David Jou | Harvard Medical School (original) (raw)

Papers by David Jou

Research paper thumbnail of Ursolic acid prevents angiotensin II-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice

Atherosclerosis, Jan 15, 2018

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which signal transducer and... more Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) play important roles. However, it remains unclear whether ursolic acid (UA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid carboxylic acid, can have an impact on STAT3 and ADAM17 and hence influence the formation of AAA. The objective of this study was to characterize the potential effect of UA on the pathogenesis of AAA and on STAT3 and ADAM17. Male ApoEmice were infused with angiotensin II (AngII) (1000 ng/kg/min) for 4 weeks to induce AAAs. Daily intragastric gavage with 100 mg/kg UA or tap water containing Tween 80 as controls was provided. Immunohistochemistry, cell viability assay, colony formation, wound healing assay, and Western blot were used to explore the potential effect of UA on AAA. UA decreased the incidence of AngII-induced AAA in mice. UA alleviated the degradation of elastin fibers and inflam...

Research paper thumbnail of Growth-suppressive activity of raloxifene on liver cancer cells by targeting IL-6/GP130 signaling

Oncotarget, Jan 6, 2017

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine, which is involved in the regulation of differ... more Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine, which is involved in the regulation of differentiation and growth of certain types of tumor cells. Constitutive activation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) induced by IL-6 is frequently detected in liver cancer and has emerged as a viable molecular target for liver cancer treatment. However, few inhibitors targeting up-streams of STAT3 are available for the therapy of liver cancer. We reported the discovery of EVISTA (Raloxifene HCl) as novel inhibitor of IL-6/GP130 protein-protein interactions (PPIs) using multiple ligand simultaneous docking (MLSD) and drug repositioning. The possible effect of Raloxifene in STAT3 signaling or liver cancer cells is still unclear. Raloxifene inhibited the P-STAT3 stimulated by IL-6, but not the induction of STAT1 and STAT6 phosphorylation by IFN-γ, IFN-α, and IL-4. Raloxifene inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation and resulted in the induction apoptosis on human liver cancer ...

Research paper thumbnail of STAT3 as a potential therapeutic target in ALDH+ and CD44+/CD24+ stem cell-like pancreatic cancer cells

International journal of oncology, Jan 12, 2016

Persistent activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) is commonly... more Persistent activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) is commonly detected in many types of cancer including pancreatic cancer. Whether STAT3 is activated in stem cell-like pancreatic cancer cells and the effect of STAT3 inhibition, is still unknown. Flow cytometry was used to isolate pancreatic cancer stem-like cells which are identified by both aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)-positive (ALDH+) as well as cluster of differentiation (CD) 44-positive/CD24-positive subpopulations (CD44+/CD24+). STAT3 activation and the effects of STAT3 inhibition by STAT3 inhibitors, LLL12, FLLL32, and Stattic in ALDH+ and CD44+/CD24+ cells were examined. Our results showed that ALDH+ and CD44+/CD24+ pancreatic cancer stem-like cells expressed higher levels of phosphorylated STAT3, an active form of STAT3, compared to ALDH-negative (ALDH-) and CD44-negative/CD24-negative (CD44-/CD24-) pancreatic cancer cells, suggesting that STAT3 is activated in pancreatic cancer stem-lik...

Research paper thumbnail of Changes in Cardiac Biomarkers Post-Marathon in Male and Female Runners Across the Age Spectrum: 3633 Board #72 June 4, 9: 30 AM - 11: 00 AM

Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of A novel small molecule STAT3 inhibitor, LY5, inhibits cell viability, colony formation, and migration of colon and liver cancer cells

Oncotarget, Jan 11, 2016

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is persistently activated in human liv... more Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is persistently activated in human liver and colon cancer cells and is required for cancer cell viability, survival and migration. Therefore, inhibition of STAT3 signaling may be a viable therapeutic approach for these two cancers. We recently designed a non-peptide small molecule STAT3 inhibitor, LY5, using in silico site-directed Fragment-based drug design (FBDD). The inhibitory effect on STAT3 phosphorylation, cell viability, migration and colony forming ability by LY5 were examined in human liver and colon cancer cells. We demonstrated that LY5 inhibited constitutive Interleukin-6 (IL-6)-induced STAT3 phosphorylation, STAT3 nuclear translocation, decreased STAT3 downstream targeted gene expression and induced apoptosis in liver and colon cancer cells. LY5 had little effect on STAT1 phosphorylation mediated by IFN-γ. Inhibition of persistent STAT3 phosphorylation by LY5 also inhibited colony formation, cell migration, and...

