Inotilone suppresses phorbol ester-induced inflammation and tumor promotion in mouse skin

Therapeutic Potential of Fungal Terpenes and Terpenoids: Application in Skin Diseases

Terpenes and their derivatives comprise a diverse group of natural compounds with versatile medicinal properties. This article elucidates the general characteristics of fungal terpenes and terpenoids, encompassing their structure and biogenesis. The focal point of this work involves a comprehensive overview of these compounds, highlighting their therapeutic properties, mechanisms of action, and potential applications in treating specific skin conditions. Numerous isolated terpenes and terpenoids have demonstrated noteworthy anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects, rivalling or surpassing the efficacy of currently employed treatments for inflammation or skin infections. Due to their well-documented antioxidant and anti-cancer attributes, these compounds exhibit promise in both preventing and treating skin cancer. Terpenes and terpenoids sourced from fungi display the capability to inhibit tyrosinase, suggesting potential applications in addressing skin pigmentation disorders and cancers linked to melanogenesis dysfunctions. This paper further disseminates the findings of clinical and in vivo research on fungal terpenes and terpenoids conducted thus far.

DNA primase polypeptide 1 (PRIM1) involves in estrogen-induced breast cancer formation through activation of the G2/M cell cycle checkpoint

The DNA primase polypeptide 1 (PRIM1) is responsible for synthesizing small RNA primers for Okazaki fragments generated during discontinuous DNA replication. PRIM1 mRNA expression levels in breast tumor samples were detected by real-time PCR analysis. Xenografted tumor model was established to study the carcinogenic role of PRIM1 and its potential therapeutic applications. The average PRIM1 mRNA (copy number × 10³ /μg) expression was 4.7-fold higher in tumors than in normal tissue (*p = 0.005, n = 254). PRIM1 was detected preferentially at a higher level (>40-fold) in poorly differentiated tumor tissues (n = 46) compared with more highly differentiated tumors tissues (n = 10) (*p = 0.005). Poor overall survival rate was correlated to the estrogen receptor positive (ER+, n = 20) patients with higher PRIM1 expression when compare to the ER- (n = 10) patients (Chi Square test, p = 0.03). Stable expression of PRIM1-siRNA in the ER+ BT-474 cells-xenograft tumors significantly reduced tumor volume in SCID mice (*p = 0.005). The anti-tumoral effects of inotilone isolated from Phellinus linteus was tested and had significant effects on the inhibition of PRIM1 protein expression in ER+ breast cancer cells. In vivo study was performed by administering inotilone (10 mg/kg, twice a week for 6 weeks), which resulted in significantly reduced BT-474-xenografted tumor growth volume compared with control (n =5 per group, *p < 0.05). This study provides evidences for the prognostic effects of PRIM1 with poor overall survival rate in the ER+ patients and will be valuable to test for therapeutic purpose.

Chemopreventive Strategies for Inflammation-Related Carcinogenesis: Current Status and Future Direction

A sustained and chronically-inflamed environment is characterized by the presence of heterogeneous inflammatory cellular components, including neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes and fibroblasts. These infiltrated cells produce growth stimulating mediators (inflammatory cytokines and growth factors), chemotactic factors (chemokines) and genotoxic substances (reactive oxygen species and nitrogen oxide) and induce DNA damage and methylation. Therefore, chronic inflammation serves as an intrinsic niche for carcinogenesis and tumor progression. In this article, we summarize the up-to-date findings regarding definitive/possible causes and mechanisms of inflammation-related carcinogenesis derived from experimental and clinical studies. We also propose 10 strategies, as well as candidate agents for the prevention of inflammation-related carcinogenesis.

Triterpenes from Poria cocos suppress growth and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells through the downregulation of MMP-7

Poria cocos is a medicinal mushroom that is widely used in traditional Asian medicine. Here, we show that a characterized mixture of triterpenes extracted from P. cocos (PTE) and three purified triterpenes: pachymic acid (PA), dehydropachymic acid (DPA) and polyporenic acid C (PPAC) suppress the proliferation of the human pancreatic cancer cell lines Panc-1, MiaPaca-2, AsPc-1 and BxPc-3. Moreover, the most effective compound, PA, only slightly affects the proliferation of HPDE-6 normal pancreatic duct epithelial cells. The anti-proliferative effects of PTE on BxPc-3 cells are mediated by the cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. DNA microarray analysis demonstrated that PTE significantly downregulates the expression of KRAS and matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) in BxPc-3 cells. In addition, PTE and PA suppress the invasive behavior of BxPc-3 cells. The inhibition of invasiveness by PTE and PA was associated with the reduction of MMP-7 at the protein level and the role of MMP-7 further confirmed by the gene silencing of MMP-7 which also suppressed the invasiveness of BxPc-3 cells. In conclusion, triterpenes from P. cocos demonstrate anticancer and anti-invasive effects on human pancreatic cancer cells and can be considered as new therapeutic agents in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.