Ferran Medina-Jover , Agnès Figueras , Núria Gendrau-Sanclemente , Emilio Racionero-Andrés , Meritxell Sociats-Font , Álvaro Lahiguera , Pau Guillén , María Tormo-Fabios , Roderic Espín , Miguel Ángel Pardo-Cea , Andrés Mendez-Lucas , Edurne Berra , Josep Maria Piulats , Álvaro Aytés , Alberto Villanueva , Adrià Bernat-Peguera , Margarita Romeo , Miquel Angel Pujana , José Carlos Perales , Francesc Viñals
{"title":"A rise in double-strand breaks sensitizes tumors to oxidative metabolism inhibitors","authors":"Ferran Medina-Jover , Agnès Figueras , Núria Gendrau-Sanclemente , Emilio Racionero-Andrés , Meritxell Sociats-Font , Álvaro Lahiguera , Pau Guillén , María Tormo-Fabios , Roderic Espín , Miguel Ángel Pardo-Cea , Andrés Mendez-Lucas , Edurne Berra , Josep Maria Piulats , Álvaro Aytés , Alberto Villanueva , Adrià Bernat-Peguera , Margarita Romeo , Miquel Angel Pujana , José Carlos Perales , Francesc Viñals","doi":"10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119184","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119184","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Double-strand breaks (DSBs) accumulate in tumoral DNA due to deficiencies in homologous recombination (HR) repair, such as mutations in BRCA genes, or following antitumoral treatments. In the present study, we show that DSB accumulation, irrespective of origin, triggers an adaptive shift toward oxidative metabolism. We demonstrate that DSBs downregulate the glycolytic transcription factor HIF-1α. This downregulation reduces PDHK1 expression, thereby activating the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, a key mitochondrial gatekeeper of cellular metabolism. We establish that the induction of oxidative metabolism represents a therapeutically actionable vulnerability across diverse cancer types, independent of HR proficiency. Targeting this metabolic switch in combination with DSB-inducing chemotherapies synergizes <em>in vivo</em>, resulting in significantly reduced tumor growth. Collectively, our findings reveal a critical feedback loop linking DSBs to cancer cell metabolism that constrains metabolic plasticity and creates a compelling therapeutic opportunity for rational combination strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8966,"journal":{"name":"Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 119184"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Iveta Harastova-Pavlova , Eva Drazanova , Lucie Kratka , Petra Amchova , Maria Hrickova , Ondrej Macicek , Jiri Vitous , Radovan Jirik , Jana Ruda-Kucerova
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Chronic citalopram effects on the brain neurochemical profile and perfusion in a rat model of depression detected by the NMR techniques – Spectroscopy and perfusion” [Biomed. Pharmacother. 181 (2024) 117656]","authors":"Iveta Harastova-Pavlova , Eva Drazanova , Lucie Kratka , Petra Amchova , Maria Hrickova , Ondrej Macicek , Jiri Vitous , Radovan Jirik , Jana Ruda-Kucerova","doi":"10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119170","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119170","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8966,"journal":{"name":"Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 119170"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147319238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Teresa Obrero Sojo , Ma José Jiménez Moral , Fátima Guerrero Pavón , Ma Encarnación Rodríguez Ortiz , Ana Isabel Torralbo , Karen Valdés Díaz , Raquel Ma García Sáez , Antonio Domínguez Rivas , Daniel Jurado Montoya , Fernando Leiva-Cepas , Ma Victoria Pendón Ruiz de Mier , Cristian Rodelo Haad , Griet Glorieux , Mariano Rodríguez , Sagrario Soriano Cabrera , Juan Rafael Muñoz Castañeda
{"title":"Ceftriaxone administration reduces vascular calcification associated with experimental models of chronic kidney disease","authors":"Teresa Obrero Sojo , Ma José Jiménez Moral , Fátima Guerrero Pavón , Ma Encarnación Rodríguez Ortiz , Ana Isabel Torralbo , Karen Valdés Díaz , Raquel Ma García Sáez , Antonio Domínguez Rivas , Daniel Jurado Montoya , Fernando Leiva-Cepas , Ma Victoria Pendón Ruiz de Mier , Cristian Rodelo Haad , Griet Glorieux , Mariano Rodríguez , Sagrario Soriano Cabrera , Juan Rafael Muñoz Castañeda","doi":"10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119131","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119131","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been implicated in systemic inflammation, potentially exacerbating chronic kidney disease (CKD) and vascular calcification (VC). The effects of gut microbiota depletion on VC using antibiotics remain largely