Dehydrotrametenolic acid selectively inhibits the growth of H-ras transformed rat2 cells and induces apoptosis through caspase-3 pathway

The Conservation and Study of Macromycetes in the Komarov Botanical Institute Basidiomycetes Culture Collection-Their Taxonomical Diversity and Biotechnological Prospects

Culture collections (CCs) play an important role in the ex situ conservation of biological material and maintaining species and strains, which can be used for scientific and practical purposes. The Komarov Botanical Institute Basidiomycetes Culture Collection (LE-BIN) preserves a large number of original dikaryon strains of various taxonomical and ecological groups of fungi from different geographical regions. Started in the late 1950s for the investigation of Basidiomycetes' biological activity, today, in Russia, it has become a unique specialized macromycetes collection, preserving 3680 strains from 776 species of fungi. The Collection's development is aimed at ex situ conservation of fungal diversity, with an emphasis on preserving rare and endangered species, ectomycorrhizal fungi, and strains useful for biotechnology and medicine. The main methods applied in the collection for maintaining and working with cultures are described, and the results are presented. Some problems for the isolation and cultivation of species are discussed. The taxonomical structure and variety of the strains in the collection fund are analyzed, and they show that the taxonomical diversity of fungi in the LE-BIN is commensurable with the largest CCs in the world. The achievements from the ex situ conservation of the diversity of macromycetes and the main results from the screening and investigation of the collection's strains demonstrate that a number of strains can be prospective producers of enzymes (oxidoreductases and proteases), lipids, and biologically active compounds (terpenoids, phthalides, etc.) for biotechnology and medicine.

Poria cocos Regulates Cell Migration and Actin Filament Aggregation in B35 and C6 Cells by Modulating the RhoA, CDC42, and Rho Signaling Pathways

Poria is used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and mood-stabilizing properties. Poria contains triterpenoids and polysaccharides, which are reported to regulate the cytoplasmic free calcium associated with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor and affect the cell function of neonatal rat nerve cells and hippocampal neurons. Although the modulatory effects of Poria on neuronal function have been widely reported, the molecular mechanism of these effects is unclear. Cell migration ability and the reorganization of actin filaments are important biological functions during neuronal development, and they can be regulated mainly by the Rho signaling pathway. We found that the cell migration ability and actin condensation in B35 cells enhanced by P. cocos (a water solution of P. cocos cum Radix Pini (PRP) or White Poria (WP)) might be caused by increased RhoA and CDC42 activity and increased expression of downstream ROCK1, p-MLC2, N-WASP, and ARP2/3 in B35 cells. Similar modulations of cell migration ability, actin condensation, and Rho signaling pathway were also observed in the C6 glial cell line, except for the PRP-induced regulation of RhoA and CDC42 activities. Ketamine-induced inhibition of cell migration and actin condensation can be restored by P. cocos. In addition, we observed that the increased expression of RhoA and ROCK1 or the decreased expression of CDC42 and N-WASP caused by ketamine in B35 cells could also be restored by P. cocos. The results of this study suggest that the regulatory effects of P. cocos on cell migration and actin filament aggregation are closely related to the regulation of RhoA, CDC42, and Rho signaling pathways in both B35 and C6 cells. PRP and WP have the potential to restore neuronal cell Rho signaling abnormalities involved in some mental diseases.

An UPLC - Q - Orbitrap method for pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of four triterpenoids in rats after oral administration of Poria cocos ethanol extracts

Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf, is a fungus that is widely used as medicine and dietary supplement in China. But its action mechanism is still not very clear. In this paper, a rapid, specific and sensitive high performace liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole - orbitrap mass sepctrometry (UPLC - Q - Orbitrap MS) method has been developed and validated to simultaneously determine of four triterpenoids including Dehydrotumulosic acid (DTA), Dehydropachymic acid (DPA), Pachymic acid (PA), Dehydrotrametenolic acid (DMA) from Poria cocos in rat plasma and tissues. The analyte was extracted from rat plasma and tissue homogenates by protein precipitation with acetonitrile using glibenclamide as the internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was carried out on ACQUITY UPLC BEH - C₁₈ column (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) with a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile - water (containing 1.0 mmol/L ammonium acetate) using gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Electrospray ionization (ESI ^-) under negative ion mode was used, and its quantization was performed with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The method was fully validated and successfully applied to pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study in rats after oral administration of ethanol extracts of Poria cocos. Compared with that of plasma exporsure, triterpenoids could be detected in various tissues with a relatively high degree of tissue distribution. After oral administration, the concentration orders in seven different tissues were ranked as DTA > PA > DPA > DMA in intestine and stomach, wheras DTA > DMA > PA > DPA in heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney tissues, which is speculated that DPA, PA may be converted into DMA in vivo. In conclusion, this results may provide a material basis for study of the pharmacological actions of triterpenoids in Poria cocos.

