Diosmetin induces apoptosis and protective autophagy in human gastric cancer HGC-27 cells via the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 and MAPK/JNK pathways

Sodium aescinate promotes apoptosis of pancreatic stellate cells and alleviates pancreatic fibrosis by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/FOXO1 signaling pathways

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is an inflammatory disease of progressive pancreatic fibrosis, and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are key cells involved in pancreatic fibrosis. To date, there are no clinical therapies available to reverse inflammatory damage or pancreatic fibrosis associated with CP. Sodium Aescinate (SA) is a natural mixture of triterpene saponins extracted from the dried and ripe fruits of horse chestnut tree. It has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-edematous effects. This study aims to explore the therapeutic potential of SA in CP and the molecular mechanism of its modulation. Through in vivo animal models and experiments, we found that SA significantly alleviated pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis in caerulein-induced CP mice model. In addition, SA inhibited the proliferation, migration and activation of PSCs as well as promoted apoptosis of PSCs through a series of experiments on cells in vitro including CCK-8 assay, Western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, wound-healing assay, Transwell migration assays, flow cytometric analysis, etc. Further RNA sequencing and in vitro validation assays revealed that inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/FOXO1 signaling pathway was involved in the SA mediated promotion of PSCs apoptosis, thus alleviating pancreatic fibrosis. In conclusion, this study revealed that SA may have promising potential as therapeutic agent for the treatment of CP, and the PI3K/AKT/FOXO1 pathway is a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis.

The multifaceted function of FoxO1 in pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance: Therapeutic potential for type 2 diabetes

The forkhead box O1 (FoxO1), the first discovered member of the FoxO family, is a critical transcription factor predominantly found in insulin-secreting and insulin-sensitive tissues. In the pancreas of adults, FoxO1 expression is restricted to islet β cells. We determined that in human islet microarray datasets, FoxO1 expression is higher than other FoxO transcription factors. Our analyses of three human islet datasets revealed that FoxO1 expression tends to shows a negative correlation with type 2 diabetes and no correlation with body mass index (BMI) between individuals with low levels of HbA1C (or ND, non-diabetic) and high levels of HbA1C (or T2D, type 2 diabetes). However, FoxO1 function is multifaceted and mainly regulated by post-translational modifications including phosphorylation and deacetylation that involved in pancreatic β cell function and insulin sensitivity. This study summarized the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of FoxO1 activity in pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance in T2D. In addition, we collected the clinical trials of FoxO1 inhibitor and agonist in diabetes, and discussed the therapeutic potential of FoxO1 activity in diabetes treatment.

Diosmetin alleviates AFB1-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, and apoptosis via PI3K/AKT pathway in mice

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a prevalent agricultural mycotoxin, represents a serious health hazard to humans and animals owing to its toxic effects. Diosmetin (DIOS), a naturally occurring flavonoid, has demonstrated potential hepatoprotective properties. This research seeks to investigate the mechanisms by which DIOS mitigates AFB1-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The mice were divided into four groups: control (CON), AFB1, DIOS+AFB1, and DIOS. Over a 28 - day period, all groups were administered their respective treatments via oral gavage. The CON group was given an equivalent volume of PBS, the AFB1 group received AFB1 (0.4 mg/kg/day), the DIOS+AFB1 group was treated with DIOS (20 mg/kg/day) in combination with AFB1 (0.4 mg/kg/day), and the DIOS group received DIOS (20 mg/kg/day) alone. Then various experiments were used to evaluate the hepatotoxic effects of AFB1 and the hepatoprotective effects of DIOS in mice. Our findings initially demonstrated that AFB1 induced liver injury, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, apoptosis and autophagy. DIOS treatment notably ameliorated liver damage by lowering the LDH and MDA levels, increasing total antioxidant capacity and enhancing the GSH-Px, SOD and CAT activities. Additionally, DIOS dampened the secretion of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α, and blocked the NF-κB pathway. Moreover, DIOS administration lessened AFB1-induced ER stress-mediated apoptosis by inhibiting the mRNA and protein expressions of GRP78, p-PERK, p-elF2α, ATF6 and ATF4, while concurrently upregulating Bcl-2 expression and reducing the Bax and Cleaved Caspase-3 expressions. Furthermore, DIOS was also found to suppress the protein levels of LC3B, Beclin-1, ATG5, p62, and promote AKT phosphorylation. Overall, DIOS effectively mitigated AFB1-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, ER stress, apoptosis and autophagy via inhibition of the NF-κB pathway and stimulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. The results imply that DIOS may be a viable therapeutic approach for the prevention of liver damage caused by AFB1 exposure.

