Physcion 8-O-β-glucopyranoside suppresses tumor growth of Hepatocellular carcinoma by downregulating PIM1

Physcion, a novel anthraquinone derivative against Chlamydia psittaci infection

Physcion, a natural anthraquinone derivative, has been reported to exert remarkable antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, it is not fully illustrated as anti-Chlamydia substance. In the present study, minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)values for physcion against Chlamydia psittaci(C.psittaci) 6BC, C.psittaci SBL and C.psittaci HJ were 128 μg/mL,256 μg/mL and 128 μg/mL while minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were 256 μg/mL,512 μg/mL and 256 μg/mL,respectively. Moreover, Chlamydial adhesion to Hela 229 cells was blocked in a dose-dependent manner and RB-to-EB differentiation was inhibited by physcion from 28 to 48 hpi.Post treatment,upregulation of LC3-II was in a dose-dependent manner, indicating physcion activated autophagy and bacterial clearance.To validate clinical efficacy,49 SPF chickens aged 21days were divided into 5 groups and infected intra-laryngeally with 0.2 mL of 1 × 10⁷ IFU/mL C.psittaci 6 BCE.Three days later, birds received orally with serial doses of physcion (4 mg/kg to 9 mg/kg), or 3 mg/kg of doxycycline for 6 days.Chickens with difficulty in breathing were alleviated significantly with increasing concentrations of physicon.Postmortem,lesions of air sacs were reduced significantly in a dose-dependent manner.More importantly,birds with 9 mg/kg of physcion could alleviate lesions of air sacs and lungs, and reduce bacterial loads in spleens, which was comparable to doxycycline treatment. Based on above evidences, physcion is a promising cost-effective natural drug by blocking Chlamydial adhesions to host cells, RB-to-EB differentiation and activating bacterial autophagy and it will be a good alternative to doxycycline combating virulent C.psittaci infection, contributing to eradication of Chlamydial transmission from animals to human beings.

The Invasive Species Reynoutria japonica Houtt. as a Promising Natural Agent for Cardiovascular and Digestive System Illness

Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix, the dry roots and stems of Reynoutria japonica Houtt (called Huzhang, HZ in Chinese), is a traditional and popular chinese medicinal herb for thousands of years. As a widely used ethnomedicine in Asia including China, Japan, and Korea, HZ can invigorate the blood, cool heat, and resolve toxicity, which is commonly used in the treatment of favus, jaundice, scald, and constipation. However, HZ is now considered an invasive plant in the United States and many European countries. Therefore, in order to take advantage of HZ and solve the problem of biological invasion, scholars around the world have carried out abundant research studies on HZ. Until now, about 110 compounds have been isolated and identified from HZ, in which anthraquinones, stilbenes, and flavonoids would be the main bioactive ingredients for its pharmacological properties, such as microcirculation improvement, myocardial protective effects, endocrine regulation, anti-atherosclerotic activity, anti-oxidant activity, anti-tumor activity, anti-viral activity, and treatment of skin inflammation, burns, and scalds. HZ has a variety of active ingredients and broad pharmacological activities. It is widely used in health products, cosmetics, and even animal husbandry feed and has no obvious toxicity. Efforts should be made to develop more products such as effective drugs, health care products, cosmetics, and agricultural and animal husbandry products to benefit mankind.

Melatonin inhibits the malignant progression of glioblastoma via regulating miR-16-5p/PIM1

OBJECTIVES

Melatonin (MT) is a pineal hormone with antineoplastic potential. This study aims to explore the therapeutic potential and mechanism of MT on glioblastoma (GBM).

METHODS

A human GBM cell line, LN229 was used for evaluating the function of MT. Cell viability, apoptosis, and migration were detected by CCK-8, flow cytometry, and transwell assays, respectively. The mRNA and protein expression of specific genes were measured by qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively. The regulatory relationship between miR-16-5p and PIM1 was validated by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. A mouse xenograft model was established to prove the anti-tumor effect and related mechanisms of MT in vivo.

RESULTS

MT inhibited the viability and migration, and promoted the apoptosis of LN229 cells in a dose-dependent manner. MiR-16-5p was dose-dependently up-regulated by MT in LN229 cells, which negatively regulated its target PIM1. MiR-16-5p inhibitor eliminated the anti-tumor effect of MT in LN229 cells, while si-PIM1 reversed the effect of miR-16-5p inhibitor in MT-treated cells. MT inhibited the tumor growth in vivo and MT-induced PIM1 down-regulation was reversed by miR-16-5p inhibition in tumor tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

MT inhibits the malignant progression of GBM via regulating miR-16-5p-midiated PIM1.

