Tectorigenin ablates the inflammation-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition in a co-culture model of human lung carcinoma

Reticulophagy promotes EMT-induced fibrosis in offspring's lung tissue after maternal exposure to carbon black nanoparticles during gestation by a m5C-dependent manner

Accumulating evidence indicates that maternal exposure to carbon black nanoparticles (CBNPs) during gestation can induce multiple system abnormalities in offspring, whereas its potential mechanism in respiratory disease is still largely unknown. In order to explore the effect of maternal exposure to CBNPs on offspring's lung and latent pathogenesis, we respectively established in vivo model of pregnant rats exposed to CBNPs and ex vivo model of lung epithelial cells treated with pups' serum of pregnant rats exposed to CBNPs. After maternal exposure to CBNPs, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibrosis levels increased as a result of DDRGK1-mediated reticulophagy upregulated in offspring's lung. DDRGK1 as FAM134B's cargo bound with FAM134B to mediate reticulophagy. Transcription factor "SP1" positively regulated DDRGK1 gene expression by binding to its promoter. Furthermore, the upregulation of NSUN2 elevated m5C methylation of SP1 mRNA and the protein level of SP1 subsequently increased through Ybx1 recognizing and stabilizing m5C-methylated SP1 mRNA, followed by the increased levels of reticulophagy and fibrosis in lung epithelial cells treated with offspring's serum of matrix exposed to CBNPs during gestation. In conclusion, NSUN2/Ybx1/m5C-SP1 axis promoted DDRGK1-mediated reticulophagy, which played an important role in EMT-induced fibrosis in offspring's lung tissue after maternal exposure to CBNPs during gestation.

Tectorigenin Inhibits Glycolysis-induced Cell Growth and Proliferation by Modulating LncRNA CCAT2/miR-145 Pathway in Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) places a heavy burden on global health. Tectorigenin (Tec) is a type of flavonoid-based compound obtained from the Chinese medical herb Leopard Lily Rhizome. It was found to exhibit remarkable anti-tumor properties in previous studies. However, the effect and molecular mechanisms of Tec in colorectal cancer have not been reported.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to explore the action of Tec in proliferation and glycolysis in CRC and the potential mechanism with regard to the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) CCAT2/micro RNA-145(miR-145) pathway in vitro and in vivo .

METHODS

The anti-tumor effect of Tec in CRC was examined in cell and animal studies, applying Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay as well as xenograft model experiments. Assay kits were utilized to detect glucose consumption and lactate production in the supernatant of cells and animal serum. The expression of the glycolysis-related proteins was assessed by Western Blotting, and levels of lncRNA CCAT2 and miR-145 in CRC tissue specimens and cells were assessed by realtime quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).

RESULTS

Tec significantly suppressed cell glycolysis and proliferative rate in CRC cells. It could decrease lncRNA CCAT2 in CRC cells but increase the expression of miR-145. LncRNA CCAT2 overexpression or inhibition of miR-145 could abolish the inhibitive effects of Tec on the proliferation and glycolysis of CRC cells. The miR-145 mimic rescued the increased cell viability and glycolysis levels caused by lncRNA CCAT2 overexpression. Tec significantly inhibited the growth and glycolysis of CRC xenograft tumor. The expression of lncRNA CCAT2 decreased while the expression of miR-145 increased after Tec treatment in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Tec can inhibit the proliferation and glycolysis of CRC cells through the lncRNA CCAT2/miR-145 axis. Altogether, the potential targets discovered in this research are of great significance for CRC treatment and new drug development.

Tectorigenin: A Review of Its Sources, Pharmacology, Toxicity, and Pharmacokinetics

Tectorigenin is a well-known natural flavonoid aglycone and an active component that exists in numerous plants. Growing evidence suggests that tectorigenin has multiple pharmacological effects, such as anticancer, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antimicrobial, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective. These pharmacological properties provide the basis for the treatment of many kinds of illnesses, including several types of cancer, diabetes, hepatic fibrosis, osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's disease, etc. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive summary and review of the sources, extraction and synthesis, pharmacological effects, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and delivery strategy aspects of tectorigenin. Tectorigenin may exert certain cytotoxicity, which is related to the administration time and concentration. Pharmacokinetic studies have demonstrated that the main metabolic pathways in rats for tectorigenin are glucuronidation, sulfation, demethylation and methoxylation, but that it exhibits poor bioavailability. From our perspective, further research on tectorigenin should cover: exploring the pharmacological targets and mechanisms of action; finding an appropriate concentration to balance pharmacological effects and toxicity; attempting diversified delivery strategies to improve the bioavailability; and structural modification to obtain tectorigenin derivatives with higher pharmacological activity.

