Metastatic cancer cells can develop anoikis resistance in the absence of substrate attachment and survive to fight tumors. Anoikis is mediated by endogenous mitochondria-dependent and exogenous death receptor pathways, and studies have shown that caspase-8-dependent external pathways appear to be more important than the activity of the intrinsic pathways. This paper reviews the regulation of anoikis by external pathways mediated by death receptors. Different death receptors bind to different ligands to activate downstream caspases. The possible mechanisms of Fas-associated death domain (FADD) recruitment by Fas and TNF receptor 1 associated-death domain (TRADD) recruitment by tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), and DR4- and DR5-associated FADD to induce downstream caspase activation and regulate anoikis were reviewed. This review highlights the possible mechanism of the death receptor pathway mediation of anoikis and provides new insights and research directions for studying tumor metastasis mechanisms.

Background/Aim: Curcumin is a polyphenol that exerts a variety of pharmacological activities and plays an anti-cancer role in many cancer cells. It was recently reported that gasdermin E (GSDME) is involved in the progression of pyroptosis. Materials and Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with various concentrations of curcumin and cell viability was examined using MTT assay, apoptosis was analysed using flow cytometry, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels using dihydroethidium, LDH release using an LDH cytotoxicity assay, and protein expression using western blot. Results: Curcumin increased the expression of the GSDME N-terminus and proteins involved in pyrolysis, promoted HspG2 cell pyrolysis and increased intracellular ROS levels. Moreover, inhibition of the production of intracellular ROS with n-acetylcysteine (NAC) improved the degree of apoptosis and pyrolysis induced by curcumin. Conclusion: Curcumin induces HspG2 cell death by increasing apoptosis and pyroptosis, and ROS play a key role in this process. This study improves our understanding of the potential anti-cancer properties of curcumin in liver cancer.

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis is a major category of end-stage changes in lung diseases, characterized by lung epithelial cell damage, proliferation of fibroblasts, and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1), a member of the peroxiredoxin protein family, participates in the regulation of the levels of reactive oxygen species in cells and various other physiological activities, as well as the occurrence and development of diseases by functioning as a chaperonin. Methods: Experimental methods including MTT assay, morphological observation of fibrosis, wound healing assay, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, ELISA, western blot, transcriptome sequencing, and histopathological analysis were used in this study. Results: PRDX1 knockdown increased ROS levels in lung epithelial cells and promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the PI3K/Akt and JNK/Smad signalling pathways. PRDX1 knockout significantly increased TGF-β secretion, ROS production, and cell migration in primary lung fibroblasts. PRDX1 deficiency also increased cell proliferation, cell cycle circulation, and fibrosis progression through the PI3K/Akt and JNK/Smad signalling pathways. BLM treatment induced more severe pulmonary fibrosis in PRDX1-knockout mice, mainly through the PI3K/Akt and JNK/Smad signalling pathways. Conclusions: Our findings strongly suggest that PRDX1 is a key molecule in BLM-induced lung fibrosis progression and acts through modulating EMT and lung fibroblast proliferation; therefore, it may be a therapeutic target for the treatment of BLM-induced lung fibrosis.

Foodborne protein hydrolysates exhibit biological activity that may be therapeutic in a number of human disease settings. Hemp peptides (HP) generated by controlled hydrolysis of hemp proteins have a number of health benefits and are of pharmaceutical value. In the present study, we produce small molecular weight HP from hemp seed and investigate its anticancer properties in Hep3B human liver cancer cells. We demonstrate that HP treatment increased apoptosis, reduced cell viability, and reduced cell migration in Hep3B human liver cancer cells without affecting the normal liver cell line L02. We correlate these phenotypes with increased cellular ROS levels, upregulation of cleaved caspase 3 and Bad, and downregulation of antiapoptotic Bcl‐2. HP treatment led to increased Akt and GSK‐3β phosphorylation, with subsequent downregulation of β‐catenin, suggesting β‐catenin signaling modulation as a critical mechanism by which HP exhibits anticancer properties. Our findings suggest HP are of potential therapeutic interest for liver cancer treatment.

Recently, non-thermal plasma (NTP) technologies have found widespread application across diverse fields, including plant growth, medical science, and biological and environmental research. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is exceptionally sensitive to temperature changes. Notably, low-temperature stress primarily affects the germination and reproductive stages of rice, often leading to reduced crop yield. This study aimed to identify optimal conditions for enhancing rice seed germination and seedling growth under low temperatures using NTP technology. Our research indicated that NTP treatment at 15.0 kV for 30 s optimally promotes rice seed germination and growth under low-temperature stress. Furthermore, NTP treatment increases the activity and expression of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD), under low-temperature conditions. Moreover, it downregulates the expression of β-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase I (KASI) and cis-epoxy carotenoid dioxygenase 3 (NCED3) and upregulates the expression of alternative oxidase (AOX1B), BREVIS RADIX-like homologous gene (BRXL2), WRKY transcription factor 29 (WRKY29), and EREBP transcription factor 2 (EREBP2) in roots after tandem 7 days low-temperature (16 ℃) and 7 days room-temperature (28 ℃) treatments. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the involvement of various key genes in phosphotransferase activity, phosphate-containing compound metabolic processes, and defense responses. These analyses provide comprehensive information on gene expression at the transcriptional level, offering new insights for a deeper understanding of candidate genes required for root growth in rice.