Evodiamine inhibits 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced activator protein 1 transactivation and cell transformation in human hepatocytes

Progress on the effects and underlying mechanisms of evodiamine in digestive system diseases, and its toxicity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Evodiamine (EVO) is one of the primary components of Evodia rutaecarpa and has been found to have a positive therapeutic effect on various digestive system diseases. However, no systematic review has been conducted on the research progress and mechanisms of EVO in relation to digestive system diseases, and its toxicity.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to provide a reference for future research in this field.

STUDY DESIGN

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the research progress, mechanisms, and toxicity of EVO in the treatment of digestive system diseases.

METHODS

Five electronic databases were utilized to search for relevant experiments. We conducted a comprehensive review and meta-analysis of the pertinent literature following the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA).

RESULTS

EVO's animal experiments in digestive system diseases primarily focus on colorectal cancer, gastric ulcers, liver cancer, liver fibrosis, ulcerative colitis, colitis-associated cancer, and functional gastrointestinal disorders. EVO also has positive effects on pancreatic cancer, radiation enteritis, gastric cancer, tongue squamous cancer, hepatitis B, oral cancer, and esophageal cancer in vivo. EVO's in cellular experiments primarily focus on SGC7901, HT29, HCT-116, and HepG2 cells. EVO also exhibits positive effects on SW480, LoVo, BGC-823, AGS, COLO-205, MKN45, SMMC-7721, Bel-7402, QGY7-701, PANC-1, SW1990, BxPC-3, HSC4, MC3, HONE1, and CNE1 cells in vitro. The potential common pathways include TGF-β, PI3K-AKT, Wnt, ErbB, mTOR, MAPK, HIF-1, NOD-like receptor, NF-κB, VEGF, JAK-STAT, AMPK, Toll-like receptor, EGFR, Ras, TNF, AGE-RAGE, Relaxin, FoxO, IL-17, Hippo, and cAMP. The mechanisms of EVO on ulcerative colitis, gastric cancer, and HCT116 cells are still controversial in vivo. EVO may have a bidirectional regulatory effect on functional gastrointestinal disorders through calcium signaling. The mechanisms of EVO on HCT116, HT29, SW480, AGS, COLO-205, and SW1990 cells are still controversial in vitro. The question of whether EVO has obvious toxicity is controversial.

CONCLUSION

In both cellular and animal experiments, EVO has demonstrated positive impacts on digestive system diseases. Nevertheless, additional in vivo and in vitro research is required to confirm the beneficial effects and mechanisms of EVO on digestive system diseases, as well as its potential toxicity.

Traditional Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus: botany, traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and quality control

Euodiae Fructus, referred to as "Wuzhuyu" in Chinese, has been used as local and traditional herbal medicines in many regions, especially in China, Japan and Korea, for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, headache, emesis, aphtha, dermatophytosis, dysentery, etc. Substantial investigations into their chemical and pharmacological properties have been performed. Recently, interest in this plant has been focused on the different structural types of alkaloids like evodiamine, rutaecarpine, dehydroevodiamine and 1-methyl-2-undecyl-4(1H)-quinolone, which exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities in preclinical models, such as anticancer, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cardiovascular disease, etc. This review summarizes the up-to-date and comprehensive information concerning the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology of Euodiae Fructus together with the toxicology and quality control, and discusses the possible direction and scope for future research on this plant.

Comparison of orosomucoid-1 immunoexpression and angiogenesis between oral squamous cell carcinoma cases with different histological grades

BACKGROUND

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy in this region, and thus, further elucidation of its tumoral mechanisms is important. One of the main roles of the acute-phase protein orosomucoid-1 (ORM1) is the promotion of angiogenesis, which is key for tumor nutrition and growth.

AIM

Our aim was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of ORM1 and the angiogenic activity indicated by microvascular density (MVD) in OSCC samples according to histological grade.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 45 OSCC cases were submitted to immunohistochemistry: 25 were well-differentiated OSCC, 18 were moderately differentiated OSCC and 2 were poorly differentiated OSCC. ORM1 staining was evaluated by a semiquantitative method, and CD34-positive blood vessels were quantified to calculate the MVD. The results were statically analyzed.

RESULTS

All cases exhibited immunoexpression of ORM1 and CD34. However, no significant differences were found between the expression of both markers among the histological grades. In addition, the presence of ORM1 in inflammatory cells and in the extracellular matrix was detected in most cases.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that the induction of angiogenesis is not the main role of ORM1 in OSCC and may be associated with the regulation of the immune/inflammatory response or the transport of protumoral molecules, such as sialyl-Lewis X or phorbol esters, which requires confirmation in future studies.