Dysregulation of autophagy in gastric carcinoma: Pathways to tumor progression and resistance to therapy

The considerable death rates and lack of symptoms in early stages of gastric cancer (GC) make it a major health problem worldwide. One of the most prominent risk factors is infection with Helicobacter pylori. Many biological processes, including those linked with cell death, are disrupted in GC. The cellular "self-digestion" mechanism necessary for regular balance maintenance, autophagy, is at the center of this disturbance. Misregulation of autophagy, however, plays a role in the development of GC. In this review, we will examine how autophagy interacts with other cell death processes, such as apoptosis and ferroptosis, and how it affects the progression of GC. In addition to wonderful its role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, it is engaged in GC metastasis. The role of autophagy in GC in promoting drug resistance stands out. There is growing interest in modulating autophagy for GC treatment, with research focusing on natural compounds, small-molecule inhibitors, and nanoparticles. These approaches could lead to breakthroughs in GC therapy, offering new hope in the fight against this challenging disease.

Investigating In silico and In vitro Therapeutic Potential of Diosmetin as the Anti-Parkinson Agent

AIM

This study aimed to investigate how diosmetin interacts with seven target receptors associated with oxidative stress (OS) and validate its antioxidant properties for the potential management of Parkinson's disease (PD).

BACKGROUND

In PD, the degeneration of dopaminergic cells is strongly influenced by OS. This stressor is intricately connected to various mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration, such as mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and excitotoxicity induced by nitric oxide.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this research was to establish a molecular connection between diosmetin and OS-associated target receptors was the goal, and it investigated how this interaction can lessen PD.

METHODS

Seven molecular targets - Adenosine A2A (AA2A), Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARγ), Protein Kinase AKT1, Nucleolar Receptor NURR1, Liver - X Receptor Beta (LXRβ), Monoamine Oxidase - B (MAO-B) and Tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) were obtained from RCSB. Molecular docking software was employed to determine molecular interactions, while antioxidant activity was assessed through in vitro assays against various free radicals.

RESULTS

Diosmetin exhibited interactions with all seven target receptors at their binding sites. Notably, it showed superior interaction with AA2A and NURR1 compared to native ligands, with binding energies of -7.55, and -6.34 kcal/mol, respectively. Additionally, significant interactions were observed with PPARγ, AKT1, LXRβ, MAO-B, and TrkB with binding energies of -8.34, -5.42, -7.66, -8.82, -8.45 kcal/mol, respectively. Diosmetin also demonstrated antioxidant activity against various free radicals, particularly against hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and nitric oxide (NO) free radicals.

CONCLUSION

Diosmetin possibly acts on several target receptors linked to the pathophysiology of PD, demonstrating promise as an OS inhibitor and scavenger.

Can We Improve Diosmetin Activity? The State-of-the-Art and Promising Research Directions

Diosmetin is a natural substance widely distributed in nature, with documented multidirectional biological effects. The wide spectrum of biological activity of diosmetin gives hope that derivatives of this flavonoid may also be used as drugs or dietary supplements used in many diseases. Modification of the structure may, on the one hand, lead to an increase in biological potency, new biological activity, or an increase in solubility and thus bioavailability. This is an important direction of research because the use of pure diosmetin is limited due to its low bioavailability. This work is an attempt to collect information on the possibility of modifying the structure of diosmetin and its impact on biological activity.

Mechanism of anticancer effect of ETP-45658, a PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitor on HT-29 Cells

The PI3K pathway plays a crucial role in tumor cell proliferation across various cancers, including colon cancer, making it a promising treatment target. This study aims to investigate the antiproliferative activity of ETP-45658, a PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitor, on colon cancer and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. HT-29 colon cancer cells were treated with varying doses of ETP 45658 and its cytotoxic effect assessed using the XTT cell viability assay.ELISA was also used to measure TAS, TOS, Bax, BCL-2, cleaved caspase 3, cleaved PARP, and 8-oxo-dG levels. Flow cytometry was performed to investigate apoptosis, cell cycle, caspase 3/7 activity, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Additionally, following the administration of DAPI (4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) dye, the cells were visualized using an immunofluorescence microscope. It was observed that ETP-45658 exerted a dose-dependent and statistically significant antiproliferative effect on HT-29 colon cancer cells. Further investigations using the IC50 dose showed that ETP-45658 decreased TAS levels and increased TOS levels and revealed that it upregulated apoptotic proteins while downregulating anti-apoptotic proteins. Our findings also showed that it increased Annexin V binding, arrested the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase, induced caspase 3/7 activity, impaired mitochondrial membrane potential, and ultimately triggered apoptosis in HT-29 cells. ETP-45658 shows promise against colon cancer by inducing cell death, and oxidative stress, and arresting the cell cycle. Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway with ETP-45658 offers exciting potential for colon cancer treatment.