Pyroptosis, a New Breakthrough in Cancer Treatment

The way of cell death can be roughly divided into two categories: cell necrosis and PCD(programmed cell death). Pyroptosis is a kind of PCD, its occurrence depends on the gasdermin protein family and it will produce inflammatory response. With constant research in recent years, more and more evidences show that pyroptosis is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors. The treatment of tumors is a big problem worldwide. We focus on whether we can discover new potential tumor markers and new therapeutic targets from the mechanism. If we can understand the mechanism of pyroptosis and clear the relationship between pyroptosis and the development of tumors, this may provide a new reference for clinical cancer treatment.

Knockdown of LncRNA PANDAR by CRISPR-dCas9 Decreases Proliferation and Increases Apoptosis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant epithelial tumor in the oral cavity. Emerging evidence has demonstrated the important function roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human cancers. LncRNA promoter of CDKN1A antisense DNA damage activated RNA (PANDAR) functions as an oncogene in multiple carcinomas, whereas its function in OSCC has not been investigated yet. The aim of our study is to investigate the possible regulatory mechanism of PANDAR in OSCC. First of all, PANDAR was highly expressed in OSCC cells and loss-of-function assays mediated by CRISPR-dCas9 observed that PANDAR silencing restrained cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. Then we found and confirmed the interaction between PANDAR and serine and arginine rich splicing factor 7 (SRSF7). Subsequently, serine/threonine-protein kinase pim-1 (PIM1) was proved to be regulated by PANDAR in SRSF7-dependant way. Rescue experiments validated that PANDAR modulated the proliferation and apoptosis in OSCC through PIM1. In conclusion, PANDAR bound with SRSF7 to increase PIM1 expression, hence promoting the development of OSCC. These data shed new lights into the seeking for effective diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for OSCC patients.

Physcion 8-O-β-glucopyranoside ameliorates liver fibrosis through inflammation inhibition by regulating SIRT3-mediated NF-κB P65 nuclear expression

Physcion 8-O-β-glucopyranoside (PSG), an anthraquinone extracted from Rumex japonicus Houtt, has various pharmacological effects, however, the effect of PSG on liver fibrosis and its related mechanism remain to be determined. We here showed that PSG ameliorated liver injury and liver fibrosis, decreased collagen deposition and inhibited inflammation in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced rats. Consistent with the in vivo results, PSG suppressed the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced cell viability, liver fibrosis and secretion of inflammatory factors in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Interestingly, PSG increased the enzyme activity and promoter activity of sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) in fibrotic liver and activated HSCs. In addition, PSG notably increased the mRNA and protein expression of SIRT3 both in vivo and in vitro. Depletion of SIRT3 either by using 3-TYP (SIRT3 selective inhibitor) or SIRT3 siRNA attenuated the anti-inflammatory effect of PSG in activated HSCs. Further study found that TGF-β1 increased the nuclear expression of NF-κB p65, but showed no obvious effect on the total NF-κB p65 expression. Compared to the control adenovirus (Ad.mk), overexpression of SIRT3 by infecting adenovirus encoding SIRT3 (Ad.SIRT3) notably decreased the nuclear expression of NF-κB p65 in activated HSCs. Our results demonstrated that PSG attenuated inflammation by regulating SIRT3-mediated NF-κB P65 nuclear expression in liver fibrosis, providing novel molecular insights into the anti-fibrotic effect of PSG.

Physcion and Physcion 8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside: Natural Anthraquinones with Potential Anticancer Activities

Nature has provided prodigious reservoirs of pharmacologically active compounds for drug development since times. Physcion and physcion 8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (PG) are bioactive natural anthraquinones which exert anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties with minimum or no adverse effects. Moreover, physcion also exhibits anti-microbial and hepatoprotective properties, while PG is known to have anti-sepsis as well as ameliorative activities against dementia. This review aims to highlight the natural sources and anticancer activities of physcion and PG, along with associated mechanisms of actions. On the basis of the literature, physcion and PG regulate multitudinous cell signaling pathways through the modulation of various regulators of cell cycle, protein kinases, microRNAs, transcriptional factors, and apoptosis linked proteins resulting in the effective killing of cancerous cells in vitro as well as in vivo. Both compounds effectively suppress metastasis, furthermore, physcion acts as an inhibitor of 6PGD and also plays an important role in chemosensitization. This review article suggests that physcion and PG are potent anticancer drug candidates, but further investigations on their mechanism of action and pre-clinical trials are mandatory in order to comprehend the full potential of these natural cancer killers in anticancer remedies.

