Inhibition of Proliferation of Prostate Cancer Cell Line DU-145 in vitro and in vivo Using Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge

Molecular Mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Technology

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza on colorectal cancer, as well as the mechanisms involved.

Methods

The active compounds of Salvia miltiorrhiza and the associated genes in colorectal cancer were sourced from publicly available databases. Targets associated with colorectal cancer were identified by searching the GeneCards and OMIM databases. Subsequently, the Cytoscape 3.6.0 software was employed to create a regulatory network that illustrates the relationships among active ingredients, colorectal cancer, and their corresponding targets. The String database was utilized to generate a PPI network. Molecular docking studies, conducted with AutoDock Vina, verified the binding capabilities of these active components to core targets. The findings from network pharmacology analysis were corroborated through in vitro experiments.

Results

In this study, we identified 39 active components derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza that are predicted to target 544 genes associated with colorectal cancer through network pharmacology. Through a combined analysis of network pharmacology, we isolated three key targets: SRC, IL6, and INS. Molecular docking results convincingly demonstrated Salvia miltiorrhiza's strong binding affinity to these targets. Additionally, in vitro experiments confirmed that Salvia miltiorrhiza effectively inhibited the progression of colorectal cancer via regulating the INS/SRC/IL6 pathway.

Conclusion

Salvia miltiorrhiza emerges as a compelling herbal intervention for colorectal cancer. This study lays the foundation for potential future clinical trials assessing the efficacy of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the management of colorectal cancer.

Tanshinone IIA targeting cell signaling pathways: a plausible paradigm for cancer therapy

Natural compounds originating from plants offer a wide range of pharmacological potential and have traditionally been used to treat a wide range of diseases including cancer. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA), a bioactive molecule found in the roots of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herb Salvia miltiorrhiza, has been shown to have remarkable anticancer properties through several mechanisms, such as inhibition of tumor cell growth and proliferation, metastasis, invasion, and angiogenesis, as well as induction of apoptosis and autophagy. It has demonstrated excellent anticancer efficacy against cell lines from breast, cervical, colorectal, gastric, lung, and prostate cancer by modulating multiple signaling pathways including PI3K/Akt, JAK/STAT, IGF-1R, and Bcl-2-Caspase pathways. This review focuses on the role of Tan IIA in the treatment of various cancers, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Molecular Mechanism of Tanshinone against Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignant tumor of the male urinary system in Europe and America. According to the data in the World Cancer Report 2020, the incidence rate of PCa ranks second in the prevalence of male malignant tumors and varies worldwide between regions and population groups. Although early PCa can achieve good therapeutic results after surgical treatment, due to advanced PCa, it can adapt and tolerate androgen castration-related drugs through a variety of mechanisms. For this reason, it is often difficult to achieve effective therapeutic results in the treatment of advanced PCa. Tanshinone is a new fat-soluble phenanthraquinone compound derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza that can play a therapeutic role in different cancers, including PCa. Several studies have shown that Tanshinone can target various molecular pathways of PCa, including the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway, androgen receptor (AR) pathway, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, which will affect the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and affect cell proliferation, apoptosis, tumor metabolism, genomic stability, and tumor drug resistance. Thus, the occurrence and development of PCa cells are inhibited. In this review, we summarized the in vivo and in vitro evidence of Tanshinone against prostate cancer and discussed the effect of Tanshinone on nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), AR, and mTOR. At the same time, we conducted a network pharmacology analysis on the four main components of Tanshinone to further screen the possible targets of Tanshinone against prostate cancer and provide ideas for future research.

Molecular Basis of Prostate Cancer and Natural Products as Potential Chemotherapeutic and Chemopreventive Agents

