Columbamine suppresses the proliferation and neovascularization of metastatic osteosarcoma U2OS cells with low cytotoxicity

Phytochemicals Showing Antiangiogenic Effect in Pre-clinical Models and their Potential as an Alternative to Existing Therapeutics

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from a pre-existing vascular network, is an important hallmark of several pathological conditions, such as tumor growth and metastasis, proliferative retinopathies, including proliferative diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity, age-related macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and endometriosis. Putting a halt to pathology-driven angiogenesis is considered an important therapeutic strategy to slow down or reduce the severity of pathological disorders. Considering the attrition rate of synthetic antiangiogenic compounds from the lab to reaching the market due to severe side effects, several compounds of natural origin are being explored for their antiangiogenic properties. Employing pre-clinical models for the evaluation of novel antiangiogenic compounds is a promising strategy for rapid screening of antiangiogenic compounds. These studies use a spectrum of angiogenic model systems that include HUVEC two-dimensional culture, nude mice, chick chorioallantoic membrane, transgenic zebrafish, and dorsal aorta from rats and chicks, depending upon available resources. The present article emphasizes the antiangiogenic activity of the phytochemicals shown to exhibit antiangiogenic behavior in these well-defined existing angiogenic models and highlights key molecular targets. Different models help to get a quick understanding of the efficacy and therapeutics mechanism of emerging lead molecules. The inherent variability in assays and corresponding different phytochemicals tested in each study prevent their immediate utilization in clinical studies. This review will discuss phytochemicals discovered using suitable preclinical antiangiogenic models, along with a special mention of leads that have entered clinical evaluation.

A Review on Traditionally Used African Medicinal Plant Annickia chlorantha, Its Phytochemistry, and Anticancer Potential

Annickia chlorantha Setten & P.J.Maas belongs to the Annonaceae family and is a multi-purpose medicinal plant, which has been extensively used for the traditional treatment option for malaria in western and central Africa. Its phytochemical composition is dominated particularly by various biologically active protoberberines and acetogenins. This review aims to provide a comprehensive review on the traditional uses, phytochemical profiles, and the toxicology of this plant from a myriad of available publications. Even after its tremendous applications against several different human ailments, this plant has been underestimated for its anticancer potential. Herein, based on the phytochemical composition, we discuss the probable mode of mechanism for its antiproliferative activity, which highlights its importance for cytotoxicity screenings against cancer cells. Additionally, this article discusses several research questions and suggests the future directions of its applications in medicinal plant-based anticancer research.

Inhibiting STAT3 signaling pathway by natural products for cancer prevention and therapy: In vitro and in vivo activity and mechanisms of action

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays a critical role in signal transmission from the plasma membrane to the nucleus, regulating the expression of genes involved in essential cell functions and controlling the processes of cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Thus, STAT3 has been elucidated as a promising target for developing anticancer drugs. Many natural products have been reported to inhibit the STAT3 signaling pathway during the past two decades and have exhibited significant anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo. However, there is no FDA-approved STAT3 inhibitor yet. The major mechanisms of these natural product inhibitors of the STAT3 signaling pathway include targeting the upstream regulators of STAT3, directly binding to the STAT3 SH2 domain and inhibiting its activation, inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation and/or dimerization, and others. In the present review, we have systematically discussed the development of these natural product inhibitors of STAT3 signaling pathway as well as their in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity and mechanisms of action. Outlooks and perspectives on the associated challenges are provided as well.

Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy to Investigate the Pharmacologic Mechanisms of Coptidis Rhizoma for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Background

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is becoming a more prevalent public health issue in today's culture. The experimental study of Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) and its chemical components in AD treatment has been widely reported, but the principle of multi-level and multi-mechanism treatment of AD urgently needs to be clarified.

Objective

This study focuses on network pharmacology to clarify the mechanism of CR's multi-target impact on Alzheimer's disease.