Shielding and nurturing: Fibronectin as a modulator of cancer drug resistance

Resistance to chemotherapy and targeted therapies constitute a common hallmark of most cancers and represent a dominant factor fostering tumor relapse and metastasis. Fibronectin, an abundant extracellular matrix glycoprotein, has long been proposed to play an important role in the pathobiology of cancer. Recent research has unraveled the role of Fibronectin in the onset of chemoresistance against a variety of antineoplastic drugs including DNA-damaging agents, hormone receptor antagonists, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, microtubule destabilizing agents, etc. The current review summarizes the role played by Fibronectin in mediating drug resistance against diverse anticancer drugs. We have also discussed how the aberrant expression of Fibronectin drives the oncogenic signaling pathways ultimately leading to drug resistance through the inhibition of apoptosis, promotion of cancer cell growth and proliferation.

Application of Conditioned Medium for In Vitro Modeling and Repair of Respiratory Tissue

Background: The idea of exploring respiratory therapy in vitro predominantly guided by cell-secreted substances has gained ground in recent years. A conditioned medium (CM) consists of protein milieu that contains a diverse spectrum of cytokines, chemokines, angiogenic agents, and growth factors. This review evaluated the efficacy of using CM collected in an in vitro respiratory epithelial model. Methods: Twenty-six papers were included in this review: twenty-one cellular response studies on respiratory secretome application and five studies involving animal research. Results: The CM produced by differentiated cells from respiratory and non-respiratory systems, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), exhibited the similar overall effect of improving proliferation and regeneration. Not only could differentiated cells from respiratory tissues increase proliferation, migration, and attachment, but the CM was also able to protect the respiratory epithelium against cytotoxicity. Most non-respiratory tissue CM was used as a treatment model to determine the effects of the therapy, while only one study used particle-based CM and reported decreased epithelial cell tight junctions, which harmed the epithelial barrier. Conclusion: As it resolves the challenges related to cell development and wound healing while simultaneously generally reducing the danger of immunological compatibility and tumorigenicity, CM might be a potential regenerative therapy in numerous respiratory illnesses. However, additional research is required to justify using CM in respiratory epithelium clinical practice.

Oriental traditional herbal Medicine--Puerariae Flos: A systematic review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Pueraria Flos (PF), a traditional herbal medicine, is botanically from the dried flowers of Pueraria lobate (Willd.) Ohwi. (Chinese: ) or Pueraria thomsonii Benth. (Chinese: ). It has a long history of thousands of years in China for awakening the spleen, clearing the lungs, relieving alcohol.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review aims to report the up-to-date research progress in ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology, metabolism and therapeutic application of PF, so as to provide a strong basis for future clinical treatment and scientific research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Relevant information on PF was collected from scientific literature databases including PubMed, CNKI and other literature sources (Ph.D. and M.Sc. dissertations and Chinese herbal classic books) by using the keyword "Puerariae".

RESULTS

Briefly, phytochemical research report has isolated 39 flavonoids, 19 saponins and 25 volatile oils from PF. Flavonoids and saponins are the most important bioactive compounds, and most of the quality control studies focus on these two types of compounds. Modern pharmacological studies have revealed their significant biological activities in relieving alcoholism, hepatoprotective, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidation, which provides theoretical support for the traditional use.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive analysis showed that pharmacological activity of most purified compounds from PF had not been reported. Kakkalide, tectoridin and their deglycosylated metabolites (irisolidone and tectorigenin) has been focused on excessively due to their higher content and better activities. This leads to low development and resources waste. Interestingly, PF made a breakthrough in the field of food. Many kinds of fat-lowering foods such as PILLBOX Onaka have been popular in Japan market, which received extensive attention. Therefore, we suggest that future research can be paid attention on the development of the plant's function in the field of food and medicine, as well as the transformation from experimental to clinical.