Pisosterol Induces G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis via the ATM/ATR Signaling Pathway in Human Glioma Cells

BACKGROUND

Pisosterol, a triterpene derived from Pisolithus tinctorius, exhibits potential antitumor activity in various malignancies. However, the molecular mechanisms that mediate the pisosterol-specific effects on glioma cells remain unknown.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the antitumoral effects of pisosterol on glioma cell lines.

METHODS

The 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and trypan blue exclusion assays were used to evaluate the effect of pisosterol on cell proliferation and viability in glioma cells. The effect of pisosterol on the distribution of the cells in the cell cycle was performed by flow cytometry. The expression and methylation pattern of the promoter region of MYC, ATM, BCL2, BMI1, CASP3, CDK1, CDKN1A, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, CHEK1, MDM2, p14ARF and TP53 was analyzed by RT-qPCR, western blotting and bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP-PCR).

RESULTS

Here, it has been reported that pisosterol markedly induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis and decreased the cell viability and proliferation potential of glioma cells in a dose-dependent manner by increasing the expression of ATM, CASP3, CDK1, CDKN1A, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, CHEK1, p14ARF and TP53 and decreasing the expression of MYC, BCL2, BMI1 and MDM2. Pisosterol also triggered both caspase-independent and caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways by regulating the expression of Bcl-2 and activating caspase-3 and p53.

CONCLUSION

It has been, for the first time, confirmed that the ATM/ATR signaling pathway is a critical mechanism for G2/M arrest in pisosterol-induced glioma cell cycle arrest and suggests that this compound might be a promising anticancer candidate for further investigation.

In Vitro Effects of Dehydrotrametenolic Acid on Skin Barrier Function

Dehydrotrametenolic acid (DTA) is a lanostane-type triterpene acid isolated from Poria cocos Wolf (Polyporaceae). Several studies have reported the anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects of DTA; however, its effects on the skin are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of DTA on skin barrier function in vitro and its regulatory mechanism in human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT cells. DTA increased the microRNA (mRNA) expression of natural moisturizing factor-related genes, such as HAS-2, HAS-3, and AQP3 in HaCaT cells. DTA also upregulated the mRNA expression of various keratinocyte differentiation markers, including TGM-1, involucrin, and caspase-14. Moreover, the protein expression of HAS-2, HAS-3, and TGM-2 were significantly increased by DTA. To examine the regulatory mechanisms of DTA, Western blotting, luciferase-reporter assays, and RT-PCR were conducted. The phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and IκBα were increased in DTA-treated HaCaT cells. In addition, AP-1 and NF-κB transcriptional factors were dose-dependently activated by DTA. Taken together, our in vitro mechanism studies indicate that the regulatory effects of DTA on skin hydration and keratinocyte differentiation are mediated by the MAPK/AP-1 and IκBα/NF-κB pathways. In addition, DTA could be a promising ingredient in cosmetics for moisturizing and increased skin barrier function.

Lanostane Triterpenoids with Glucose-Uptake-Stimulatory Activity from Peels of the Cultivated Edible Mushroom Wolfiporia cocos

A chemical study on the peels of the cultivated edible mushroom Wolfiporia cocos led to the isolation and identification of 47 lanostane triterpenoids including 16 new compounds (1-16). The structures of the new compounds were determined by analysis of the NMR, MS, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data. Compounds 1 and 2 represent new members of the family of 4,5-secolanostane triterpenes. Compound 3 is a new aromatic lanostane triterpene with an unusual methyl rearrangement from C-10 to C-6. The absolute configurations of 1 and 8 were assigned by ECD spectra calculation. All compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity (K562, SW480, and HepG2) and glucose-uptake-stimulating effects. Compounds 23, 25, 29, and 31 showed weak inhibition on the K562 cells with IC₅₀ in the range of 25.7 to 68.2 μM, respectively. Compounds 21, 28, and 30 increased the glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 cells by 25%, 14%, and 50% at 5 μM, respectively. In addition, compounds 14, 23, 29, 35, and 43 showed insulin-sensitizing activity by increasing the insulin-stimulated glucose uptake at 2.5 μM in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. A preliminary structure-activity relationship analysis indicates that the 6/6/6/5 ring skeleton and the double bond between C-8 and C-9 are beneficial for the glucose-uptake-stimulating and insulin-sensitizing activities. Furthermore, the alkaline-insoluble fraction mainly containing compounds 22, 24, 28, and 31 were confirmed to have hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity on high-fat-diet-induced obese mice. This work confirms the potential of the peels' extracts of W. cocos as a functional food or dietary supplements.