Methods

The Phytochemical-compounds of CR have been accessed from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and Symmap database or HPLC determination. The values of Oral Bioavailability (OB) ≥ 30% and Drug Like (DL) ≥ 0.18 or blood ingredient were used to screen the active components of CR; the interactive network of targets and compounds were constructed by STRING and Cytoscape platform, and the network was analyzed by Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE); Gene Ontology (GO) function, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway (KEGG) and metabolic pathway enrichment of targets were carried out with Metascape, the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) and MetaboAnalyst platform; Based on CytoHubba, the potential efficient targets were screened by Maximal Clique Centrality (MCC) and Degree, the correlation between potential efficient targets and amyloid β-protein (Aβ), Tau pathology was analyzed by Alzdata database, and the genes related to aging were analyzed by Aging Altas database, and finally, the core targets were obtained; the binding ability between ingredients and core targets evaluated by molecular docking, and the clinical significance of core targets was assessed with Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.

Results

19 active components correspond to 267 therapeutic targets for AD, of which 69 is potentially effective; in module analysis, RELA, TRAF2, STAT3, and so on are the critical targets of each module; among the six core targets, RELA, MAPK8, STAT3, and TGFB1 have clinical therapeutic significance; GO function, including 3050 biological processes (BP), 257 molecular functions (MF), 184 cellular components (CC), whose functions are mainly related to antioxidation, regulation of apoptosis and cell composition; the HIF-1 signaling pathway, glutathione metabolism is the most significant result of 134 KEGG signal pathways and four metabolic pathways, respectively; most of the active components have an excellent affinity in docking with critical targets.

Conclusion

The pharmacological target prediction of CR based on molecular network pharmacology paves the way for a multi-level networking strategy. The study of CR in AD treatment shows a bright prospect for curing neurodegenerative diseases.

Current Advances in Coptidis Rhizoma for Gastrointestinal and Other Cancers

Cancer is a serious disease with an increasing number of reported cases and high mortality worldwide. Gastrointestinal cancer defines a group of cancers in the digestive system, e.g., liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and gastric cancer. Coptidis Rhizoma (C. Rhizoma; Huanglian, in Chinese) is a classical Chinese medicinal botanical drug for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and has been shown to have a wide variety of pharmacological activity, including antifungal, antivirus, anticancer, antidiabetic, hypoglycemic, and cardioprotective effects. Recent studies on C. Rhizoma present significant progress on its anticancer effects and the corresponding mechanisms as well as its clinical applications. Herein, keywords related to C. Rhizoma, cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and omics were searched in PubMed and the Web of Science databases, and more than three hundred recent publications were reviewed and discussed. C. Rhizoma extract along with its main components, berberine, palmatine, coptisine, magnoflorine, jatrorrhizine, epiberberine, oxyepiberberine, oxyberberine, dihydroberberine, columbamine, limonin, and derivatives, are reviewed. We describe novel and classic anticancer mechanisms from various perspectives of pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry, and pharmaceutics. Researchers have transformed the chemical structures and drug delivery systems of these components to obtain better efficacy and bioavailability of C. Rhizoma. Furthermore, C. Rhizoma in combination with other drugs and their clinical application are also summarized. Taken together, C. Rhizoma has broad prospects as a potential adjuvant candidate against cancers, making it reasonable to conduct additional preclinical studies and clinical trials in gastrointestinal cancer in the future.

Targeting Aberrant Expression of STAT3 and AP-1 Oncogenic Transcription Factors and HPV Oncoproteins in Cervical Cancer by Berberis aquifolium

