Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Development of a 68Gallium-Labeled D-Peptide PET Tracer for Imaging Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Expression
09:06

Development of a 68Gallium-Labeled D-Peptide PET Tracer for Imaging Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Expression

Published on: February 3, 2023

2.0K

Novel thioredoxin reductase inhibitor butaselen inhibits tumorigenesis by down-regulating programmed death-ligand 1

Qiao Zou1,2, Yi-Fan Chen1,2, Xiao-Qing Zheng1,2

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Beijing 100191, China.

Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B
|September 5, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Butaselen (BS) inhibits tumor growth by activating immune cells. This thioredoxin reductase inhibitor reduces PD-L1 expression via the STAT3 pathway, enhancing anti-tumor immunity.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • The thioredoxin system is vital for cell functions, including immunity and cancer.
  • Butaselen (BS), a thioredoxin reductase inhibitor, shows anti-cancer potential, but its mechanism is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the in vivo anti-tumor effects of butaselen (BS) by examining its impact on the immune system.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying BS's anti-tumor activity.

Main Methods:

  • In vivo studies using KM mice to assess BS's effect on tumor proliferation and immune cell activation.
  • Flow cytometry to analyze T lymphocyte populations (CD4-, CD8+).
  • Analysis of cytokine secretion and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression.
  • In vitro studies on HepG2 and BEL-7402 cells to investigate the STAT3 signaling pathway.

Main Results:

  • BS inhibited tumor proliferation in mice by activating splenic lymphocytes.
  • BS treatment increased CD4-CD8+ T lymphocytes and cytokine secretion.
  • BS down-regulated PD-L1 expression on tumor cells.
  • BS inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation, leading to decreased PD-L1 levels in cancer cells.

Conclusions:

  • Butaselen (BS) exhibits anti-tumor effects by modulating the immune response.
  • BS promotes anti-tumor immunity through the down-regulation of PD-L1 via the STAT3 pathway.
  • BS represents a potential therapeutic agent for cancer by enhancing immune-mediated tumor suppression.
Keywords:
Butaselen; Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3); Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1); Immunity; Thioredoxin reductase

More Related Videos

Cell Aggregation Assays to Evaluate the Binding of the Drosophila Notch with Trans-Ligands and its Inhibition by Cis-Ligands05:48

Cell Aggregation Assays to Evaluate the Binding of the Drosophila Notch with Trans-Ligands and its Inhibition by Cis-Ligands

Published on: January 2, 2018

8.0K
Studying Copper Nanoparticle-Induced Programmed Cell Death in Bacteria08:22

Studying Copper Nanoparticle-Induced Programmed Cell Death in Bacteria

Published on: May 16, 2025

583

Related Concept Videos

Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps02:24

Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps

Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
26.5K
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps02:24

Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps

4.0K
Ligand Binding and Linkage00:49

Ligand Binding and Linkage

Allosteric proteins have more than one ligand binding site; the binding of a ligand to any of these sites influences the binding of ligands to the other sites. When a protein is allosteric, its binding sites are called coupled or linked.  In the case of enzymes, the site that binds to the substrate is known as the active site and the other site is known as the regulatory site. When a ligand binds to the regulatory site, this leads to conformational changes in the protein that can influence...
5.6K
Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
38.5K
Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors01:52

Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors

Certain biochemical processes, such as embryonic development and cell growth regulation, depend on the repression of specific genes. DNA binding proteins known as eukaryotic transcription inhibitors regulate the repression of gene expression in eukaryotes. The presence of these inhibitors at the required location and time in the cell is triggered by the presence of hormones and additional signals from other cells.
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a...
11.0K
Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps01:23

Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps

The gene expression in cells is regulated at different stages: (i) transcription, (ii) RNA processing, (iii) RNA localization, and (iv) translation. Transcriptional regulation is mediated by regulatory proteins such as transcription factors, activators, or repressors—these control gene expression by initiating or inhibiting the transcription of genes. Once a precursor or pre-mRNA is produced, it undergoes post-transcriptional modification, including 5' capping, splicing, and the...
1.4K