Determination of the Five Main Terpenoids in Different Tissues of Wolfiporia cocos

Wolfiporia cocos is a fungus containing triterpenoids and is widely used as an herbal medicine. However, it is unknown whether its main triterpenoid contents differ in different tissues. In this study, we identified dehydrotumulosic acid, polyporenic acid C, pachymic acid, dehydrotrametenolic acid, and dehydroeburicoic acid as the five main triterpenoids in W. cocos. We also systematically profiled the contents and distribution of these main triterpenoids in different tissues of W. cocos. High contents of all five triterpenoids were found in the surface layer of W. cocos. Intriguingly, we noted that the highest contents of the five triterpenoids were found in the surface layer of the sclerotium grown under pollution-controlled cultivation; the second-highest contents were found in the surface layer of the natural sclerotium. These results indicate that environmentally friendly cultivation of the sclerotium of W. cocos is a practical way to increase the productivity of W. cocos. In addition, our findings suggest that the triterpenoids may contribute to the pharmacological activity of W. cocos, and the surface layer of sclerotium in W. cocos might be a promising raw material for applications in health care and the development of functional medical products.

Cytotoxic Lanostanoids from Poria cocos

Six new and 16 known lanostanoids were isolated from the sclerotia of Poria cocos. The structures of the new isolates were elucidated to be 16α-hydroxy-3-oxo-24-methyllanosta-5,7,9(11),24(31)-tetraen-21-oic acid (1), 3β,16α,29-trihydroxy-24-methyllanosta-7,9(11),24(31)-trien-21-oic acid (2), 3β,16α,30-trihydroxy-24-methyllanosta-7,9(11),24(31)-trien-21-oic acid (3), 3β-acetoxy-16α,24β-dihydroxylanosta-7,9(11),25-trien-21-oic acid (4), 3β,16α-dihydroxy-7-oxo-24-methyllanosta-8,24(31)-dien-21-oic acid (5), and 3α,16α-dihydroxy-7-oxo-24-methyllanosta-8,24(31)-dien-21-oic acid (6), based on extensive spectroscopic analyses. The absolute configuration of 4 was determined using Mosher's method. The antiproliferative activity of the isolated compounds (except 3 and 4) was evaluated against four leukemic cell lines (Molt 4, CCRF-CEM, HL 60, and K562). Dehydropachymic acid (9), dehydroeburicoic acid (12), pachymic acid (14), and lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acid (20) exhibited an antiproliferative effect on the CCRF-CEM cancer cell line with IC₅₀ values of 2.7, 6.3, 4.9, and 13.1 μM, respectively. Both dehydropachymic acid (9) and dehydroeburicoic acid (12) showed antiproliferative effects against Molt 4 (IC₅₀ 13.8 and 14.3 μM) and HL 60 (IC₅₀ 7.3 and 6.0 μM) leukemic cell lines. Primary computational analysis using a chemical global positioning system for natural products (ChemGPS-NP) on the active lanostanoids from P. cocos suggested that targets other than topoisomerases may be involved in the antiproliferative activity.

Lanostanoids from fungi: a group of potential anticancer compounds

Lanostanes are a group of tetracyclic triterpenoids derived from lanosterol. They have relevant biological and pharmacological properties, such as their cytotoxic effects via induction of apoptosis. This review compiles the most relevant lanostanoids studied from 2000 to 2011, principally those isolated from Ganoderma lucidum and other related fungi, such as Poria cocos, Laetiporus sulphureus, Inonotus obliquus, Antrodia camphorata, Daedalea dickinsii, and Elfvingia applanata, which have great potential as anticancer agents because of their cytotoxic or apoptotic effects. The compounds were selected on the basis of their proapoptotic mechanisms, through their ability to modify transcriptional activities via nuclear factors or genes and the activation or inhibition of pro- or antiapoptotic proteins; studies based only on their cytotoxicity were excluded from this review in the absence of complementary studies on their mechanisms of action. A total of 81 compounds from Ganoderma lucidum and other species from this genus are included, as well as 96 compounds isolated from other fungi, principally Poria cocos. Some of these compounds were found to arrest the cell cycle in the G1 phase, increase levels of p53 and Bax, or inhibit the phosphorylation of Erk1/2 or the activation of NF-κB and AP-1. Other lanostanes have inhibitory effects on the growth of androgen prostate carcinoma through increasing the expression of p21, which activates the tumor suppressor protein p53, while other compounds have been shown to selectively inhibit topo II activity without affecting topo I. General considerations concerning the chemical structure-biological activities of these compounds are also discussed.

