The effects of jolkinolide B on HepG2 cells as revealed by 1H-NMR-based metabolic profiling

Investigating the antitumor effects of a novel ruthenium (II) complex on malignant melanoma cells: An NMR-based metabolomic approach

Metals have been used for many years in medicine, particularly for the treatment of cancer. Cisplatin is one of the most used drugs in the treatment of cancer. Although platinum-containing therapeutics have unparalleled efficacy in cancer treatment, they are coupled with adverse effects and the development of tumour resistance. This has led to the exploration of other metal-based modalities including ruthenium-based compounds. Thus, in our previous study, we synthesized and characterized a novel ruthenium (II) complex (referred to herein as GA113) containing a bis-amino-phosphine ligand. The complex was subsequently screened for its anti-cancerous potential against a human malignant melanoma A375 cell line and findings revealed favourable cytotoxicity. In the current study, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based cellular metabolomics approach was applied to probe the possible mechanism of GA113 in A375 cells. In addition, other biological assays including light microscopy, Hoechst-33258 and MitoTracker Orange CM-H2TMRos stain were used to assess cellular viability and apoptosis in GA113-treated cells. Consequently, multivariate statistical data analysis was applied to the metabolomic data to identify potential biomarkers. Six signatory metabolites were altered after treatment. Changes in these metabolites were linked to two metabolic pathways, which include the alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolic pathway as well as the glycine, serine, and threonine pathway. By means of an NMR-based metabolomic approach, we identified the potential mechanism of action of complex GA113 in A375 cancer cells thus providing new insights into the metabolic pathways affected by complex GA113 and establishing a foundation for further development, research, and eventual application in cancer.

Asymmetric total synthesis and anti-hepatocellular carcinoma profile of enantiopure euphopilolide and jolkinolide E

A flexible asymmetric synthesis of both enantiomers of euphopilolide (1) and jolkinolide E (2) [(+)-and (-)-1, (+)-and (-)-2] has been accomplished. This synthesis features an intramolecular oxa-Pauson-Khand reaction (o-PKR) to expeditiously construct the challenging tetracyclic [6.6.6.5] abietane-type diterpene framework, elegantly showcasing the complexity-generating features of o-PKR synthetic methodology leveraging on a judiciously chosen suitable chiral pool scaffold. Furthermore, the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) activity of synthetic (-)-euphopilolide (1), (-)-jolkinolide E (2) and their analogues was evaluated. We found that (-)-euphopilolide (1) and (-)-jolkinolide E (2) inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis in HCC cells. These findings lay a good foundation for further pharmacology studies of abietane lactone derivatives and provide valuable insight for the development of anti-HCC small molecule drug of natural product origin.

Jolkinolide B: A comprehensive review of its physicochemical properties, analytical methods, synthesis and pharmacological activity

Jolkinolide B is a typical ent-abietane-type diterpenoid, which is first found in Euphorbia jolkini. It is one of the most important active components in many toxic Euphorbia plants. In recent years, jolkinolide B has garnered increasing attention due to its high potent and multiple pharmacological activities. In order to better understand the research status of jolkinolide B, relevant information about jolkinolide B was collected from scientific databases (SciFinder Scholar, PubMed, ACS website, Elsevier, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and CNKI). There are few studies on chemical synthesis and biosynthesis of jolkinolide B. In addition, researchers on the activities of jolkinolide B are mostly concentrated at the cellular level, and there is a lack of research on the mechanism. In this review, the possible applications of jolkinolide B were systematically illustrated for the first time, from plant sources, physicochemical properties, analytical methods, synthesis and pharmacological activities. Jolkinolide B exhibits extensive pharmacological properties, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-osteoporosis, and anti-tuberculosis activities. Pharmacological activities of jolkinolide B were mainly focused on anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities, and the mechanism of action may be related with inhibition of JAK/STAT pathway, NF-κB pathway and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In addition, the extraction methods and analytical methods discussed in this review, will facilitate the development of novel herbal products for better healthcare solutions.

Euphorbia diterpenoids: isolation, structure, bioactivity, biosynthesis, and synthesis (2013-2021)

Covering: 2013 to 2021As the characteristic metabolites of Euphorbia plants, Euphorbia diterpenoids have always been a hot topic in related science communities due to their intriguing structures and broad bioactivities. In this review, we intent to provide an in-depth and extensive coverage of Euphorbia diterpenoids reported from 2013 to the end of 2021, including 997 new Euphorbia diterpenoids and 78 known ones with latest progress. Multiple aspects will be summarized, including their occurrences, chemical structures, bioactivities, and syntheses, in which the structure-activity relationship and biosynthesis of this class will be discussed for the first time.

Inhibition of growth and metastasis of breast cancer by targeted delivery of 17-hydroxy-jolkinolide B via hyaluronic acid-coated liposomes

Hyaluronic acid (HA)-coated liposomes were designed for the targeted delivery of 17-hydroxy-jolkinolide B (HA-Lip-HJB). HA-Lip-HJB had a particle size of 130.8 ± 1.9 nm, zeta potential of -52.36 ± 1.91 mV, and encapsulation efficiency of 89.2 ± 1.5 %. In vitro cell experiments indicated that modification of HA-Lip-HJB increased its cytotoxicity and cellular uptake via CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis pathway. Of particular importance is that HA-Lip-HJB suppressed cell migration and invasion by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Moreover, the HA-Lip-HJB displayed notable growth inhibition on tumor spheroids. Furthermore, in vivo tissue distribution and anti-tumor experiments carried on BALB/C mice bearing 4T1 tumor indicated that HA-Lip-HJB had strong tumor targeting and tumor suppression abilities. The results also demonstrated that HA-Lip-HJB inhibited tumor cells migration and colonization on the lung. Therefore, HA-Lip-HJB is a promising formulation for metastatic breast cancer therapy.