Background: Present study examines phytochemical preparation that uses berberine's plant source B. aquifolium root for availability of similar anti-cervical cancer (CaCx) and anti-HPV activities to facilitate repurposing of the B. aquifolium based drug in the treatment of CaCx. Purpose: To evaluate therapeutic potential of different concentrations of ethanolic extract of B. aquifolium root mother tincture (BAMT) against HPV-positive (HPV16: SiHa, HPV18: HeLa) and HPV-negative (C33a) CaCx cell lines at molecular oncogenic level. Materials and Methods: BAMT was screened for anti-proliferative activity by MTT assay. Cell cycle progression was analyzed by flowcytometry. Then, the expression level of STAT3, AP-1, HPV E6 and E7 was detected by immunoblotting, whereas nuclear localization was observed by fluorescence microscopy. Phytochemicals reportedly available in BAMT were examined for their inhibitory action on HPV16 E6 by in silico molecular docking. Results: BAMT induced a dose-dependent decline in CaCx cell viability in all cell types tested. Flowcytometric evaluation of BAMT-treated cells showed a small but specific cell growth arrest in G1-phase. BAMT-treatment resulted in reduced protein expression of key transcription factors, STAT3 with a decline of its active form pSTAT3 (Y705); and components of AP-1 complex, JunB and c-Jun. Immunocytochemistry revealed that BAMT did not prevent the entry of remnant active transcription factor to the nucleus, but loss of overall transcription factor activity resulted in reduced availability of transcription factors in the cancer cells. These changes were accompanied by gradual loss of HPV E6 and E7 protein in BAMT-treated HPV-positive cells. Molecular docking of reported active phytochemicals in B. aquifolium root was performed, which indicated a potential interference of HPV16 E6's interaction with pivotal cellular targets p53, E6AP or both by constituent phytochemicals. Among these, berberine, palmatine and magnoflorine showed highest E6 inhibitory potential. Conclusion: Overall, BAMT showed multi-pronged therapeutic potential against HPV infection and cervical cancer and the study described the underlying molecular mechanism of its action.

Alkaloids exhibit a meaningful function as anticancer agents by restraining cellular signaling pathways

Alkaloids are nitrogen-containing organic compounds widely found in natural products, which play an essential role in clinical treatment. Cellular signaling pathways in tumors are a series of enzymatic reaction pathways that convert extracellular signals into intracellular signals to produce biological effects. The ordered function of cell signaling pathways is essential for tumor cell proliferation, differentiation, and programmed death. This review describes the antitumor progression mediated by various alkaloids after inhibiting classical signaling pathways; related studies are systematically retrieved and collected through PubMed. We selected the four currently most popular pathways for discussion and introduced the molecular mechanisms mediated by alkaloids in different signaling pathways, including the NF-kB signaling pathway, PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and P53 signaling pathway. The research progress of alkaloids related to tumor signal transduction pathways and the realization of alkaloids as cancer prevention drugs by targeting signal pathways remains.

Columbamine-Mediated PTEN/AKT Signal Pathway Regulates the Progression of Glioma

Purpose

At present, comprehensive therapy has been widely used in the treatment of glioma, but the curative effect is not good, and the survival rate of patients is low. Therefore, it is crucial to explore further the regulatory mechanism of the occurrence and development of glioma and find potential therapeutic targets. We aimed to investigate the columbamine (a tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid derived from the rhizome of Chinese herbal medicine Rhizoma Coptidis) on glioma progression.

Methods

MTT, clone formation assay, wound healing assay, and transwell assay were performed to detect the cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. Flow cytometry, TUNEL, and Western blot were used to identify the apoptosis level in glioma cells. PTEN inhibitor (SF1670) and AKT activator (SC79) were used to explore the mechanism of columbamine on glioma cell progression.

Results

Columbamine inhibits proliferation, migration, invasion, and induces apoptosis in glioma cell lines (SHG44 and U251). Columbamine prevents phosphorylation of AKT and promotes the expression of PTEN. Blocking PTEN level or inducing phosphorylation of AKT attenuates columbamine function on SHG44 cells proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis.

Conclusion

In this research, we find that columbamine could inhibit proliferation and metastasis of glioma cell lines, and promote apoptosis of glioma cell lines via regulating PTEN/AKT signal pathway. It provides a new theoretical basis for the development of anti-glioma drugs.