Traditional chinese medicine for senile dementia

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a 3000 years' history of human use. A literature survey addressing traditional evidence from human studies was done, with key result that top 10 TCM herb ingredients including Poria cocos, Radix polygalae, Radix glycyrrhizae, Radix angelica sinensis, and Radix rehmanniae were prioritized for highest potential benefit to dementia intervention, related to the highest frequency of use in 236 formulae collected from 29 ancient Pharmacopoeias, ancient formula books, or historical archives on ancient renowned TCM doctors, over the past 10 centuries. Based on the history of use, there was strong clinical support that Radix polygalae is memory improving. Pharmacological investigation also indicated that all the five ingredients mentioned above can elicit memory-improving effects in vivo and in vitro via multiple mechanisms of action, covering estrogen-like, cholinergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, neurogenetic, and anti-Aβ activities. Furthermore, 11 active principles were identified, including sinapic acid, tenuifolin, isoliquiritigenin, liquiritigenin, glabridin, ferulic acid, Z-ligustilide, N-methyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxamide, coniferyl ferulate and 11-angeloylsenkyunolide F, and catalpol. It can be concluded that TCM has a potential for complementary and alternative role in treating senile dementia. The scientific evidence is being continuously mined to back up the traditional medical wisdom.

Cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing activities of triterpene acids from Poria cocos

Six lanostane-type triterpene acids (1a-6a), isolated from Poria cocos , and their methyl ester (1b-6b) and hydroxy derivatives (1c-6c) were prepared. Upon evaluation of the cytotoxic activity of these compounds against leukemia (HL60), lung (A549), melanoma (CRL1579), ovary (NIH:OVCAR-3), breast (SK-BR-3), prostate (DU145), stomach (AZ521), and pancreas (PANC-1) cancer cell lines, 11 compounds (5a, 6a, 2b-5b, 1c, and 3c-6c) exhibited activity with single-digit micromolar IC(50) values against one or more cell lines. Poricotriol A (1c), a hydroxy derivative of poricoic acid A (1a), exhibited potent cytotoxicities against six cell lines with IC(50) values of 1.2-5.5 μM. Poricotriol A induced typical apoptotic cell death in HL60 and A549 cells on evaluation of the apoptosis-inducing activity by flow cytometric analysis. Western blot analysis in HL60 cells showed that poricotriol A activated caspases-3, -8, and -9, while increasing the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. This suggested that poricotriol A induced apoptosis via both mitochondrial and death receptor pathways in HL60. On the other hand, poricotriol A did not activate caspases-3, -8, and -9, but induced translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from mitochondria and increased the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in A549. This suggested that poricotriol A induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway mostly by translocation of AIF, independent from the caspase pathway in A549. Furthermore, poricotriol A was shown to possess high selective toxicity in lung cancer cells since it exhibited only weak cytotoxicity against a normal lung cell line (WI-38).

An antioxidant phytotherapy to rescue neuronal oxidative stress

Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic neuronal injury. A Chinese herbal formula composed of Poria cocos (Chinese name: Fu Ling), Atractylodes macrocephala (Chinese name: Bai Zhu) and Angelica sinensis (Chinese names: Danggui, Dong quai, Donggui; Korean name: Danggwi) (FBD), has been proved to be beneficial in the treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R).This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effect of FBD against neuronal oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro. Rat I/R were established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 1 h, followed by 24 h reperfusion. MCAO led to significant depletion in superoxide dismutase and glutathione and rise in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide in brain. The neurological deficit and brain infarction were also significantly elevated by MCAO as compared with sham-operated group. All the brain oxidative stress and damage were significantly attenuated by 7 days pretreatment with the aqueous extract of FBD (250 mg kg(-1), p.o.). Moreover, cerebrospinal fluid sampled from FBD-pretreated rats protected PC12 cells against oxidative insult induced by 0.2 mM hydrogen peroxide, in a concentration and time-dependent manner (IC(50) 10.6%, ET(50) 1.2 h). However, aqueous extract of FBD just slightly scavenged superoxide anion radical generated in xanthine-xanthine oxidase system (IC(50) 2.4 mg ml(-1)) and hydroxyl radical generated in Fenton reaction system (IC(50) 3.6 mg ml(-1)). In conclusion, FBD was a distinct antioxidant phytotherapy to rescue neuronal oxidative stress, through blocking LPO, restoring endogenous antioxidant system, but not scavenging free radicals.

