Prenylated flavans from Daphne giraldii and their cytotoxic activities

Broussoflavonol B induces S-phase arrest and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells by modulating the cell cycle checkpoint through inhibition of the AURKA/PLK1 pathway

BACKGROUND

Broussoflavonol B (Bf-B), a flavonoid compound identified in the roots of Daphne giraldii Nitsche, has been extensively investigated for its potential anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. However, the precise mechanism underlying the regulation of AURKA/PLK1 pathway-mediated cell cycle arrest by Bf-B in pancreatic cancer remains poorly understood.

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of Bf-B on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and its underlying mechanism.

METHODS

A CCK8 assay was conducted to identify the flavonoids with the highest inhibitory activity against PANC-1, the pancreatic cancer cell line among the 25 flavonoids. Through bioinformatics analysis and molecular docking, the pathogenic targets of pancreatic cancer and flavonoid-related targets were explored, and the key targets and signaling pathways of drug intervention in pancreatic cancer were analyzed. The viability and migration ability of pancreatic cancer cells were assessed following treatment with Bf-B via the CCK8, colony formation, and wound healing assays. The cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis were analyzed through flow cytometry and Hoechst staining. Western blotting and qPCR were employed to investigate the expression of relevant proteins and genes. For in vivo experiments, we employed a xenograft mouse model to evaluate the anticancer efficacy of Bf-B. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence assays were employed to investigate the expression of relevant proteins.

RESULTS

In this study, the structure‒activity relationships of 25 flavonoids were evaluated. The results demonstrated that Bf-B with diisopentenyl has potent cytotoxic effects on PANC-1 cancer cells. AURKA, PLK1, and MET might serve as key targets for Bf-B inhibition of disease progression in PDAC patients. The results demonstrated that Bf-B inhibits the proliferation and migration of PANC-1 and BXPC-3 cells and induces cell cycle S-phase arrest, apoptosis, and DNA damage. Moreover, the results of western blot and qPCR experiments indicated that Bf-B exerts anticancer effects by downregulating the expression of the genes encoding AURKA/PLK1, the cell cycle checkpoint kinase ATR/CHK1/CDC25C, and Cyclin B1/CDK1 signaling pathway-related proteins and upregulating the expression of PP53, P21, and histone H2A. XS139ph expression. In xenograft-bearing mice, AURKA/PLK1 expression was reduced in a dose-dependent manner, accompanied by an increase in histone H2A. XS139ph expression.

CONCLUSION

Bf-B might be a potent therapeutic agent for pancreatic cancer because of its ability to suppress the expression of AURKA/PLK1.

Prenylated flavonoids with significant anti-hepatoma activity from Daphne giraldii and effects on Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1 (FGFR1)

We report here the orchestration of molecular ion networking (MoIN) and a set of computational and informatics assisted structural elucidation approaches in the discovery of 23 new prenyl-flavonoids and 13 known molecules from Daphne giraldii Nitsche (Thymelaeaceae), some of which possess significant bioactivity against hepatoma carcinoma. Daphnegiratriprenylone A (DPTP-A) represents the class of polyprenyl-flavonoids possessing a triprenyl substitution, and was identified with the guidance of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance combined with computational approaches. This approach illustrates a paradigm shift in the application of computational tools for the direct assignment of new natural product structures and it was demonstrated to be reliable compared to conventional 2D-NMR techniques. Seventeen compounds exhibited potent and selective activity against Hep3B cells (IC50 ranging from 0.42 to 7.08 μM). Tyrosine kinase FGFR1 has emerged as a potential target of polyprenyl-flavonoids by a reverse pharmacophore mapping approach. We validated that the prenyl-flavonoids effectively inhibit FGFR1 using the Mobility Shift Assay, Western blot and molecular dynamics simulations, and the results suggest significant potency of the compounds towards FGFR1. These findings provide a new chemical class with strong links to traditional medicines, possessing reasonable safety for developing potential therapeutic agents for FGFR1-related diseases.

A comprehensive review: Biological activity, modification and synthetic methodologies of prenylated flavonoids

Prenylated flavonoids, a unique class of flavonoids which combine a flavonoid skeleton and a lipophilic prenyl side-chain, possess great potential biological activities including cytotoxicity, anti-inflammation, anti-Alzheimer, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetes, estrogenic, vasorelaxant and enzyme inhibition. Recently, prenylated flavonoids have become an indispensable anchor for the development of new therapeutic agents, and have received increasing from medicinal chemists. The prenylated flavonoids have been outstanding developed through isolation, semi or fully synthesis in a very short period of time, which proves the great value in medicinal chemistry researches. In this review, research progress of prenylated flavonoids including natural prenylated flavonoids, structural modification, synthetic methodologies and pharmacological activities was summarized comprehensively. Furthermore, the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of prenylated flavonoids were summarized which provided a basis for the selective design and optimization of multifunctional prenylated flavonoid derivatives for the treatment of multi-factorial diseases in clinic.

The genus Daphne: A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology

The genus Daphne belongs to the Thymeleaceae family and contains over 90 species that are distributed in Asia, Europe and parts of North Africa. The species of the genus Daphne are used in the traditional medicine of China, Tibet, Korea, and the Middle East for the treatment of various conditions. A broad range of studies has shown the significant biological potential of these species as sources of biologically and pharmacologically active compounds. Daphne species are a source of several classes of valuable phytochemicals such as coumarins, flavonoids, lignans, steroids and different classes of terpenes. The phytochemical diversity of this genus is demonstrated by over 350 secondary metabolites isolated from various species. The genus possesses a broad spectrum of biological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antiviral, abortive and haemostatic effects. A variety of bioactive secondary metabolites found in this genus may have potential use in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. Thus, species belonging to the genus Daphne can be considered an important source both for the treatment of various disorders, due to the presence of a plethora of bioactive constituents with potent bioactivities, and as possible leads in the discovery and synthesis of new medications.