Targeting K-Ras and apoptosis-driven cellular transformation in cancer

Cellular transformation is a major event that helps cells to evade apoptosis, genomic instability checkpoints, and immune surveillance to initiate tumorigenesis and to promote progression by cancer stem cell expansion. However, the key molecular players that govern cellular transformation and ways to target cellular transformation for therapy are poorly understood to date. Here we draw key evidences from the literature on K-Ras-driven cellular transformation in the context of apoptosis to shed light on the key players that are required for cellular transformation and explain how aiming p53 could be useful to target cellular transformation. The defects in key apoptosis regulators such as p53, Bax, and Bak lead to apoptosis evasion, cellular transformation, and genomic instability to further lead to stemness, tumorigenesis, and metastasis via c-Myc-dependent transcription. Therefore enabling key apoptotic checkpoints in combination with K-Ras inhibitors will be a promising therapeutic target in cancer therapy.

Evodiamine: A review of its pharmacology, toxicity, pharmacokinetics and preparation researches

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Evodia rutaecarpa, a well-known herb medicine in China, is extensively applied in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The plant has the effects of dispersing cold and relieving pain, arresting vomiting, and helping Yang and stopping diarrhea. Modern research demonstrates that evodiamine, the main component of Evodia rutaecarpa, is the material basis for its efficacy.

AIMS OF THE REVIEW

This paper is primarily addressed to summarize the current studies on evodiamine. The progress in research on the pharmacology, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, preparation researches and clinical application are reviewed. Moreover, outlooks and directions for possible future studies concerning it are also discussed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The information of this systematic review was conducted with resources of multiple literature databases including PubMed, Google scholar, Web of Science and Wiley Online Library and so on, with employing a combination of keywords including "pharmacology", "toxicology", "pharmacokinetics" and "clinical application", etc. RESULTS: As the main component of Evodia rutaecarpa, evodiamine shows considerable pharmacological activities, such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-microbial, heart protection and metabolic disease regulation. However, it is also found that it has significant hepatotoxicity and cardiotoxicity, thereby it should be monitored in clinical. In addition, available data demonstrate that the evodiamine has a needy solubility in aqueous medium. Scientific and reasonable pharmaceutical strategies should be introduced to improve the above defects. Meanwhile, more efforts should be made to develop novel efficient and low toxic derivatives.

CONCLUSIONS

This review summarizes the results from current studies of evodiamine, which is one of the valuable medicinal ingredients from Evodia rutaecarpa. With the assistance of relevant pharmacological investigation, some conventional application and problems in pharmaceutical field have been researched in recent years. In addition, unresolved issues include toxic mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, novel pharmaceutical researches and relationship between residues and intestinal environment, which are still being explored and excavate before achieving integration into clinical practice.

Evodiamine and rutaecarpine from Tetradium ruticarpum in the treatment of liver diseases

BACKGROUND

Liver is the pivotal organ responsible for plasma protein production, biliary secretion, xenobiotic elimination, glucose and lipid homeostasis. Dysregulation of these functions usually leads to liver diseases and further related complications. The incidence of liver diseases is increasing worldwide, with high morbidity and mortality when at advanced stages, and has become significant public health concern and substential economic burden. Thus, novel therapeutic strategies for managing liver diseases progression are urgently required. T. ruticarpum is one of the most famous and frequently used herbal medicine and has been prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas for the treatment of various ailments, including liver diseases. A considerable amount of bioactive ingredients have been isolated and identified from the roots of T. ruticarpum, including alkaloids, saponins, phenols, volatile oils and other compounds. Among these compounds, evodiamine (EVO) and rutaecarpine (RUT) are believed to be the most bioactive compounds.

PURPOSE

To summarize recent findings regarding to the metabolism, pharmacological/toxicological effects of EVO and RUT and to highlight the potential therapeutic effects of them against liver diseases.

METHODS

Online academic databases (including PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science and CNKI) were searched using search terms of "T. ruticarpum", "Wu Zhu Yu", "evodiamine", "rutaecarpine", "liver" and combinations to include published studies of EVO and RUT primarily from 2004-2019. Several critical previous studies beyond this period were also included.

RESULTS

Evodiamine (EVO) and rutaecarpine (RUT) are believed to be the most bioactive alkaloids in T. ruticarpum, having anti-inflammation, anti-fibrosis, anti-lipotoxicity, anti-cancer activities, and thus having potential to improve liver disorders. In the current review, we comprehensively summarized recent progresses in the studies of EVO- and RUT-mediated promising hepatoprotective effects and also provide novel insights regarding the potential use of EVO and RUT as therapeutic options for the treatment of liver diseases.