Physcion-8-O-β-d-glucoside interferes with the nuclear factor-κB pathway and downregulates P-glycoprotein expression to reduce paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer cells

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed whether physcion-8-O-beta-D-monoglucoside (PG) sensitises paclitaxel (PTX)-resistant ovarian cancer cells and explored the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Ovarian cancer SK-OV-3 cells were used to establish PTX-resistant SK-OV-3 (SK-OV-3/PTX) cells. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and crystal violet staining were used to determine cell viability. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB expression and cell distributions were detected using immunofluorescence. Cell apoptosis and protein expression changes were detected using flow cytometry and western blotting, respectively. Effect of PG in vivo was evaluated using a xenograft tumour model. P-gp expression in tumour tissues was detected using immunohistochemical staining.

KEY FINDINGS

PG (1-10 μm) did not significantly affect SK-OV-3/PTX cell proliferation but significantly downregulated P-gp expression. PG pretreatment (1-10 μm) enhanced PTX cytotoxicity. PG treatment decreased the quantity of phosphorylated-NF-κB p65 in SK-OV-3/PTX cell total proteins and upregulated IKBα expression. Simultaneously, it decreased NF-κB p65 levels in nuclear proteins. PG (1-10 μm) inhibited NF-κB p65 entry into the nucleus. PTX plus PG significantly inhibited SK-OV-3/PTX xenograft tumour growth. PG (1-10 μm) reduced P-gp expression in transplanted tumour tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

PG can enhance the sensitivity of PTX-resistant ovarian cancer cells SK-OV-3/PTX to PTX, and this effect is related to inhibiting NF-κB from entering the nucleus and down-regulating the expression of P-gp protein.

A review of the processed Polygonum multiflorum (Thunb.) for hepatoprotection: Clinical use, pharmacology and toxicology

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Polygonum multiflorum (Thunb.) (PMT) is a member of Polygonaceae. Traditional Chinese medicine considers that the processed PMT can tonify liver, nourish blood and blacken hair. In recent years, the processed PMT and its active ingredients have significant therapeutic effects on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, liver fibrosis and liver cancer.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of this review is to provide a critical appraisal of the existing knowledge on the clinical application, hepatoprotective pharmacology and hepatotoxicity, it provides a comprehensive evaluation of the liver function of the processed PMT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A detailed literature search was conducted using various online search engines, such as Pubmed, Google Scholar, Mendeley, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database. The main active components of the processed PMT and the important factors in the occurrence and development of liver diseases are used as key words to carry out detailed literature retrieval.

RESULTS

In animal and cell models, the processed PMT and active components can treat various liver diseases, such as fatty liver induced by high-fat diet, liver injury and fibrosis induced by drugs, viral transfected hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, etc. They can protect liver by regulating lipid metabolism related enzymes, resisting insulin resistance, decreasing the expression of inflammatory cytokines, inhibiting the activation of hepatic stellate cells, reducing generation of extracellular matrix, promoting cancer cell apoptosis and controlling the growth of tumor cells, etc. However, improperly using of the processed PMT can cause liver injury, which is associated with the standardization of processing, the constitution of the patients, the characteristics of the disease, and the administration of dosage and time.

CONCLUSION

The processed PMT can treat various liver diseases via reasonably using, and the active compounds (2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside, emodin, physcion, etc.) are promising candidate drugs for developing new liver protective agents. However, some components have a "toxic-effective" bidirectional effect, which should be used cautiously.