STAT3 and its targeting inhibitors in osteosarcoma

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is one of seven STAT family members involved with the regulation of cellular growth, differentiation and survival. STAT proteins are conserved among eukaryotes and are important for biological functions of embryogenesis, immunity, haematopoiesis and cell migration. STAT3 is widely expressed and located in the cytoplasm in an inactive form. STAT3 is rapidly and transiently activated by tyrosine phosphorylation by a range of signalling pathways, including cytokines from the IL‐6 family and growth factors, such as EGF and PDGF. STAT3 activation and subsequent dimer formation initiates nuclear translocation of STAT3 for the regulation of target gene transcription. Four STAT3 isoforms have been identified, which have distinct biological functions. STAT3 is considered a proto‐oncogene and constitutive activation of STAT3 is implicated in the development of various cancers, including multiple myeloma, leukaemia and lymphomas. In this review, we focus on recent progress on STAT3 and osteosarcoma (OS). Notably, STAT3 is overexpressed and associated with the poor prognosis of OS. Constitutive activation of STAT3 in OS appears to upregulate the expression of target oncogenes, leading to OS cell transformation, proliferation, tumour formation, invasion, metastasis, immune evasion and drug resistance. Taken together, STAT3 is a target for cancer therapy, and STAT3 inhibitors represent potential therapeutic candidates for the treatment of OS.

Correction of the tumor suppressor Salvador homolog-1 deficiency in tumors by lycorine as a new strategy in lung cancer therapy

Salvador homolog-1 (SAV1) is a tumor suppressor required for activation of the tumor-suppressive Hippo pathway and inhibition of tumorigenesis. SAV1 is defective in several cancer types. SAV1 deficiency in cells promotes tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis, and is closely associated with poor prognosis for cancer patients. However, investigation of therapeutic strategies to target SAV1 deficiency in cancer is lacking. Here we found that the small molecule lycorine notably increased SAV1 levels in lung cancer cells by inhibiting SAV1 degradation via a ubiquitin-lysosome system, and inducing phosphorylation and activation of the SAV1-interacting protein mammalian Ste20-like 1 (MST1). MST1 activation then caused phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and degradation of the oncogenic Yes-associated protein (YAP), therefore inhibiting YAP-activated transcription of oncogenic genes and tumorigenic AKT and NF-κB signal pathways. Strikingly, treating tumor-bearing xenograft mice with lycorine increased SAV1 levels, and strongly inhibited tumor growth, vasculogenic mimicry, and metastasis. This work indicates that correcting SAV1 deficiency in lung cancer cells is a new strategy for cancer therapy. Our findings provide a new platform for developing novel cancer therapeutics.

Effect of epiberberine from Coptis chinensis Franch on inhibition of tumor growth in MKN-45 xenograft mice

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Gastric cancer is one of the major malignancies worldwide. Epiberberine (EPI) is a major alkaloid from Coptis chinensis Franch and the antitumor property of EPI remains poorly understood.

METHOD

The inhibition on gastric cancer cells was observed by MTT assays and colony formation experiments. The apoptosis, cell cycle, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) in gastric cancer cells were analyzed by Flow cytometry. The anti-tumor effect of EPI was evaluated with the MKN-45-beraring nude mice, and the potential mechanisms were explored by RNA-seq, qPCR, siRNA silencing and western blotting.

RESULTS

EPI inhibited the proliferation of human gastric cancer cell lines MKN-45 (harboring wild-type p53) and HGC-27 (harboring mutant p53) in a dose dependent manner. EPI induced the apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in these two cell lines, of which MKN-45 cells are more sensitive to EPI than HGC-27 cells. Further experiments indicated that EPI induced the accumulation of ROS and decreased of ΔΨm in MKN-45 cells. The significant differentially expressed genes obtained by RNA-seq were distinctly enriched in the p53 signaling pathway. The apoptosis induced by EPI in MKN-45 cells would be effectively inhibited with the treatment of p53 siRNA and p53 inhibitor PFT-α. Western blotting demonstrated that EPI diminished the expression of Bcl-2 and XIAP, and increased those of p53, Bax, p21, p27, Cytochrome C and Cleaved-caspase 3. Animal experiments confirmed that EPI significantly alleviated tumor growth in MKN-45 xenograft mice via p53/Bax pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicated that EPI could be a novel anti-tumor candidate against MKN-45-related gastric cancer via targeting p53-dependent mitochondria-associated pathway.