unknown. We investigated the role of microbiota depletion in chronic and acute experimental models of CKD and VC in Wistar rats. The chronic CKD model consisted of 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx), a moderate-phosphate diet (0.9 %), and intraperitoneal injections of calcitriol (25 ng/kg i.p every 48 h) for 30 days. For the following 15 days, dietary phosphate was increased to 1.2 %, and calcitriol at 40 ng/kg i.p every 48 h. In the acute VC model, a high-phosphate diet (1.2 %) and calcitriol (60 ng/kg every 48 h) were administered for 14 days after the Nx. In both models, half of the animals received oral ceftriaxone (ATB, 400 mg/kg/day) for seven days prior to Nx. Parameters related to mineral metabolism, kidney function, bone histomorphometry and mineralization, VC, calcification-related signaling pathways, uremic toxins, and fecal microbiota composition and functional inference were analysed. Antibiotic-treated rats showed significantly lower serum phosphate levels, reduced uremic toxins, and decreased VC with no effects on bone turnover. Colidextribacter and Escherichia-Shigella were positively correlated with serum phosphate levels. Interestingly, Ceftriaxone treatment reduced the abundance of such genera. Additionally, the abundance of Colidextribacter also correlated with calcium content in the thoracic aorta. In conclusion, microbiota depletion by ceftriaxone reduced hyperphosphatemia and VC in experimental CKD and VC models. These findings support the potential of targeting the gut microbiota as a novel strategy to mitigate mineral metabolism disturbances and VC in CKD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8966,"journal":{"name":"Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 119131"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147373766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marianna Grignolo , Andrea Spinaci , Ludovica Ricci , Anna Pegoraro , Luigia Ruo , Catia Lambertucci , Daniele Vitone , Marcello Leopoldo , Enza Lacivita , Federica Fortuna , Michela Buccioni , Beatrice Francucci , Gabriella Marucci , Diego Dal Ben , Rosaria Volpini , Elena Adinolfi
{"title":"Synthesis and characterization of new P2X7 receptor antagonists as antitumor agents","authors":"Marianna Grignolo , Andrea Spinaci , Ludovica Ricci , Anna Pegoraro , Luigia Ruo , Catia Lambertucci , Daniele Vitone , Marcello Leopoldo , Enza Lacivita , Federica Fortuna , Michela Buccioni , Beatrice Francucci , Gabriella Marucci , Diego Dal Ben , Rosaria Volpini , Elena Adinolfi","doi":"10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119185","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119185","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extracellular ATP is a key component of the tumor microenvironment, where it promotes cancer progression by activating the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R). Prolonged receptor stimulation triggers the release of pro-tumorigenic extracellular vesicles and soluble factors, including IL-1β, VEGF, and TGFβ. Here, we report the design and characterization of novel triazole- and benzamide-based negative allosteric modulators of P2X7R. Among these, compounds <strong>5</strong> and <strong>9</strong> showed nanomolar affinity for the human receptor (<em>K</em><sub>i</sub> = 80 nM and 3.17 nM, respectively) and effectively inhibited calcium influx (IC<sub>50</sub> 370 nM and 47 nM, respectively). Molecular docking supported distinct binding modes for the two scaffolds, aligning them with known allosteric inhibitors through interactions with Lys297, Asp92, and hydrophobic subpockets. Compounds <strong>5</strong> and <strong>9</strong> displayed favorable metabolic stability in mouse liver microsomes and efficiently blocked P2X7R-dependent signaling in melanoma, glioblastoma, and colon carcinoma cells. Treatment with both compounds significantly reduced tumor cell proliferation, invasiveness, and extracellular vesicle release, with efficacy comparable to or greater than that of the reference antagonist A740003. In vivo, both molecules suppressed melanoma growth in syngeneic mice and modulated cytokine levels in the TME by increasing IFN-γ while reducing VEGF, IL-1β, and TGF-β. These findings identify compounds <strong>5</strong> and <strong>9</strong> as potent, selective, and metabolically stable P2X7R antagonists with translational potential as anticancer agents targeting both tumor growth and extracellular vesicle-mediated communication.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8966,"journal":{"name":"Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 119185"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}