Regulation of microRNA‐21 expression by natural products in cancer

Abstract

Natural products have been of much interest in research studies owing to their wide pharmacological applications, chemical diversity, low side effects, and multitarget activities. Examples of these compounds include matrine, sulforaphane, silibinin, curcumin, berberin, resveratrol, and quercetin. Some of the present anticancer drugs, such as taxol, vincristine, vinblastine, and doxorubicin are also derived from natural products. The anti-carcinogenic effects of these products are partly mediated through modulation of microRNA-21 (miR-21) expression. To date, numerous downstream targets of miR-21 have been recognized, which include phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), ras homolog gene family member B (RHOB), phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4), signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-3, and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathways. These signaling pathways, their regulation by oncomiR-21 in cancer, and the modulating impact of natural products are the main focus of this review.

Lymphoid Organ Proteomes Identify Therapeutic Efficacy Biomarkers Following the Intracavitary Administration of Curcumin in a Highly Invasive Rat Model of Peritoneal Mesothelioma

“…A recent study by Mohammadi-Barbori and colleagues has shown that this effect's mechanistic aspects also include chromatin remodeling [19] in addition to a previously documented modification of the cellular redox status [15]. Interestingly, another important target is represented by miRNA expression [30], and particularly miRNA-21 (miR-21), which is regulated by curcumin [27,29,31,32]. Even more interesting, Pdcd4 represents a functional target of miR-21 [45], while the anticarcinogenic effects of curcumin were reported to be partly mediated through modulation of miR-21 expression [32].…”

“…Interestingly, another important target is represented by miRNA expression [30], and particularly miRNA-21 (miR-21), which is regulated by curcumin [27,29,31,32]. Even more interesting, Pdcd4 represents a functional target of miR-21 [45], while the anticarcinogenic effects of curcumin were reported to be partly mediated through modulation of miR-21 expression [32]. These two findings suggest that the decrease in PDCD4 immunostaining we observed in spleen cells of curcumin-treated rats vs. untreated rats might reflect the reversal produced by curcumin treatment on the deleterious effects induced by the tumor development on immune cell functions.…”

“…Mudduluru et al [27] Rko and HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells Yang et al [28] DU145 human prostate cancer cells, B16 murine melanoma cells Chen et al [29] Review: microRNAs regulation Lelli et al [30] Review: melanoma Tan et al [31] C6 rat experimental glioblastoma Shakeri et al [32] Review Zhang et al [35] Lu1205 and A375 human melanoma cells Qin et al [36] HSC-T6 rat cells, rat liver fibrosis (in vivo) Wang et al [37] HMrSV5 human peritoneal mesothelial cells Gallardo et al [38] MCF…”

MicroRNA as an Important Target for Anticancer Drug Development

“…All above suggest that miR-17-92 gene cluster is a potential human oncogene. Another oncomiR, miR-21, is found to be a significant up-regulation in several types of solid tumors, such as lung, breast, prostate, and malignant glioma, supporting its oncogenic role in cancer pathogenesis ( Meq, 2013 ; Amani-Shalamzari et al, 2020 ; Shakeri et al, 2021 ). When miR-21 inhibitor was transfected into gastric cancer cell line HEK-293, the proliferation of cancer cells was inhibited, and the apoptosis of cancer cells was induced.…”

Natural products in suppressing glioma progression: A focus on the role of microRNAs

“…Strong evidence supports the dysregulation of miRNAs as a crucial process contributing to gliomagenesis (Malzkorn et al, 2010; Zhang, Dutta, & Abounader, 2012; Zhou et al, 2018). Dysregulation of miRNAs can either inhibit the expression of tumor suppressors or induce the expression of oncogenes (Zaheer et al, 2019), thus contributing to the regulation of cancer‐related processes such as proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis (Shakeri, Ghanbari, Tasbandi, & Sahebkar, 2021). Furthermore, deploying natural compounds as chemotherapeutic adjuvants have been shown to sensitize cancer cells and reverse their resistance to chemotherapeutic agents (Salehi et al, 2018; Wattanathamsan, Hayakawa, & Pongrakhananon, 2019) while decreasing the toxicity of these agents at the same time (Salek et al, 2021).…”