Identification of novel inhibitors of tetranectin-plasminogen interaction to suppress breast cancer invasion: an integrated computational and cell-based investigation

Tetranectin-plasminogen interaction plays a defining role in extracellular matrix degradation, enabling tumor cell invasion and metastasis. This interaction occurs via the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) and Kringle 4 domain of tetranectin and plasminogen, respectively, leading to activation of the plasminogen-cascade that triggers the proteolytic processes. Thus targeting this interaction represents an important strategy to suppress tumor cell migration and invasion. In this direction, we attempted to target the CRD of tetranectin to inhibit its interaction with the Kringle-4 domain of plasminogen using natural bioactive compounds. A cheminformatics pipeline for drug designing and screening was utilized to obtain lead compound(s) that exhibit conformationally and energetically viable CRD binding. Out of 206 compounds screened, diosgenin and scytonemin displayed the most favorable interactions with CRD. Short-term molecular dynamics simulations of 20 ns were employed to further study the conformational stability of both compounds with tetranectin CRD which reflected at the increased stability of diosgenin in the CRD binding pocket compared to scytonemin. Finally, an extended molecular dynamic simulation of 100 ns affirmed the robust and stable interaction of diosgenin with CRD. Furthermore, diosgenin was observed to exert a pronounced anti-proliferative effect on high tetranectin-expressing MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The inhibitory effect of diosgenin on the tetranectin-plasminogen interaction was corroborated by the reduced migration and invasiveness of MDA-MB-231 cells under diosgenin treatment. Overall the study presents an alternate and safer approach to impede breast cancer metastasis and delineates the novel anti-metastatic activity of diosgenin.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Tectorigenin attenuates the OGD/R-induced HT-22 cell damage through regulation of the PI3K/AKT and the PPARγ/NF-κB pathways

Tectorigenin (TEC) is an effective compound that derived from many plants, such as Iris unguicularis, Belamcanda chinensis and Pueraria thunbergiana Benth. Evidence suggested that TEC has anti-tumor, anti-oxidant activity, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, there has some evidence indicated that TEC is a potential anti-stroke compound; however, its specific roles and associated mechanism have not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant activity and anti-apoptosis effects of TEC on oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R)-induced HT-22 cells, and clarified the relevant mechanisms. Here, we observed that TEC significantly promoted cell survival, impeded cell apoptosis, inhibited ROS and inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α production in OGD/R-induced HT-22 cells. Moreover, TEC activated PI3K/AKT signal pathway, increased PPARγ expression and inhibited NF-κB pathway activation in OGD/R-induced HT-22 cells. Further studies indicated that PPARγ inhibitor GW9662 activated NF-κB pathway after TEC treatment in OGD/R-induced HT-22 cells. Also, PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002, PPARγ inhibitor GW9662 and NF-κB activator LPS both reversed the effects of TEC on OGD/R-induced HT-22 cell biology. Taken together, this research confirmed that TEC benefit to HT-22 cell survival and against OGD/R damage through the PI3K/AKT and PPARγ/NF-κB pathways. These results indicated that TEC might be an effective compound in the treatment for ischemic brain injury.

Tectorigenin Inhibits Glioblastoma Proliferation by G0/G1 Cell Cycle Arrest

Background and objectives: Glioblastoma is one of the leading cancer-related causes of death of the brain region and has an average 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of tectorigenin, a naturally occurring flavonoid compound with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-tumor properties, as a treatment for glioblastoma. A further goal was to use in vitro models to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Exposure to tectorigenin for 24 h dose-dependently reduced the viability of glioblastoma cells. Results: Significant cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase occurred in the presence of 200 and 300 µM tectorigenin. Treatment with tectorigenin clearly reduced the levels of phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (p-RB) and decreased the expression of cyclin-dependent protein 4 (CDK4). Tectorigenin treatment also significantly enhanced the expression of p21, a CDK4 inhibitor. Conclusions: Collectively, our findings indicated that tectorigenin inhibited the proliferation of glioblastoma cells by cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase.

