Natural products targeting autophagy and apoptosis in NSCLC: a novel therapeutic strategy

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being the predominant type. The roles of autophagy and apoptosis in NSCLC present a dual and intricate nature. Additionally, autophagy and apoptosis interconnect through diverse crosstalk molecules. Owing to their multitargeting nature, safety, and efficacy, natural products have emerged as principal sources for NSCLC therapeutic candidates. This review begins with an exploration of the mechanisms of autophagy and apoptosis, proceeds to examine the crosstalk molecules between these processes, and outlines their implications and interactions in NSCLC. Finally, the paper reviews natural products that have been intensively studied against NSCLC targeting autophagy and apoptosis, and summarizes in detail the four most retrieved representative drugs. This paper clarifies good therapeutic effects of natural products in NSCLC by targeting autophagy and apoptosis and aims to promote greater consideration by researchers of natural products as candidates for anti-NSCLC drug discovery

Prognostic value of EZH2 in non-small-cell lung cancers : a meta-analysis and bioinformatics analysis

Background. The prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been significantly improved. In the past several years, research on epigenetics is in full swing. There is a focus on the gene EZH2; however, its role as a predictor of the prognosis of NSCLC is in the debate. Objective. To clarify if the expression level of EZH2 can influence the prognosis of NSCLC and explain its prognostic value. Methods. We have systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane library, screened relevant articles, and conducted a meta-analysis on the expression level of EZH2 in NSCLC. We collected the hazard ratio (HR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) and used STATA 12.0 to calculate the combined result of EZH2 overall survival. In addition, we conducted subgroup analyses, a sensitivity analysis, and a funnel plot to test the reliability of the results. We further validated these meta-analysis results using the Kaplan-Meier plotter database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. In addition, we have investigated the correlation between EZH2 expression and EGFR expression, KRAS expression, BRAF expression, and smoking in TCGA database to further explore the mechanism behind the influence of high EZH2 expression on lung cancer prognosis. Results. 13 studies including 2180 participants were included in the meta-analysis. We found that high expression of EZH2 indicates a poor prognosis of NSCLC (HR = 1:65 and 95% CI 1.16-2.35; p ≤ 0:001). Subgroup analyses showed high heterogeneity in stages I-IV (I2 = 85:1% and p ≤ 0:001) and stages I-III (I2 = 66:9% and p = 0:029) but not in stage I (I2 = 0:00% and p = 0:589). In the Kaplan-Meier plotter database, there was a high expression in 963 cases and low expression in 964 cases (HR = 1:31 and 95% CI 1.15-1.48; p < 0:05). Further analysis found that the high expression of EZH2 was statistically significant in lung adenocarcinoma (HR = 1:27and 95% CI 1.01−1.6; p = 0:045), but not in lung squamous cell carcinoma (HR = 1:03 and 95% CI 0.81−1.3; p = 0:820). The results of the TCGA database showed that the expression of EZH2 in normal tissues was lower than that in lung cancer tissues (p < 0:05). Smoking was associated with high expression of EZH2 (p < 0:001). EZH2 was also highly expressed in lung cancers with positive KRAS expression, and the correlation was positive in lung adenocarcinoma (r = 0:3129 and p < 0:001). The correlation was also positive in lung squamous cell carcinoma (r = 0:3567 and p < 0:001). EZH2 expression was positively correlated with BRAF expression (r = 0:2397 and p < 0:001), especially in lung squamous cell carcinoma (r = 0:3662 and p < 0:001). In lung squamous cell carcinoma, a positive yet weak correlation was observed between EZH2 expression and EGFR expression (r = 0:1122 and p < 0:001). Conclusions. The high expression of EZH2 indicates a poor prognosis of NSCLC, which may be related to tumor stage or cancer type. EZH2 may be an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC. EZH2 high expression or its synergistic action with KRAS and BRAF mutations affects the prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer

Fabrication of Highly Textured 2D SnSe Layers with Tunable Electronic Properties for Hydrogen Evolution

Hydrogen is regarded to be one of the most promising renewable and clean energy sources. Finding a highly efficient and cost-effective catalyst to generate hydrogen via water splitting has become a research hotspot. Two-dimensional materials with exotic structural and electronic properties have been considered as economical alternatives. In this work, 2D SnSe films with high quality of crystallinity were grown on a mica substrate via molecular beam epitaxy. The electronic property of the prepared SnSe thin films can be easily and accurately tuned in situ by three orders of magnitude through the controllable compensation of Sn atoms. The prepared film normally exhibited p-type conduction due to the deficiency of Sn in the film during its growth. First-principle calculations explained that Sn vacancies can introduce additional reactive sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and enhance the HER performance by accelerating electron migration and promoting continuous hydrogen generation, which was mirrored by the reduced Gibbs free energy by a factor of 2.3 as compared with the pure SnSe film. The results pave the way for synthesized 2D SnSe thin films in the applications of hydrogen production