Targeting vasculogenic mimicry by phytochemicals: A potential opportunity for cancer therapy

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is regarded as a process where very aggressive cancer cells generate vascular-like patterns without the presence of endothelial cells. It is considered as the main mark of malignant cancer and has pivotal role in cancer metastasis and progression in various types of cancers. On the other hand, resistance to the antiangiogenesis therapies leads to the cancer recurrence. Therefore, development of novel chemotherapies and their combinations is urgently needed for abolition of VM structures and also for better tumor therapy. Hence, identifying compounds that target VM structures might be superior therapeutic factors for cancers treatment and controlling the recurrence and metastasis. In recent times, naturally occurring compounds, especially phytochemicals have obtained great attention due to their safe properties. Phytochemicals are also capable of targeting VM structure and also their main signaling pathways. Consequently, in this review article, we illustrated key signaling pathways in VM, and the phytochemicals that affect these structures including curcumin, genistein, lycorine, luteolin, columbamine, triptolide, Paris polyphylla, dehydroeffusol, jatrorrhizine hydrochloride, grape seed proanthocyanidins, resveratrol, isoxanthohumol, dehydrocurvularine, galiellalactone, oxacyclododecindione, brucine, honokiol, ginsenoside Rg3, and norcantharidin. The recognition of these phytochemicals and their safety profile may lead to new therapeutic agents' development for VM elimination in different types of tumors.

Coptidis Rhizoma: a comprehensive review of its traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology

CONTEXT

Coptidis rhizome (CR), also known as Huanglian in Chinese, is the rhizome of Coptis chinensis Franch., C. deltoidea C.Y. Cheng et Hsiao, or C. teeta Wall (Ranunculaceae). It has been widely used to treat bacillary dysentery, diabetes, pertussis, sore throat, aphtha, and eczema in China.

OBJECTIVES

The present paper reviews the latest advances of CR, focusing on the botany, phytochemistry, traditional usages, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and toxicology of CR and its future perspectives.

METHODS

Studies from 1985 to 2018 were reviewed from books; PhD. and MSc. dissertations; the state and local drug standards; PubMed; CNKI; Scopus; the Web of Science; and Google Scholar using the keywords Coptis, Coptidis Rhizoma, Huanglian, and goldthread.

RESULTS

Currently, 128 chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from CR. Alkaloids are the characteristic components, together with organic acids, coumarins, phenylpropanoids and quinones. The extracts/compounds isolated from CR cover a wide pharmacological spectrum, including antibacterial, antivirus, antifungal, antidiabetic, anticancer and cardioprotective effects. Berberine is the most important active constituent and the primary toxic component of CR.

CONCLUSIONS

As an important herbal medicine in Chinese medicine, CR has the potential to treat various diseases. However, further research should be undertaken to investigate the clinical effects, toxic constituents, target organs and pharmacokinetics, and to establish criteria for quality control, for CR and its related medications. In addition, the active constituents, other than alkaloids, in both raw and processed products of CR should be investigated.

Columbamine suppresses the proliferation and malignization of colon cancer cells via abolishing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Colon cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Because of the side effects and defects in tolerance of chemotherapy, it is necessary to discover new drugs for colon cancer treatment. Columbamine has been identified as an effective anti-osteosarcoma compound with only minor side effects. In this study, we analyzed the anticancer effect of columbamine on colon cancer.

METHODS

Human colon cancer cell lines were treatment with columbamine. MTT assay, colony formation assay, apoptosis detection and tumorigenicity assay were performed to detect the protective effect of columbamine on colon cancer development. Western blot assay and luciferase reporter assay were conducted to investigate the potential mechanism of the columbamine treatment.