Targeting the tumor immune microenvironment with "nutraceuticals": From bench to clinical trials

The occurrence of immune effector cells in the tissue microenvironment during neoplastic progression is critical in determining tumor growth outcomes. On the other hand, tumors may also avoid immune system-mediated elimination by recruiting immunosuppressive leukocytes and soluble factors, which coordinate a tumor microenvironment that counteracts the efficiency of the antitumor immune response. Checkpoint inhibitor therapy results have indicated a way forward via activation of the immune system against cancer. Widespread evidence has shown that different compounds in foods, when administered as purified substances, can act as immunomodulators in humans and animals. Although there is no universally accepted definition of nutraceuticals, the term identifies a wide category of natural compounds that may impact health and disease statuses and includes purified substances from natural sources, plant extracts, dietary supplements, vitamins, phytonutrients, and various products with combinations of functional ingredients. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the immunomodulatory effects of nutraceuticals with a special focus on the cancer microenvironment, highlighting the conceptual benefits or drawbacks and subtle cell-specific effects of nutraceuticals for envisioning future therapies employing nutraceuticals as chemoadjuvants.

Investigation of effect of tectorigenin (O-methylated isoflavone) on Ca2+ signal transduction and cytotoxic responses in canine renal tubular cells

Tectorigenin, a traditional Chinese medicine, is isolated from the flower of plants such as Pueraria thomsonii Benth. It is an O-methylated isoflavone, a type of flavonoid. Previous studies have shown that tectorigenin evoked various physiological responses in different models, but the effect of tectorigenin on cytosolic-free Ca²⁺ levels ([Ca²⁺]_i) and cytotoxicity in renal tubular cells is unknown. Our research explored if tectorigenin changed Ca²⁺ signal transduction and viability in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) renal tubular cells. [Ca²⁺]_iin suspended cells were measured by applying the fluorescent Ca²⁺-sensitive probe fura-2. Viability was explored by using water-soluble tetrazolium-1 as a fluorescent dye. Tectorigenin at concentrations of 5-50 μM induced [Ca²⁺]_irises. Ca²⁺ removal reduced the signal by approximately 20%. Tectorigenin (50 μM) induced Mn²⁺ influx suggesting of Ca²⁺ entry. Tectorigenin-induced Ca²⁺ entry was inhibited by 10% by three inhibitors of store-operated Ca²⁺ channels, namely, nifedipine, econazole, and SKF96365. In Ca²⁺-free medium, treatment with the endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ pump inhibitor thapsigargin inhibited 83% of tectorigenin-evoked [Ca²⁺]_irises. Conversely, treatment with tectorigenin abolished thapsigargin-evoked [Ca²⁺]_irises. Inhibition of phospholipase C with U73122 inhibited 50% of tectorigenin-induced [Ca²⁺]_irises. Tectorigenin at concentrations between 10 and 60 μM killed cells in a concentration-dependent fashion. Chelation of cytosolic Ca²⁺ with 1,2-bis (2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N, N, N', N'-tetraacetic acid/acetoxy methyl did not reverse tectorigenin's cytotoxicity. Our data suggest that, in MDCK cells, tectorigenin evoked [Ca²⁺]_irises and induced cell death that was not associated with [Ca²⁺]_irises. Therefore, tectorigenin may be a Ca²⁺-independent cytotoxic agent for kidney cells.

Sinomenine Hydrochloride Inhibits the Metastasis of Human Glioblastoma Cells by Suppressing the Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2/-9 and Reversing the Endogenous and Exogenous Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

As shown in our previous study, sinomenine hydrochloride (SH), the major bioactive alkaloid isolated from Sinomenium acutum Rehd. et Wils. (Fam. Menispermaceae), initiates the autophagy-mediated death of human glioblastoma cells by generating reactive oxygen species and activating the autophagy-lysosome pathway. However, its effects on the migration and invasion of human glioblastoma cells have not yet been elucidated. Therefore, human glioblastoma U87 and SF767 cells were treated with SH (0.125 and 0.25 mM) for 24 h, and cell migration and invasion were assessed using scratch wound healing, migration and invasion assays. SH promoted G0/G1 phase arrest, inhibited the migration and invasion of the two cell lines, suppressed the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) and the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2/-9, triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, reversed the exogenous epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by the inflammatory microenvironment and the endogenous EMT. Additionally, NFκB p65 overexpression blocked the SH-mediated inhibitory effects on MMP-2/-9 expression and cell invasion. SH-induced autophagy was reduced in CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) homologous protein (CHOP) or autophagy-related 5 (ATG5)-silenced human glioblastoma cells and cells treated with 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) or 3-methyladenine (3-MA), as shown by the decreased levels of the microtubule-associated protein light chain 3B (LC3B)-II and autophagic vacuoles (AVs) stained with monodansylcadaverine (MDC), respectively. Moreover, knockdown of CHOP or ATG5 and treatment with 4-PBA or 3-MA abolished the SH-mediated inhibition of mesenchymal markers (vimentin, Snail and Slug) expression and cell invasion, respectively. Importantly, SH also regulated the above related pathways in nude mice. Based on these findings, SH inhibited cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest, and attenuated the metastasis of U87 and SF767 cells by suppressing MMP-2/-9 expression and reversing the endogenous and exogenous EMT in vitro and/or in vivo. Thus, SH might be a new potential anti-metastasis agent for the treatment of human glioblastoma.