Hollow CoP/FeP4 Heterostructural Nanorods Interwoven by CNT as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reactions

Electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen is crucial for developing sustainable clean energy and protecting the environment. However, because of the multi-electron transfer in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process, the kinetics of the reaction is seriously hindered. To address this issue, we designed and synthesized hollow CoP/FeP4 heterostructural nanorods interwoven by carbon nanotubes (CoP/FeP4@CNT) via a hydrothermal reaction and a phosphorization process. The CoP/FeP4@CNT hybrid catalyst delivers prominent OER electrochemical performances: it displays a substantially smaller Tafel slope of 48.0 mV dec−1 and a lower overpotential of 301 mV at 10 mA cm−2, compared with an RuO2 commercial catalyst; it also shows good stability over 20 h. The outstanding OER property is mainly attributed to the synergistic coupling between its unique CNT-interwoven hollow nanorod structure and the CoP/FeP4 heterojunction, which can not only guarantee high conductivity and rich active sites, but also greatly facilitate the electron transfer, ion diffusion, and O2 gas release and significantly enhance its electrocatalytic activity. This work offers a facile method to develop transition metal-based phosphide heterostructure electrocatalysts with a unique hierarchical nanostructure for high performance water oxidation

Ultrafast ammonia-driven, microwave-assisted synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots and their optical properties

For the first time, a facile, ultrafast, ammonia-driven microwave-assisted synthesis of high-quality nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) at room temperature and atmospheric pressure is presented. This one-step method is very cheap, environment friendly, and suitable for large-scale production. The as-synthesized NGQDs consisting of one to three graphene monolayers exhibit highly crystalline quality with an average size of 5.3 nm. A new fluorescence (FL) emission peak at 390 nm is observed, which might be attributed to the doped nitrogen atoms into the GQDs. An interesting red-shift is observed by comparing the FL excitation spectra to the UV-visible absorption spectra. Based on the optical properties, the detailed Jablonski diagram representing the energy level structure of NGQDs is derived

Ruthenium(II)-Catalyzed Direct Addition of Indole/Pyrrole C2–H Bonds to Alkynes

A ruthenium-catalyzed C2-hydroindolation of alkynes has been achieved. This protocol provides a rapid and concise access to kinds of 2-alkenyl-substituted <i>N</i>-(2-pyridyl)­indoles in which the pyridyl moiety can be easily removed to afford free (N–H) indoles under mild conditions. Various arenes and alkynes, including electron-deficient and electron-rich internal alkynes and terminal alkynes, allow for this transformation

Nanocrystalline Co_0.85Se Anchored on Graphene Nanosheets as a Highly Efficient and Stable Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

For the first time, a porous and conductive Co_0.85Se/graphene network (CSGN), constructed by Co_0.85Se nanocrystals being tightly connected with each other and homogeneously anchored on few-layered graphene nanosheets, has been synthesized by a facile one-pot solvothermal method. Compared to unhybridized Co_0.85Se, CSGN exhibits much faster kinetics and better electrocatalytic behavior for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The HER mechanism of CSGN is improved to Volmer–Tafel combination, instead of Volmer–Heyrovsky combination, for Co_0.85Se. CSGN has a very low Tafel slope of 34.4 mV/dec, which is much lower than that of unhybridized Co_0.85Se (41.8 mV/dec) and is the lowest ever reported for Co_0.85Se-based electrocatalysts. CSGN delivers a current density of 55 mA/cm² at 250 mV overpotential, much larger than that of Co_0.85Se (33 mA/cm²). Furthermore, CSGN shows superior electrocatalytic stability even after 1500 cycles. The excellent HER performance of CSGN is attributed to the unique porous and conductive network, which can not only guarantee interconnected conductive paths in the whole electrode but also provide abundant catalytic active sites, thereby facilitating charge transportation between the electrocatalyst and electrolyte. This work provides insight into rational design and low-cost synthesis of nonprecious transition-metal chalcogenide-based electrocatalysts with high efficiency and excellent stability for HER