra Kaushalendra; Arbind Acharya
Nucleoside analogs are a common form of chemotherapy that disrupts DNA replication and repair, leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is a significant mechanism through which these drugs exert their anticancer effects. This study investigated a new nucleoside analog called FNC or Azvudine, and its impact on ROS production and cell viability in Dalton’s lymphoma (DL) cells. The study found that FNC treatment resulted in a time- and dose-dependent increase in ROS levels in DL cells. After 15 and 30 min of treatment with 2 and 1 mg/ml of FNC, mitochondrial ROS production was observed in DL cells. Furthermore, prolonged exposure to FNC caused structural alterations and DNA damage in DL cells. The results suggest that FNC’s ability to impair DL cell viability may be due to its induction of ROS production and indicate a need for further investigation. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.
Safety Assessment of a Nucleoside Analogue FNC (2’-deoxy-2’-β-fluoro-4’-azidocytidine ) in Balb/c Mice: Acute Toxicity Study
(Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention, 2023) Naveen Kumar; Vikram Delu; Alok Shukla; Rishi Kant Singh; Ilya Ulasov; Daria Fayzullina; Sandeep Kumar; Anand Kumar Patel; Lokesh Yadav; Ruchi Tiwari; Kumari Rachana; Shivashish Priyadarshi Mohanta; Sanjay Kumar; Kaushalendra Kaushalendra; Arbind Acharya
Objectives: The present study aimed to provide an insight into the acute toxicity of a novel fluorinated nucleoside analogue (FNA), FNC (Azvudine or2’-deoxy-2’-β-fluoro-4’-azidocytidine). FNC showed potent anti-viral and anticancer activities and approved drug for high-load HIV patients, despite, its acute toxicity study being lacking. Materials and Methods: OECD-423 guidelines were followed during this study and the parameters were divided into four categories - behavioral parameters, physiological parameters, histopathological parameters, and supplementary tests. The behavioral parameters included feeding, body weight, belly size, organ weight and size, and mice behavior. The physiological parameters consisted of blood, liver, and kidney indicators. In histopathological parameters hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to analyse the histological changes in the mice organs after FNC exposure. In addition, supplementary tests were conducted to assess cellular viability, DNA fragmentation and cytokine levels (IL-6 and TNF-α) in response to FNC. Results: In the behavioral parameters FNC induced changes in the mice-to-mice interaction and activities. Mice’s body weight, belly size, organ weight, and size remained unchanged. Physiological parameters of blood showed that FNC increased the level of WBC, RBC, Hb, and neutrophils and decreased the % count of lymphocytes. Liver enzymes SGOT (AST), and ALP was increased. In the renal function test (RFT) cholesterol level was significantly decreased. Histopathological analysis of the liver, kidney, brain, heart, lungs, and spleen showed no sign of tissue damage at the highest FNC dose of 25 mg/kg b.wt. Supplementary tests for cell viability showed no change in viability footprint, through our recently developed dilution cum-trypan (DCT) assay, and Annexin/PI. No DNA damage or apoptosis was observed in DAPI or AO/EtBr studies. Pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α increased in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: This study concluded that FNC is safe to use though higher concentration shows slight toxicity. © This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License.
The spectrum of cell death in sarcoma
(Elsevier Masson s.r.l., 2023) Elizaveta Belyaeva; Nina Loginova; Brett A. Schroeder; Ian S. Goldlust; Arbind Acharya; Sandeep Kumar; Peter Timashev; Ilya Ulasov
The balance between cell death and cell survival is a highly coordinated process by which cells break down and remove unnecessary or harmful materials in a controlled, highly regulated, and compartmentalized manner. Cell exposure to various stresses, such as oxygen starvation, a lack of nutrients, or exposure to radiation, can initiate autophagy. Autophagy is a carefully orchestrated process with multiple steps, each regulated by specific genes and proteins. Autophagy proteins impact cellular maintenance and cell fate in response to stress, and targeting this process is one of the most promising methods of anti-tumor therapy. It is currently not fully understood how autophagy affects different types of tumor cells, which makes it challenging to predict outcomes when this process is manipulated. In this review, we will explore the mechanisms of autophagy and investigate it as a potential and promising therapeutic target for aggressive sarcomas. © 2023 The Authors