Suppression of human breast cancer cells by tectorigenin through downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases and MAPK signaling in vitro

Breast cancer is a major life‑threatening malignancy and is the second highest cause of mortality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of tectorigenin (Tec), a Traditional Chinese Medicine, against human breast cancer cells in vitro. MDA‑MB‑231 and MCF‑7 human breast cancer cells were treated with various concentrations of Tec. Cell proliferation was evaluated using the Cell Counting kit‑8 assay, and apoptosis and the cell cycle were examined by flow cytometry. The migratory and invasive abilities of these cells were detected by Transwell and Matrigel assays, respectively. Metastasis‑, apoptosis‑ and survival‑related gene expression levels were measured by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The results indicated that Tec was able to inhibit the proliferation of MDA‑MB‑231 and MCF‑7 cells in a dose‑ and time‑dependent manner. Furthermore, Tec treatment induced apoptosis and G0/G1‑phase arrest, and inhibited cell migration and invasion. Tec treatment decreased the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‑2, MMP9, BCL‑2, phosphorylated‑AKT and components of the mitogen‑activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, and increased the expression of BCL‑2‑associated X, cleaved poly [ADP‑ribose] polymerase and cleaved caspase‑3. In conclusion, Tec treatment suppressed human breast cancer cells through the downregulation of AKT and MAPK signaling and the upregulated expression and/or activity of the caspase family in vitro. Therefore, Tec may be a potential therapeutic drug to treat human breast cancer.

Loss of BMI-1 dampens migration and EMT of colorectal cancer in inflammatory microenvironment through TLR4/MD-2/MyD88-mediated NF-κB signaling

Increasing evidence from various clinical and experimental studies has demonstrated that the inflammatory microenvironment created by immune cells facilitates tumor migration. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in the progression of cancer invasion and metastasis in an inflammatory microenvironment. B-lymphoma Moloney murine leukemia virus insertion region 1 (BMI-1) acts as an oncogene in various tumors. Ectopic expression of Bmi-1 have an effect on EMT and invasiveness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of BMI-1 on inflammation-induced tumor migration and EMT and the underlying mechanism. We observed that the expression of BMI-1, TNF-α, and IL-1β was significantly increased in HT29 and HCT116 cells after THP-1 Conditioned-Medium (THP-1-CM) stimulation. Additionally, inhibition of BMI-1 impeded cell invasion induced by THP-1-CM-stimulation in both HT29 and HCT116 cells. BMI-1 knockdown remarkably repressed THP-1-CM-induced EMT by regulating the expression of EMT biomarkers with an increase in E-cadherin accompanied by decrease in N-cadherin and vimentin. Furthermore, downregulation of BMI-1 dramatically impeded THP-1-CM-triggered Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/myeloid differentiation protein 2(MD-2)/myeloid differentiation factor 88(MyD88) activity by repressing the expression of the TLR4/MD-2 complex and MyD88. Further data demonstrated that knockout of BMI-1 also dampened NF-κB THP-1-CM-triggered activity. Taken all data together, our findings established that BMI-1 modulated TLR4/MD-2/MyD88 complex-mediated NF-κB signaling involved in inflammation-induced cancer cells invasion and EMT, and therefore, could be a potential chemopreventive agent against inflammation-associated colorectal cancer.

HIGHLIGHTS

Establishment of an inflammatory microenvironment. Suppression of BMI-1 reverses THP-1-CM-induced inflammatory cytokine production in CRC. Loss of BMI-1 suppressed TLR4/MD-2/MyD88 complex-mediated NF-κB signaling.

