Gastrointestinal Disease: From Cellular Mechanisms to Targeted Therapy

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 2349

Special Issue Editors

National Institute of Gastroenterology “S. De Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, Italy
Interests: microRNA; inflammatory bowel disease; gastrointestinal cancer; intestinal permeability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DeBEST), Università del Salento, Via per Monteroni c/o Ecotekne, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: cell physiology; comparative and applied physiology; cellular homeostasis; transmembrane transport processes/systems; solute carriers (SLC); epithelial physiology; epithelial cell models; oligopeptides; immunity and inflammation; animal models; zebrafish; cytotoxicity; cell–material interactions; biomaterials; tissue engineering; tissue regeneration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The pathophysiology of the GI tract includes a broad range of diseases and processes, from injury and repair to chronic inflammatory states and cancer. In recent years, biomedical research has aimed to characterize and elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying GI disease progression. New technologies that focus on genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic aspects allow us to identify the molecular mechanisms that drive disease onset and progression and thus new potential targets for therapy.

This Special Issue will aim to cover novel research exploring all cellular mechanisms, ranging from the induction of apoptosis and autophagy to cell cycle arrest, epithelial turnover, inhibition of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, suppression of cellular invasion and migration, and modulation of multiple signaling pathways in gastrointestinal disease, including cancer, immune disease, and infectious disease. Additionally, this Special Issue will include studies that highlight innovative molecular-based drug targets and their associated predictive biomarkers. Original research articles and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Grazia Serino
Dr. Amilcare Barca
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • gastrointestinal cancer
  • gastric cancer
  • colorectal cancer
  • esophageal cancer
  • liver cancer
  • pancreatic cancer
  • inflammatory bowel disease
  • miRNAs
  • in vitro and in vivo models
  • molecular networks
  • molecular pathways
  • translational medicine
  • epithelial barrier functions/processes

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

24 pages, 2024 KiB  
Review
Advancements in Utilizing Natural Compounds for Modulating Autophagy in Liver Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets
by Md Ataur Rahman, S M Rakib-Uz-Zaman, Somdeepa Chakraborti, Sujay Kumar Bhajan, Rajat Das Gupta, Maroua Jalouli, Md. Anowar Khasru Parvez, Mushfiq H. Shaikh, Ehsanul Hoque Apu, Abdel Halim Harrath, Seungjoon Moon and Bonglee Kim
Cells 2024, 13(14), 1186; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13141186 - 12 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1840
Abstract
Autophagy, an intrinsic catabolic mechanism that eliminates misfolded proteins, dysfunctional organelles, and lipid droplets, plays a vital function in energy balance and cytoplasmic quality control, in addition to maintaining cellular homeostasis. Liver cancer such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most [...] Read more.
Autophagy, an intrinsic catabolic mechanism that eliminates misfolded proteins, dysfunctional organelles, and lipid droplets, plays a vital function in energy balance and cytoplasmic quality control, in addition to maintaining cellular homeostasis. Liver cancer such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer deaths globally and shows resistance to several anticancer drugs. Despite the rising incidence and poor prognosis of malignant HCC, the underlying molecular mechanisms driving this aggressive cancer remain unclear. Several natural compounds, such as phytochemicals of dietary and non-dietary origin, affect hepatocarcinogenesis signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo, which may help prevent and treat HCC cells. Current HCC cells treatments include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. However, these standard therapies have substantial side effects, and combination therapy enhances side effects for an acceptable therapeutic benefit. Therefore, there is a need to develop treatment strategies for HCC cells that are more efficacious and have fewer adverse effects. Multiple genetic and epigenetic factors are responsible for the HCC cells to become resistant to standard treatment. Autophagy contributes to maintain cellular homeostasis, which activates autophagy for biosynthesis and mitochondrial regulation and recycling. Therefore, modifying autophagic signaling would present a promising opportunity to identify novel therapies to treat HCC cells resistant to current standard treatments. This comprehensive review illustrates how natural compounds demonstrate their anti-hepatocellular carcinoma function through autophagy. Full article
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