Prostate cancer is the second most common malignant cancer in males. It involves a complex process driven by diverse molecular pathways that closely related to the survival, apoptosis, metabolic and metastatic characteristics of aggressive cancer. Prostate cancer can be categorized into androgen dependent prostate cancer and castration-resistant prostate cancer and cure remains elusive due to the developed resistance of the disease. Natural compounds represent an extraordinary resource of structural scaffolds with high diversity that can offer promising chemical agents for making prostate cancer less devastating and curable. Herein, those natural compounds of different origins and structures with potential cytotoxicity and/or in vivo anti-tumor activities against prostate cancer are critically reviewed and summarized according to the cellular signaling pathways they interfere. Moreover, the anti-prostate cancer efficacy of many nutrients, medicinal plant extracts and Chinese medical formulations were presented, and the future prospects for the application of these compounds and extracts were discussed. Although the failure of conventional chemotherapy as well as involved serious side effects makes natural products ideal candidates for the treatment of prostate cancer, more investigations of preclinical and even clinical studies are necessary to make use of these medical substances reasonably. Therefore, the elucidation of structure-activity relationship and precise mechanism of action, identification of novel potential molecular targets, and optimization of drug combination are essential in natural medicine research and development.

A network pharmacology-based study on the anti-hepatoma effect of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae

BACKGROUND

Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (RSM), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to inhibit tumorigenesis in various human cancers. However, the anticancer effects of RSM on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying mechanisms of action remain to be fully elucidated.

METHODS

In this study, we aimed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of RSM in the treatment of HCC using a network pharmacology approach. In vivo and in vitro experiments were also performed to validate the therapeutic effects of RSM on HCC.

RESULTS

In total, 62 active compounds from RSM and 72 HCC-related targets were identified through network pharmacological analysis. RSM was found to play a critical role in HCC via multiple targets and pathways, especially the EGFR and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. In addition, RSM was found to suppress HCC cell proliferation, and impair cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that RSM induced cell cycle G2/M arrest and apoptosis, and western blot analysis showed that RSM up-regulated the expression of BAX and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 in MHCC97-H and HepG2 cells. Furthermore, RSM administration down-regulated the expression of EGFR, PI3K, and p-AKT proteins, whereas the total AKT level was not altered. Finally, the results of our in vivo experiments confirmed the therapeutic effects of RSM on HCC in nude mice.

CONCLUSIONS

We provide an integrative network pharmacology approach, in combination with in vitro and in vivo experiments, to illustrate the underlying therapeutic mechanisms of RSM action on HCC.

The anticancer mechanism investigation of Tanshinone IIA by pharmacological clustering in protein network

BACKGROUND

Cancer is the second most common cause of death globally. The anticancer effects of Tanshinone II_A (Tan II_A) has been confirmed by numerous researches. However, the underlying mechanism remained to be integrated in systematic format. Systems biology embraced the complexity of cancer; therefore, a system study approach was proposed in the present study to explore the anticancer mechanism of Tan II_A based on network pharmacology.

METHOD

Agilent Literature Search (ALS), a text-mining tool, was used to pull protein targets of Tan II_A. Then, pharmacological clustering was applied to classify obtained hits, the anticancer module was analysed further. The top ten essential nodes in the anticancer module were obtained by ClusterONE. Functional units in the anticancer module were catalogued and validated by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. Meanwhile, KEGG and Cell Signalling Technology Pathway were employed to provide pathway data for potential anticancer pathways construction. Finally, the pathways were plotted using Cytoscape 3.5.1. Furthermore, in vitro experiments with five carcinoma cell lines were conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 258 proteins regulated by Tan II_A were identified through ALS and were visualized by protein network. Pharmacological clustering further sorted 68 proteins that intimately involved in cancer pathogenesis based on Gene Ontology. Subsequently, pathways on anticancer effect of Tan II_A were delineated. Five functional units were clarified according to literature: including regulation on apoptosis, proliferation, sustained angiogenesis, autophagic cell death, and cell cycle. The GO analysis confirmed the classification was statistically significant. The inhibiting influence of Tan II_A on p70 S6K/mTOR pathway was revealed for the first time. The in vitro experiments displayed the selectivity of Tan II_A on HeLa, MDA-MB-231, HepG2, A549, and ACHN cell lines, the IC₅₀ values were 0.54 μM, 4.63 μM, 1.42 μM, 17.30 μM and 204.00 μM, respectively. This result further reinforced the anticancer effect of Tan II_A treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study provides a systematic methodology for discovering the coordination of the anticancer pathways regulated by Tan II_A via protein network. And it also offers a valuable guidance for systematic study on the therapeutic values of other herbs and their active compounds.