Rumex japonicus Houtt.: A phytochemical, pharmacological, and pharmacokinetic review

Rumex japonicus Houtt. (RJH-Yang Ti) RJH has been used as a folk medicine in East Asian countries for thousands of years. It has a wide range of therapeutic effects in terms of anti-microorganic, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects. Therefore, it is urgent to thoroughly review the existing knowledge for this herb from phytochemical, pharmacological, and pharmacokinetic perspectives. "Yang Ti" and its English, botanical and pharmaceutical names used as keywords to perform database search which included the Encyclopaedia of traditional Chinese Medicines, PubMed, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and China Network Knowledge Infrastructure. Forty-five compounds identified from RJH. Besides, the therapeutic effects of RJH have been summarized as well. The root of RJH contains derivatives of anthraquinones, phytosterols, nepodin, oxanthrone c-glycosides, phenolic acid, cinnamic acid, flavonoid, epoxynaphthoquinol, triterpenoids, methoxynaphthalene, trihydroxybenzene, anthracene-9,10-dione, and other compounds. The extract of RJH and its chemical compounds showed the potentials as a complementary agent to exert antioxidant, antimicrobial, antisepsis, anticancer, anti-haematological disease, anti-dermatological disease, and antidiabetic activities. For the record, there is no study conducted on RJH regarding its pharmacokinetic aspect. Notably, Emodin may require additional attention due to its multiple organ toxicity concerns.

Off-target toxicity is a common mechanism of action of cancer drugs undergoing clinical trials

Ninety-seven percent of drug-indication pairs that are tested in clinical trials in oncology never advance to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. While lack of efficacy and dose-limiting toxicities are the most common causes of trial failure, the reason(s) why so many new drugs encounter these problems is not well understood. Using CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis, we investigated a set of cancer drugs and drug targets in various stages of clinical testing. We show that-contrary to previous reports obtained predominantly with RNA interference and small-molecule inhibitors-the proteins ostensibly targeted by these drugs are nonessential for cancer cell proliferation. Moreover, the efficacy of each drug that we tested was unaffected by the loss of its putative target, indicating that these compounds kill cells via off-target effects. By applying a genetic target-deconvolution strategy, we found that the mischaracterized anticancer agent OTS964 is actually a potent inhibitor of the cyclin-dependent kinase CDK11 and that multiple cancer types are addicted to CDK11 expression. We suggest that stringent genetic validation of the mechanism of action of cancer drugs in the preclinical setting may decrease the number of therapies tested in human patients that fail to provide any clinical benefit.

miR-486 inhibited osteosarcoma cells invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by targeting PIM1

OBJECTIVE

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant tumor of bone with high recurrent rate. miR-486 was downregulated and acted as a tumor suppressor in plenty of tumors. The purpose of this study was to explore how miR-486 worked in osteosarcoma on cell invasion and EMT.

RESULTS

miR-486 was low expressed in osteosarcoma while PIM1 was overexpressed, and it had negative correlation between miR-486 and PIM1. miR-486 upregulation or PIM1 downregulation could inhibit osteosarcoma cell invasion and EMT. Meanwhile, miR-486 mediated PIM1 expression through binding to PIM1 mRNA 3'-UTR. PIM1 could reveal partial function of miR-486 on osteosarcoma invasion. In addition, miR-486 low expression or PIM1 overexpression predicted poor prognosis of osteosarcoma patients.

CONCLUSION

miR-486 regulated osteosarcoma cell invasion and EMT through targeting to PIM1. miR-486 low expression or PIM1 overexpression predicted poor prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. The newly identified miR-486/PIM1 axis provides novel insight into the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma.

A review on PIM kinases in tumors

The Proviral Integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases is serine/threonine kinases that promote growth and survival in multiple cell types, implicated in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Over expression of Pim-1 experimentally leads to tumor formation in mice, whereas there is no observable phenotype concerning the complete knockout of the protein. When it is over expressed it may lead to cancer development by three major ways; by inhibiting apoptosis, by promoting cell proliferation and also through promoting genomic instability. Expression in normal tissues is nearly undetectable. Recent improvements in the development of novel inhibitors of PIMs have been reviewed. Significant progress in the design of PIMs inhibitors, in which it displays selectivity versus other kinases, has been achieved within the last years. However, the development of isoform-selective PIM inhibitors is still an open task. As Pim-1 possesses oncogenic functions and is over expressed in various kinds of cancer diseases, its inhibition provides a new option in cancer therapy. A PubMed literature search was performed to review the currently available data on Pim-1 expression, regulation, and targets; its implication in different types of cancer and its impact on prognosis is described. Consequently, designing new inhibitors of PIMs is now a very active area of research in academic and industrial laboratories.