Development of Potential Antitumor Agents from the Scaffolds of Plant-Derived Terpenoid Lactones

Naturally occurring terpenoid lactones and their synthetic derivatives have attracted increasing interest for their promising antitumor activity and potential utilization in the discovery and design of new antitumor agents. In the present perspective article, selected plant-derived five-membered γ-lactones and six-membered δ-lactones that occur with terpenoid scaffolds are reviewed, with their structures, cancer cell line cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor activity, structure-activity relationships, mechanism of action, and the potential for developing cancer chemotherapeutic agents discussed in each case. The compounds presented include artemisinin (ART, 1), parthenolide (PTL, 2), thapsigargin (TPG, 3), andrographolide (AGL, 4), ginkgolide B (GKL B, 5), jolkinolide B (JKL B, 6), nagilactone E (NGL E, 7), triptolide (TPL, 8), bruceantin (BRC, 9), dichapetalin A (DCT A, 10), and limonin (LMN, 11), and their naturally occurring analogues and synthetic derivatives. It is hoped that this contribution will be supportive of the future development of additional efficacious anticancer agents derived from natural products.

A Nano-Traditional Chinese Medicine Against Lymphoma That Regulates the Level of Reactive Oxygen Species

Jolkinolide B (JB) is a bioactive compound isolated from a Chinese herbal medicine that exerts antitumor activity. However, the anti-lymphoma effect of JB and its mechanism are yet to be revealed. Because free JB has poor pharmacokinetics and weak antitumor efficacy, we opted to use black phosphorus quantum dot (BPQD) nanomaterials as a drug loading platform to synthesize a nano-traditional Chinese medicine (nano-TCM) called BPQDs@JB. Compared with free JB, Raji cells administrated with BPQDs@JB exhibited the cell viability of 19.85 ± 1.02%, and the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was promoted. Likewise, BPQDs@JB was capable of rising the apoptosis rate of Raji cells to 34.98 ± 1.76%. In nude mice transplanted tumor model administrated with BPQDs@JB, the tumor tissue sections administrated with BPQDS@JB achieved a conspicuous red fluorescence, demonstrating the presence of most ROS production in the BPQDS@JB. TUNEL achieved a number of positive (brown) nuclei in vivo, revealing that BPQDS@JB could significantly induce tumor tissue apoptosis. As revealed from the mentioned results, BPQDs@JB can generate considerable ROS and interfere with the redox state to inhibit tumor. In brief, BPQDs@JB may be adopted as a treatment option for lymphoma.

Design, Synthesis and Anti-Tumor Activity of Novel Benzimidazole-Chalcone Hybrids as Non-Intercalative Topoisomerase II Catalytic Inhibitors

Chemical diversification of type II topoisomerase (Topo II) inhibitors remains indispensable to extend their anti-tumor therapeutic values which are limited by their side effects. Herein, we designed and synthesized a novel series of benzimidazole-chalcone hybrids (BCHs). These BCHs showed good inhibitory effect in the Topo II mediated DNA relaxation assay and anti-proliferative effect in 4 tumor cell lines. 4d and 4n were the most potent, with IC₅₀ values less than 5 μM, superior to etoposide. Mechanistic studies indicated that the BCHs functioned as non-intercalative Topo II catalytic inhibitors. Moreover, 4d and 4n demonstrated versatile properties against tumors, including inhibition on the colony formation and cell migration, and promotion of apoptosis of A549 cells. The structure-activity relationship and molecular docking analysis suggested possible contribution of the chalcone motif to the Topo II inhibitory and anti-proliferative potency. These results indicated that 4d and 4n could be promising lead compounds for further anti-tumor drug research.

The Role of Herbal Bioactive Components in Mitochondria Function and Cancer Therapy

Mitochondria are highly dynamic double-membrane organelles which play a well-recognized role in ATP production, calcium homeostasis, oxidation-reduction (redox) status, apoptotic cell death, and inflammation. Dysfunction of mitochondria has long been observed in a number of human diseases, including cancer. Targeting mitochondria metabolism in tumors as a cancer therapeutic strategy has attracted much attention for researchers in recent years due to the essential role of mitochondria in cancer cell growth, apoptosis, and progression. On the other hand, a series of studies have indicated that traditional medicinal herbs, including traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), exert their potential anticancer effects as an effective adjunct treatment for alleviating the systemic side effects of conventional cancer therapies, for reducing the risk of recurrence and cancer mortality and for improving the quality of patients' life. An amazing feature of these structurally diverse bioactive components is that majority of them target mitochondria to provoke cancer cell-specific death program. The aim of this review is to summarize the in vitro and in vivo studies about the role of these herbs, especially their bioactive compounds in the modulation of the disturbed mitochondrial function for cancer therapy.