Research paper thumbnail of JMedChem-MLSD-2014

Research paper thumbnail of A Novel Small Molecular STAT3 Inhibitor, LY5, Inhibits Cell Viability, Cell Migration, and Angiogenesis in Medulloblastoma Cells

The Journal of biological chemistry, Jan 6, 2015

Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is persistently activated ... more Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is persistently activated and could contribute to tumorigenesis of medulloblastoma. Numerous studies have demonstrated that inhibition of the persistent STAT3 signaling pathway results in decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis in human cancer cells, indicating that STAT3 is a viable molecular target for cancer therapy. In this study, we investigated a novel non-peptide, cell-permeable small molecule, named LY5, to target STAT3 in medulloblastoma cells. LY5 inhibited persistent STAT3 phosphorylation and induced apoptosis in human medulloblastoma cell lines expressing constitutive STAT3 phosphorylation. The inhibition of STAT3 signaling by LY5 was confirmed by down-regulating the expression of the downstream targets of STAT3, including cyclin D1, bcl-XL, survivin, and micro-RNA-21. LY5 also inhibited the induction of STAT3 phosphorylation by interleukin-6 (IL-6), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IGF-2, ...

Research paper thumbnail of XZH-5 inhibits STAT3 phosphorylation and enhances the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs in human breast and pancreatic cancer cells

PloS one, 2012

Constitutive activation of Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling... more Constitutive activation of Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is frequently detected in breast and pancreatic cancer. Inhibiting constitutive STAT3 signaling represents a promising molecular target for therapeutic approach. Using structure-based design, we developed a non-peptide cell-permeable, small molecule, termed as XZH-5, which targeted STAT3 phosphorylation. XZH-5 was found to inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation (Tyr705) and induce apoptosis in human breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines expressing elevated levels of phosphorylated STAT3. XZH-5 could also inhibit interleukin-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation in cancer cell lines expressing low phosphorylated STAT3. Inhibition of STAT3 signaling by XZH-5 was confirmed by the down-regulation of downstream targets of STAT3, such as Cyclin D1, Bcl-2, and Survivin at mRNA level. In addition, XZH-5 inhibited colony formation, cell migration, and enhanced the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs when ...

Research paper thumbnail of Fragment-Based Drug Design and Drug Repositioning Using Multiple Ligand Simultaneous Docking (MLSD): Identifying Celecoxib and Template Compounds as Novel Inhibitors of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3)

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Drug Design Targeting Protein–Protein Interactions (PPIs) Using Multiple Ligand Simultaneous Docking (MLSD) and Drug Repositioning: Discovery of Raloxifene and Bazedoxifene as Novel Inhibitors of IL-6/GP130 Interface

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2014

The IL-6/GP130/STAT3 pathway is critical for the progression of multiple types of cancers. We rep... more The IL-6/GP130/STAT3 pathway is critical for the progression of multiple types of cancers. We report here the discovery of raloxifene and bazedoxifene as novel inhibitors of IL-6/GP130 protein-protein interactions (PPIs) using multiple ligand simultaneous docking (MLSD) and drug repositioning approaches. Multiple drug scaffolds were simultaneously docked into hot spots of GP130 D1 domain by MLSD to compete with the key interacting residues of IL-6, followed by tethering to generate virtual hit compounds. Similarity searches of virtual hits on drug databases identified raloxifene and bazedoxifene as potential inhibitors of IL-6/GP130 interaction. In cancer cell assays both compounds bind to GP130 and demonstrated selective inhibition of IL-6 induced STAT3 phosphorylation and were significantly more potent than the previously reported natural product inhibitor MDL-A. The identified drugs represent a new class of lead compounds with piperidine, benzothiophene, and indole scaffolds to inhibit IL-6 induced homodimerization of GP130. Besides potential direct usage for clinic trials, the two compounds can also serve as lead compounds for optimization to speed the development of drugs selectively targeting the IL-6/GP130/STAT3 cancer signaling pathway.