RESULTS

Columbamine significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion process of colon cancer cells, and dramatically promoted the apoptosis rate of colon cancer cells to further suppress the development of colon cancer to tumor. Both the signaling transducing and key factors expression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were obviously repressed by columbamine treatment in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION

The present study indicated that columbamine exerts its anti-tumor effect in colon cancer cells through abolishing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Columbamine may be a new therapy compound for colon cancer.

Simultaneous Determination of Eight Active Compounds in Baitouweng Decotion and its Single Herbs

Baitouweng Decotion (BD) is a famous traditional Chinese medicinal prescription, which is composed of Pulsatilla chinensis (bunge) regel, Coptis chinensis franch., Phellodendron chinense and Cortex Fraxini. In this study, a simple and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection method was established for the simultaneous determination of eight marker compounds including Esculin, Fraxin, Esculetin, Fraxetin, Columbamine, Coptisine, Palmatine Chloride and Berberine hydrochloride in BD, the single herbs and their negative controls. The chromatographic separation was performed using an Agilent Eclipse XDB-C18 column with a gradient elution system of acetonitrile and 0.1% phosphoric acid (contained 0.2% triethylamine) solution at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The results demonstrated that the validated method was simple, reliable and successfully applied to evaluate the selected compounds in water extraction (BDW) and ethanol extraction (BDE) of BD, the single herbs and their negative control for quality control. Moreover, the experimental data showed that the contents of the major active components detected in BDE were significantly higher than those in the BDW, while the BDW had several peaks BDE without. The paper also suggested a method to extract Fraxin, Esculin, Fraxetin, Esculetin and Berberine from Baitouweng Decotion more effectively.

Literature data based systems pharmacology uncovers the essence of "body fire" in traditional Chinese medicine: A case by Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY RELEVANCE

Like other concepts in traditional Chinese medical theory, "body fire", a concept that has already been well-known and widely used in describing the symptoms and the treatment of corresponding diseases, is, however, still under suspicions in the western medicine due to its vague essence and symptoms. Presently, Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT), a typical popular TCM formula in cleansing the "body fire", is studied as a probe by a systems pharmacology method we produced, with purpose to explore the mechanisms of the potion, as well as to interpret the essence of "body fire" disease.

METHODS

The systematic process includes a pharmacokinetics prescreening, pharmacodynamics targets and pathways identification, and candidate-target-pathway network construction.

RESULTS

Through this method, 145 chemicals and 91 proteins are identified as active ingredients and "body fire"-related targets. And we find that the mechanism of HLJDT prescription for cleansing "body fire" lies in three, i.e., anti-OS/NS, anti-inflammation and anti-infection function modules, which are mainly executed through four, i.e., PI3K-AKT, MAPK, VEGF as well as Calcium signaling pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

Accordingly, the essence of "body fire" is a gradual process which is an integration of OS/NS, inflammation and infection. This work, we hope, may not only offer a systemic methodology for exploring and elucidating TCM concepts from a multi-scale perspective, but also provide an efficient way for herbal drug discovery.

Columbamine suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma cells through down-regulation of PI3K/AKT, p38 and ERK1/2 MAPK signaling pathways