A New Triterpenoid from Traditional Chinese Medicine Poria Cocos

A new triterpenoid, 3,4-secolanosta-4(28),7,9,24Z-tetraen-3,26-dioic acid, along with two known compounds 16-deoxyporicoic acid B and 3-epidehydrotrametenolic acid were isolated from the dried sclerotia of Poria cocos Wolf (Polyporaceae). The structures are elucidated by spectroscopic methods and literatures.

Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid induce apoptosis in four human liver cancer cell lines

Apoptotic effects of oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) on human liver cancer HepG2, Hep3B, Huh7 and HA22T cell lines were examined. OA or UA at 2, 4, 8 micromol/L were used and their effects on cell viability, DNA fragmentation, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), activity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, caspase-3 and caspase-8, cell adhesion, level of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in these cell lines were determined. OA or UA treatments concentration-dependently decreased cell viability and increased DNA fragmentation in HepG2 and Hep3B cell lines (P<0.05). However, these two compounds reduced viability and increased DNA fragmentation in Huh7 cell only at 4 and 8 micromol/L (P<0.05). OA or UA treatments concentration-dependently lowered MMP in HepG2, Hep3B and HA22T cell lines (P<0.05). These two compounds also concentration-dependently diminished Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity and VEGF level in four test cell lines (P<0.05). Besides Huh7 cell, OA or UA treatments concentration-dependently elevated caspase-3 and caspase-8 activities in other three cell lines (P<0.05). Besides HA22T cell, these two compounds concentration-dependently inhibited cell adhesion and decreased ICAM-1 level in other three cell lines (P<0.05). These findings support that OA and UA are potent anti-cancer agents to cause apoptosis in these liver cancer cell lines.

Apoptotic effects of protocatechuic acid in human breast, lung, liver, cervix, and prostate cancer cells: potential mechanisms of action

Apoptotic effects of protocatechuic acid (PCA) at 1, 2, 4, 8 micromol/L on human breast cancer MCF7 cell, lung cancer A549 cell, HepG2 cell, cervix HeLa cell, and prostate cancer LNCaP cell were examined. Results showed that PCA concentration-dependently decreased cell viability, increased lactate dehydrogenase leakage, enhanced DNA fragmentation, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, and lowered Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity for these cancer cells (P < 0.05). PCA also concentration-dependently elevated caspase-3 activity in five cancer cells (P < 0.05), but this agent at 2-8 micromol/L significantly increased caspase-8 activity (P < 0.05). PCA concentration-dependently decreased intercellular adhesion molecule level in test cancer cells (P < 0.05) but significantly inhibited cell adhesion at 2-8 micromol/L (P < 0.05). PCA also concentration-dependently lowered the levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 in five cancer cells (P < 0.05), but this agent at 2-8 micromol/L significantly suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor production (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that PCA is a potent anticancer agent to cause apoptosis or retard invasion and metastasis in these five cancer cells.

Effects of triterpenoids from Poria cocos Wolf on the serotonin type 3A receptor-mediated ion current in Xenopus oocytes

Poria cocos Wolf (P. cocos Wolf) is used to treat chronic gastritis, edema, nephrosis, gastric atony, acute gastroenteric catarrh, dizziness, emesis and vomiting. Triterpenoids are a class of natural compounds produced by P. cocos Wolf that contain acyclic 30-carbon precursors. In this study, we investigated the effect of triterpenoids (PA, Pachymic acid; DA, dehydroeburicoic acid; HA, 3beta-hydroxylanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acid) on human 5-hydroxytryptamine 3A (5-HT(3A)) receptor channel activity, which is one of the ligand-gated ion channel families. The two-electrode voltage-clamp technique was used to examine the 5-HT3A mediated current. The inhibitory effect of triterpenoids on 5HT-induced inward current (I(5-HT)) occurred in a concentration dependent and reversible manner. Furthermore, the half-inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)) of PA, DA and HA were 3.2+/-0.2, 5.5+/-0.6 and 1.4+/-0.2 microM, respectively. This corresponded to an order of potency for the inhibition of I(5-HT) in oocytes expressing human 5-HT(3A) receptor of HA>PA>DA. Finally, inhibition of I(5HT) by triterpenoids occurred in a non-competitive manner, while inhibition by HA and PA showed more voltage-dependency. Taken together, these results indicate that triterpenoids may regulate the expressed 5-HT(3A) receptors in Xenopus oocytes. Furthermore, this regulation of the ligand-gated ion channel activity by triterpenoids may be one of the pharmacological actions of P. cocos Wolf.