Research paper thumbnail of Ursolic acid prevents angiotensin II-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice

Atherosclerosis, Jan 15, 2018

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which signal transducer and... more Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) play important roles. However, it remains unclear whether ursolic acid (UA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid carboxylic acid, can have an impact on STAT3 and ADAM17 and hence influence the formation of AAA. The objective of this study was to characterize the potential effect of UA on the pathogenesis of AAA and on STAT3 and ADAM17. Male ApoEmice were infused with angiotensin II (AngII) (1000 ng/kg/min) for 4 weeks to induce AAAs. Daily intragastric gavage with 100 mg/kg UA or tap water containing Tween 80 as controls was provided. Immunohistochemistry, cell viability assay, colony formation, wound healing assay, and Western blot were used to explore the potential effect of UA on AAA. UA decreased the incidence of AngII-induced AAA in mice. UA alleviated the degradation of elastin fibers and inflam...

Research paper thumbnail of Growth-suppressive activity of raloxifene on liver cancer cells by targeting IL-6/GP130 signaling

Oncotarget, Jan 6, 2017

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine, which is involved in the regulation of differ... more Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine, which is involved in the regulation of differentiation and growth of certain types of tumor cells. Constitutive activation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) induced by IL-6 is frequently detected in liver cancer and has emerged as a viable molecular target for liver cancer treatment. However, few inhibitors targeting up-streams of STAT3 are available for the therapy of liver cancer. We reported the discovery of EVISTA (Raloxifene HCl) as novel inhibitor of IL-6/GP130 protein-protein interactions (PPIs) using multiple ligand simultaneous docking (MLSD) and drug repositioning. The possible effect of Raloxifene in STAT3 signaling or liver cancer cells is still unclear. Raloxifene inhibited the P-STAT3 stimulated by IL-6, but not the induction of STAT1 and STAT6 phosphorylation by IFN-γ, IFN-α, and IL-4. Raloxifene inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation and resulted in the induction apoptosis on human liver cancer ...

Research paper thumbnail of STAT3 as a potential therapeutic target in ALDH+ and CD44+/CD24+ stem cell-like pancreatic cancer cells

International journal of oncology, Jan 12, 2016

Persistent activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) is commonly... more Persistent activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) is commonly detected in many types of cancer including pancreatic cancer. Whether STAT3 is activated in stem cell-like pancreatic cancer cells and the effect of STAT3 inhibition, is still unknown. Flow cytometry was used to isolate pancreatic cancer stem-like cells which are identified by both aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)-positive (ALDH+) as well as cluster of differentiation (CD) 44-positive/CD24-positive subpopulations (CD44+/CD24+). STAT3 activation and the effects of STAT3 inhibition by STAT3 inhibitors, LLL12, FLLL32, and Stattic in ALDH+ and CD44+/CD24+ cells were examined. Our results showed that ALDH+ and CD44+/CD24+ pancreatic cancer stem-like cells expressed higher levels of phosphorylated STAT3, an active form of STAT3, compared to ALDH-negative (ALDH-) and CD44-negative/CD24-negative (CD44-/CD24-) pancreatic cancer cells, suggesting that STAT3 is activated in pancreatic cancer stem-lik...

Research paper thumbnail of Changes in Cardiac Biomarkers Post-Marathon in Male and Female Runners Across the Age Spectrum: 3633 Board #72 June 4, 9: 30 AM - 11: 00 AM

Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of A novel small molecule STAT3 inhibitor, LY5, inhibits cell viability, colony formation, and migration of colon and liver cancer cells

Oncotarget, Jan 11, 2016

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is persistently activated in human liv... more Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is persistently activated in human liver and colon cancer cells and is required for cancer cell viability, survival and migration. Therefore, inhibition of STAT3 signaling may be a viable therapeutic approach for these two cancers. We recently designed a non-peptide small molecule STAT3 inhibitor, LY5, using in silico site-directed Fragment-based drug design (FBDD). The inhibitory effect on STAT3 phosphorylation, cell viability, migration and colony forming ability by LY5 were examined in human liver and colon cancer cells. We demonstrated that LY5 inhibited constitutive Interleukin-6 (IL-6)-induced STAT3 phosphorylation, STAT3 nuclear translocation, decreased STAT3 downstream targeted gene expression and induced apoptosis in liver and colon cancer cells. LY5 had little effect on STAT1 phosphorylation mediated by IFN-γ. Inhibition of persistent STAT3 phosphorylation by LY5 also inhibited colony formation, cell migration, and...