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as primary liver cancer in adults is the most common cause led to internal cirrhosis responsible for patients' death, which resulted in nearly a million deaths worldwide on both males and females in the developing and developed countries. Unfortunately, up to date, there are no highly effective treatment of medicine on HCC as lack of comprehensive cellular and molecular mechanism. According to the sources of human ancient history of medicine, traditional medicine could provide unique treatment to discontinue the challenging HCC. In this study, we inspected the effect of Columbamine (Col; C20H21NO5), an alkaloid isolated from calumba, on HCC utilizing three HCC cell-lines i.e. SMMC7721, HepG2 and Hep3B. Our data collected from these cell-lines exhibit strong Col suppression on the cell growth accompanying the dosage-dependent suppression, and we further confirmed the suppression on the tumor-growth in animal model. Rational of the Col suppression presents cellular mechanism by limiting the proliferation and colony formation of the cells marked with decreased expression of PCNA. Meanwhile decreases of migration indicated with increasing expression of E-cadherin and decreasing expression of N-cadherin, and of invasion labelled with decreasing expressions of MMP2 and MMP9, are accompanying the Col suppression along with the Col promoted apoptosis of the tumor cells. This programmed cell death marketed with cleaved Caspase 3 plus PAPR proteins, up-regulation of BAD and down-regulation of BCL2 is linked the Col suppression to unique calcium-related pathways. Our results unveiled that the Columbamine suppression on HCC based on the traditional medicine are clearly associated with PI3K/AKT, p38 and ERK1/2 MAPKs signaling pathways and guide further research orientation for developing the Col medicine against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Coptidis rhizoma and its main bioactive components: recent advances in chemical investigation, quality evaluation and pharmacological activity

Background

Coptidis rhizoma (CR) is the dried rhizome of Coptis chinensis Franch., C. deltoidea C. Y. Cheng et Hsiao or C. teeta Wall. (Ranunculaceae) and is commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of various diseases including bacillary dysentery, typhoid, tuberculosis, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, empyrosis, pertussis, and other illnesses.

Methods

A literature survey was conducted via SciFinder, ScieneDirect, PubMed, Springer, and Wiley databases. A total of 139 selected references were classified on the basis of their research scopes, including chemical investigation, quality evaluation and pharmacological studies.

Results

Many types of secondary metabolites including alkaloids, lignans, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saccharides, and steroids have been isolated from CR. Among them, protoberberine-type alkaloids, such as berberine, palmatine, coptisine, epiberberine, jatrorrhizine, columamine, are the main components of CR. Quantitative determination of these alkaloids is a very important aspect in the quality evaluation of CR. In recent years, with the advances in isolation and detection technologies, many new instruments and methods have been developed for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the main alkaloids from CR. The quality control of CR has provided safety for pharmacological applications. These quality evaluation methods are also frequently employed to screen the active components from CR. Various investigations have shown that CR and its main alkaloids exhibited many powerful pharmacological effects including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, hypoglycemic, anti-Alzheimer and hepatoprotective activities.

Conclusion

This review summarizes the recent phytochemical investigations, quality evaluation methods, the biological studies focusing on CR as well as its main alkaloids.

Curcumin Analog DK1 Induces Apoptosis in Human Osteosarcoma Cells In Vitro through Mitochondria-Dependent Signaling Pathway

Osteosarcoma is one of the primary malignant bone tumors that confer low survival rates for patients even with intensive regime treatments. Therefore, discovery of novel anti-osteosarcoma drugs derived from natural products that are not harmful to the normal cells remains crucial. Curcumin is one of the natural substances that have been extensively studied due to its anti-cancer properties and is pharmacologically safe considering its ubiquitous consumption for centuries. However, curcumin suffers from a poor circulating bioavailability, which has led to the development of a chemically synthesized curcuminoid analog, namely (Z)-3-hydroxy-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-one (DK1). In this study, the cytotoxic effects of the curcumin analog DK1 was investigated in both U-2OS and MG-63 osteosarcoma cell lines using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and cell death was microscopically examined via acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) double staining. Flow cytometer analysis including Annexin V/Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), cell cycle analysis and JC-1 were adapted to determine the mode of cell death. Subsequently in order to determine the mechanism of cell death, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and proteome profiling was carried out to measure the expression of several apoptotic-related genes and proteins. Results indicated that DK1 induced U-2 OS and MG-63 morphological changes and substantially reduced cell numbers through induction of apoptosis. Several apoptotic genes and proteins were steadily expressed after treatment with DK1; including caspase 3, caspase 9, and BAX, which indicated that apoptosis occurred through a mitochondria-dependent signaling pathway. In conclusion, DK1 could be considered as a potential candidate for an anti-osteosarcoma drug in the near future, contingent upon its ability to induce apoptosis in osteosarcoma cell lines.