CONCLUSION

With further in-depth pharmacology and pharmacokinetic studies, we believe that natural products in T. ruticarpum and their derivatives will become promising medicines with improved clinical efficacy for the treatment of liver diseases in the immediate future.

Genus Tetradium L.: A comprehensive review on traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The dried fruit of Tetradium ruticarpum is frequently utilized as a common traditional medicine in China, Japan and Korea. It has been widely used for the treatment of various diseases such as headache, menorrhalgia, dermatophytosis, celialgia, emesis and aphtha and so on.

AIM OF THIS REVIEW

Despite the wide biological activities of Tetradium plants, there is no current review summarizing medicinal properties of the genus of plants; thus, this review aims to systematically summarize studies on botanical characteristics, traditional uses, phytochemical ingredients, quality control, pharmacokinetics, pharmacological activities and toxicity of Tetradium species to demonstrate their therapeutic capacity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Information and materials related to Tetradium species were obtained from scientific databases such as Google Scholar, Wikipedia, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, ACS Publications, SciFinder. Information was also gathered from International Plant Names Index, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Chinese Pharmacopoeia and Traditional Chinese Medicine classics, etc. All studies of this genus were included in this review until July 2018.

RESULTS

Tetradium is widely assessed regarding its phytochemistry and biological activities. Approximately 131 chemical compounds, including alkaloids, saponins, phenols and other compounds, have been isolated from Tetradium plants. Among these components, alkaloid evodiamine is the most representative active ingredients of Tetradium plants. These compounds isolated from Tetradium plants exhibit a wide range of biological activities in vitro and in vivo including antitumor, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, insecticide, cardioprotective and lipid-lowering, treating CNS disorders, digestive system regulation and endocrine system improving activities. Furthermore, alkaloids could be used as markers for quality identification and evaluation of medicinal materials and their preparations. Information on evaluating the safety and pharmacokinetics of Tetradium often focuses on the alkaloids, thus further study and clinical data are required to enable the drug safety of the utilization of Tetradium plants.

CONCLUSIONS

Phytochemical and pharmacological studies of Tetradium plants have proved Tetradium plants are important medicinal herb resource. However, well-designed randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm the therapeutic benefits of this genus in clinical settings.

Antiproliferative Effects of Alkaloid Evodiamine and Its Derivatives

Alkaloids, a category of natural products with ring structures and nitrogen atoms, include most U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved plant derived anti-cancer agents. Evodiamine is an alkaloid with attractive multitargeting antiproliferative activity. Its high content in the natural source ensures its adequate supply on the market and guarantees further medicinal study. To the best of our knowledge, there is no systematic review about the antiproliferative effects of evodiamine derivatives. Therefore, in this article the review of the antiproliferative activities of evodiamine will be updated. More importantly, the antiproliferative activities of structurally modified new analogues of evodiamine will be summarized for the first time.

Exploration of anti-cancer effects and mechanisms of Zuo-Jin-Wan and its alkaloid components in vitro and in orthotopic HepG2 xenograft immunocompetent mice

BACKGROUND

Zuo-Jin-Wan (ZJW), a two-herb formula consisting of Coptis chinensis (CC) and Evodia rutaecarpa (ER), is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cancers. However, the efficacies and mechanisms of ZJW and its alkaloid components on cancers are still unclear.

METHODS

Here we investigated the anti-cancer effects and mechanisms of ZJW, CC, ER, berberine, and evodiamine in cells and in intrahepatic xenograft mice.

RESULTS

Treatment of HepG2 cells with ZJW, CC, ER, berberine, and evodiamine significantly displayed cytotoxic effects in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Hierarchical cluster analysis of gene expression profiles showed that CC and ZJW shared a similar mechanism for the cytotoxic effects, suggesting that CC was the active ingredient of ZJW for anti-cancer activity. Network analysis further showed that c-myc was the likely key molecule involved in the regulation of ZJW-affected gene expression. A human hepatoma xenograft model was established by intrahepatic injection of HepG2 cells containing nuclear factor-κB-driven luciferase genes in immunocompetent mice. In vivo bioluminescence imaging showed that cells had been successfully transplanted in mouse liver. Oral administration of ZJW for 28 consecutive days led to a significant decrease in the accumulation of ascites, the ratio of tumor-to-liver, and the number of transplanted cells in livers.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, our findings suggested for the first time that ZJW significantly suppressed human cancer cell growth in orthotopic HepG2 xenograft-bearing immunocompetent mice. Moreover, c-myc might play a potent role in the cytotoxic mechanisms of ZJW, CC, ER, berberine, and evodiamine.