Research paper thumbnail of JMedChem-MLSD-2014

Research paper thumbnail of A Novel Small Molecular STAT3 Inhibitor, LY5, Inhibits Cell Viability, Cell Migration, and Angiogenesis in Medulloblastoma Cells

The Journal of biological chemistry, Jan 6, 2015

Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is persistently activated ... more Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is persistently activated and could contribute to tumorigenesis of medulloblastoma. Numerous studies have demonstrated that inhibition of the persistent STAT3 signaling pathway results in decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis in human cancer cells, indicating that STAT3 is a viable molecular target for cancer therapy. In this study, we investigated a novel non-peptide, cell-permeable small molecule, named LY5, to target STAT3 in medulloblastoma cells. LY5 inhibited persistent STAT3 phosphorylation and induced apoptosis in human medulloblastoma cell lines expressing constitutive STAT3 phosphorylation. The inhibition of STAT3 signaling by LY5 was confirmed by down-regulating the expression of the downstream targets of STAT3, including cyclin D1, bcl-XL, survivin, and micro-RNA-21. LY5 also inhibited the induction of STAT3 phosphorylation by interleukin-6 (IL-6), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IGF-2, ...

Research paper thumbnail of XZH-5 inhibits STAT3 phosphorylation and enhances the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs in human breast and pancreatic cancer cells

PloS one, 2012

Constitutive activation of Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling... more Constitutive activation of Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is frequently detected in breast and pancreatic cancer. Inhibiting constitutive STAT3 signaling represents a promising molecular target for therapeutic approach. Using structure-based design, we developed a non-peptide cell-permeable, small molecule, termed as XZH-5, which targeted STAT3 phosphorylation. XZH-5 was found to inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation (Tyr705) and induce apoptosis in human breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines expressing elevated levels of phosphorylated STAT3. XZH-5 could also inhibit interleukin-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation in cancer cell lines expressing low phosphorylated STAT3. Inhibition of STAT3 signaling by XZH-5 was confirmed by the down-regulation of downstream targets of STAT3, such as Cyclin D1, Bcl-2, and Survivin at mRNA level. In addition, XZH-5 inhibited colony formation, cell migration, and enhanced the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs when ...

Research paper thumbnail of Fragment-Based Drug Design and Drug Repositioning Using Multiple Ligand Simultaneous Docking (MLSD): Identifying Celecoxib and Template Compounds as Novel Inhibitors of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3)

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Drug Design Targeting Protein–Protein Interactions (PPIs) Using Multiple Ligand Simultaneous Docking (MLSD) and Drug Repositioning: Discovery of Raloxifene and Bazedoxifene as Novel Inhibitors of IL-6/GP130 Interface

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2014

The IL-6/GP130/STAT3 pathway is critical for the progression of multiple types of cancers. We rep... more The IL-6/GP130/STAT3 pathway is critical for the progression of multiple types of cancers. We report here the discovery of raloxifene and bazedoxifene as novel inhibitors of IL-6/GP130 protein-protein interactions (PPIs) using multiple ligand simultaneous docking (MLSD) and drug repositioning approaches. Multiple drug scaffolds were simultaneously docked into hot spots of GP130 D1 domain by MLSD to compete with the key interacting residues of IL-6, followed by tethering to generate virtual hit compounds. Similarity searches of virtual hits on drug databases identified raloxifene and bazedoxifene as potential inhibitors of IL-6/GP130 interaction. In cancer cell assays both compounds bind to GP130 and demonstrated selective inhibition of IL-6 induced STAT3 phosphorylation and were significantly more potent than the previously reported natural product inhibitor MDL-A. The identified drugs represent a new class of lead compounds with piperidine, benzothiophene, and indole scaffolds to inhibit IL-6 induced homodimerization of GP130. Besides potential direct usage for clinic trials, the two compounds can also serve as lead compounds for optimization to speed the development of drugs selectively targeting the IL-6/GP130/STAT3 cancer signaling pathway.