Although topical TLR7 therapies such as imiquimod have proved successful in the treatment of dermatological malignancy, systemic delivery may be required for optimal immunotherapy of nondermatological tumors. We report that intravenous delivery of the novel small molecule TLR7 agonist, DSR-6434, leads to the induction of type 1 interferon and activation of T and B lymphocytes, NK and NKT cells....

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Plant-derived products have proven to be valuable sources for discovery and development of unique anticancer drugs. In this study, the inhibitory effects of ethanolic extract of Melia toosendan fruit (EMTF), a traditional medicine in the Chinese Pharmacopeia were evaluated in vitro and in vivo against colon cancer. Human colo...

Probiotic microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) exert a number of strain-specific health-promoting activities attributed to their immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. Despite recent attention, our understanding of the biological processes involved in the beneficial effects of LAB strains is still limited. To this end, the present study investigated t...

Conquering immunosuppression in tumor microenvironments is crucial for effective cancer immunotherapy. It is well known that interleukin (IL)-6, a pleiotropic cytokine, is produced in the tumor-bearing state. In the present study, we investigated the precise effects of IL-6 on antitumor immunity and the subsequent tumorigenesis in tumor-bearing hosts. CT26 cells, a murine colon cancer cell line...

To date, virulent bacteria remain the basis of most bacteria mediated cancer therapies. For clinical application attenuation is required. However, this might result in a drastically lowered therapeutic capacity. Herein we argue that the E. coli probiotic Symbioflor-2, with a history of safe application may constitute a viable tumor therapeutic candidate. We demonstrate that Symbioflor-2 display...

Caspase-3 is a key effector caspase that is activated in both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis. Available fluorescent sensors for caspase-3 activity operate in relatively short wavelength regions and are nonoptimal for multiparameter microscopy and whole-body imaging. In the present work, we developed new genetically encoded sensors for caspase-3 activity possessing the most red-sh...

Tumor chemoresistance is associated with high aerobic glycolysis rates and reduced oxidative phosphorylation, a phenomenon called "Warburg effect" whose reversal could impair the ability of a wide range of cancer cells to survive in the presence or absence of chemotherapy. In previous studies, Short-term-starvation (STS) was shown to protect normal cells and organs but to sensitize different ca...

We compared the enhancement effect between a newly synthesized tissue-specific contrast agent, [Gd-DOTA-FPβG], and a commercially available agent, [Gd(DOTA)](-), in a murine model of liver tumor using a clinical magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The colon cancer cell lines with and without β-glucuronidase (βG) expression were implanted into the liver of mice. Self-synthesized gadolinium-based...

Cancer vaccine application is limited to specific cancer types because few cancer-associated antigens are known to induce tumor rejection. Accordingly, we assessed the utility of Ad881, an oncolytic adenovirus in which viral replication was strictly regulated by the cancer-specific midkine promoter, as a cancer vaccine in a murine colorectal cancer model lacking specific cancer-associated antig...

AIM To explore the influence of Infliximab (IFX) on cancer progression in a murine model of colonic cancer associated to chronic colitis. METHODS AOM/DSS model was induced in C57BL/6 mice. Mice were injected with IFX (5 mg/kg) during each DSS cycle while control mice received saline. Body weight, occult blood test and stool consistency were measured to calculate the disease activity index (DA...