Follistatin-like protein 1 contributes to dendritic cell and T-lymphocyte activation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients by altering nuclear factor κb and Jun N-terminal kinase expression

Follistatin‐like protein 1 (FSTL1) is a newly characterized protein that can regulate the immune response in various ways. Dendritic cells (DCs) are central to immune regulation. In this study, we explored the impact of FSTL1 on DC activity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. The surface expression of CD40, CD86, and HLA‐DR on DCs was analyzed and showed significantly elevated expression levels, indicating DC maturity. After FSTL1 was added to DCs collected from NPC patients (n = 50), controls (n = 47), and healthy donors (n = 10), interferon γ secretion and T‐cell receptor expression in cytotoxic T lymphocytes were also investigated. In the experimental groups, the expression of the critical immune protein nuclear factor (NF)‐κb was upregulated, whereas Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) was downregulated. Our findings demonstrate that FSTL1 plays a critical role in immune regulation, enhancing the antigen presentation ability of DCs by up‐regulating NF‐κb expression and down‐regulating JNK expression.

Irigenin, a novel lead from Western Himalayan chemiome inhibits Fibronectin-Extra Domain A induced metastasis in Lung cancer cells

Several lines of evidence indicate that Fibronectin Extra Domain A (EDA) promotes metastatic capacity of tumor cells by engaging cell surface α9β1 integrins. This interaction mediated by the C-C loop of EDA activates pro-oncogenic signaling pathways leading to epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells, thus signifying its importance in control of metastatic progression. In this context the present study was designed to explore the active compounds from selected ethno-medicinal plants of western Himalayan region for targeting EDA of Fibronectin in lung carcinoma cells. Structure based informatics for drug designing and screening was employed to generate a lead compound(s) feed that were conformationally and energetically viable. Out of 120 compounds selected, Irigenin showed best binding-affinity with C-C loop of EDA. Irigenin specifically targeted α9β1 and α4β1 integrin binding sites on EDA comprising LEU46, PHE47, PRO48, GLU58, LEU59 and GLN60 in its C-C loop as evaluated by energy decomposition per residue of Irigenin–EDA complex. In-vitro cell motility assays complemented with EDA knock-in and knockdown assays distinctively demonstrated that Irigenin prevents metastatic capacity of lung cancer cells by selectively blocking EDA. The results presented thus project Irigenin as a lead compound to overcome Fibronectin EDA induced metastatic progression in lung carcinoma cells.

Tectorigenin inhibits osteosarcoma cell migration through downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases in vitro

Tectorigenin (Tec) is an effective component of the traditional Chinese medicine Belamcanda chinensis, which has been reported to exert beneficial effects in various types of cancer. However, the activity and mechanism of Tec in osteosarcoma (OS) have not been investigated to date. The aim of the present study was to examine the inhibitory effect of Tec on OS and its underlying mechanism of action. OS cells (Saos2 and U2OS) were treated with various concentrations of Tec for 24, 48, and 72 h. Cell proliferation was evaluated using an CCK-8 assay. Cell migration and invasion ability were measured using the Transwell assay. The expressions of MMP1, MMP2, MMP9, and cleaved caspase3 were measured using real-time PCR and/or western blot analysis. We found that Tec inhibited the proliferation of OS cells (Saos2 and U2OS) in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. In addition, Tec significantly inhibited migration and invasion in OS cells (P<0.05). Tec upregulated the expression of cleaved caspase3, while downregulating the expression of MMP1, MMP2, and MMP9. Taken together, the present study provided fundamental evidence for the application of Tec in chemotherapy against OS.

In vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of mixed fruit and vegetable juice

In this study, we attempted to develop fruit-based functional juice with anti-inflammatory activity for consumers living under heavy air pollution. At first, four different formulations for functional juice prepared by combining 10 kinds of fruits and other ingredients in various ratios were tested for NAD(P)H: quinoneoxidoreductase 1 (NQO1)-inducing activity in mouse hepatoma Hepa1c1c7 cells. The formulation showing the highest NQO1-inducing activity [named detoxification juice (DJ)] was investigated for its anti-inflammatory activity in a co-culture system of human lung carcinoma A549 cell line and a differentiated human monocytic cell line THP-1. DJ significantly reduced the LPS-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Furthermore, DJ administration suppressed the benzo[a]pyreneinduced elevation of plasma cytokine levels of C57BL/6 mice. However, the protective effect of DJ against inflammation in lung and trachea caused by air pollution needs to be assessed through clinical studies.