Antiproliferative Activity and Cellular Uptake of Evodiamine and Rutaecarpine Based on 3D Tumor Models

Evodiamine (EVO) and rutaecarpine (RUT) are promising anti-tumor drug candidates. The evaluation of the anti-proliferative activity and cellular uptake of EVO and RUT in 3D multicellular spheroids of cancer cells would better recapitulate the native situation and thus better reflect an in vivo response to the treatment. Herein, we employed the 3D culture of MCF-7 and SMMC-7721 cells based on hanging drop method and evaluated the anti-proliferative activity and cellular uptake of EVO and RUT in 3D multicellular spheroids, and compared the results with those obtained from 2D monolayers. The drugs’ IC₅₀ values were significantly increased from the range of 6.4–44.1 μM in 2D monolayers to 21.8–138.0 μM in 3D multicellular spheroids, which may be due to enhanced mass barrier and reduced drug penetration in 3D models. The fluorescence of EVO and RUT was measured via fluorescence spectroscopy and the cellular uptake of both drugs was characterized in 2D tumor models. The results showed that the cellular uptake concentrations of RUT increased with increasing drug concentrations. However, the EVO concentrations uptaken by the cells showed only a small change with increasing drug concentrations, which may be due to the different solubility of EVO and Rut in solvents. Overall, this study provided a new vision of the anti-tumor activity of EVO and RUT via 3D multicellular spheroids and cellular uptake through the fluorescence of compounds.

In Vitro Assessment of the Anticancer Potential of Evodiamine in Human Oral Cancer Cell Lines

Evodiamine, a bioactive alkaloid, has been regarded as having antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and anticancer properties. In the present study, we explored the effects of evodiamine on cell growth and apoptosis in human oral cancer cell lines. Our data revealed that evodiamine significantly inhibited the proliferation of human oral cancer cells and resulted in the cleavages of PARP (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase) and caspase-3, in addition to causing the typical characteristics of apoptosis. Evodiamine also increased Bax protein levels and caused translocation of Bax into mitochondria and Bax oligomerization. In addition, evodiamine decreased expression of myeloid cell leukemia (Mcl-1) at the transcriptional modification, and knockdown of Mcl-1 clearly resulted in an increase in expression of Bax and active Bax, resulting in induction of apoptosis. Evodiamine reduced expression of phosphorylated AKT, and LY294002 potentiated evodiamine-induced apoptosis by regulating Mcl-1 protein. Our results suggest that evodiamine induces apoptosis in human oral cancer cells through the AKT pathway. These findings provide a rationale for its clinical application in the treatment of oral cancer.

Targeting apoptosis pathways in cancer and perspectives with natural compounds from mother nature

Although the incidences are increasing day after day, scientists and researchers taken individually or by research group are trying to fight against cancer by several ways and also by different approaches and techniques. Sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, diterpenoids, and polyphenolic represent a large and diverse group of naturally occurring compounds found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants with various anticancer properties. In this review, our aim is to give our perspective on the current status of the natural compounds belonging to these groups and discuss their natural sources, their anticancer activity, their molecular targets, and their mechanism of actions with specific emphasis on apoptosis pathways, which may help the further design and conduct of preclinical and clinical trials. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, the selected natural compounds induce apoptosis by targeting multiple cellular signaling pathways including transcription factors, growth factors, tumor cell survival factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein kinases, and angiogenesis that are frequently deregulated in cancers and suggest that their simultaneous targeting by these compounds could result in efficacious and selective killing of cancer cells. This review suggests that they provide a novel opportunity for treatment of cancer, but clinical trials are still required to further validate them in cancer chemotherapy.

Pharmacological actions of multi-target-directed evodiamine

Evodiamine, a naturally occurring indole alkaloid, is one of the main bioactive ingredients of Evodiae fructus. With respect to the pharmacological actions of evodiamine, more attention has been paid to beneficial effects in insults involving cancer, obesity, nociception, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, infectious diseases and themoregulative effects. evodiamine has evolved a superior ability to bind various proteins, so we also argue that it is good starting point for multi-target drugs. This review is primarily addressed to the description of the recent advances in the biological activity studies of evodiamine, with a focus on pharmacological mechanism. The present review also includes the pharmacokinetics and the detailed exploration of target-binding properties of evodiamine in an attempt to provide a direction for further multi-target drug design.