MicroRNA-27b functions as a new inhibitor of ovarian cancer-mediated vasculogenic mimicry through suppression of VE-cadherin expression

Aggressive cancer cells gain robust tumor vascular mimicry (VM) capability that promotes tumor growth and metastasis. VE-cadherin is aberrantly overexpressed in vasculogenic cancer cells and regarded as a master gene of tumor VM. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in modulating tumor angiogenesis and cancer metastasis, the miRNA that targets VE-cadherin expression in cancer cells to inhibit tumor cell-mediated VM is enigmatic. In this study, we found that miR-27b levels are negatively co-related to VE-cadherin expression in ovarian cancer cells and tumor cell-mediated VM, and demonstrated that miR-27b could bind to the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of VE-cadherin mRNA. Overexpression of miR-27b in aggressive ovarian cancer cell lines Hey1B and ES2 significantly diminished intracellular VE-cadherin expression; convincingly, the inhibitory effect of miR-27b could be reversed by miR-27b specific inhibitor. Intriguingly, miR-27b not only effectively suppressed ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion, but also markedly inhibited formation of ovarian cancer cell-mediated capillary-like structures in vitro and suppressed generation of functional tumor blood vessels in mice. Together, our study suggests that miR-27b functions as a new inhibitor of ovarian cancer cell-mediated VM through suppression of VE-cadherin expression, providing a new potential drug candidate for antitumor VM and anti-ovarian cancer therapy.

Bufalin Induces Apoptosis of Human Osteosarcoma U-2 OS Cells through Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Caspase- and Mitochondria-Dependent Signaling Pathways

Bone cancer is one of the cancer-related diseases, and there are increased numbers of patients with bone cancer worldwide. Therefore the efficacy of treatment of bone cancer is considered extremely vital. Bufalin has been showed to have biological activities including anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo. However, the exact associated mechanisms for bufalin induced apoptosis in human bone cancer cells are still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effect of bufalin on the cytotoxic effects in U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cells. For examining apoptotic cell deaths, we used flow cytometry assay, Annexin V/PI double staining, and TUNNEL assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), Ca²⁺, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ_m), and caspase-8, -9 and -3 activities were measured by flow cytometry assay. Furthermore, western blotting and a confocal laser microscopy examination were used for measuring the alterations of apoptotic associated protein expression and translocation, respectively. The results indicated that bufalin induced cell morphological changes, decreased the viable cell number, induced apoptotic cell death, and increased the apoptotic cell number, and affected apoptotic associated protein expression in U-2 OS cells. Bufalin increased apoptotic proteins such as Bak, and decreased anti-apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-x in U-2 OS cells. Furthermore, bufalin increased the protein levels of cytochrome c (Cyto c), AIF (Apoptosis inducing factor) and Endo G (Endonuclease G) in cytoplasm that were also confirmed by confocal microscopy examination. Based on those findings, bufalin induced apoptotic cell death in U-2 OS cells may be via endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, caspase-, and mitochondria-dependent pathways; thus, we may suggest that bufalin could be used as an anti-cancer agent for the treatment of osteosarcoma in the future, and further in vivo studies are needed.

High-throughput screening of triplex DNA binders from complicated samples by 96-well pate format in conjunction with peak area-fading UHPLC-Orbitrap MS

Screening triplex DNA binders from complicated samples in a high-throughput fashion with good reproducibility without the requirement of an extra releasing step.

Co-delivery of hydrophilic and hydrophobic anticancer drugs using biocompatible pH-sensitive lipid-based nano-carriers for multidrug-resistant cancers

Simultaneous prolonged delivery of therapeutic gene, hydrophilic and hydrophobic anticancer drugs using biocompatible pH-sensitive LipoNiosome has been considered as a novel and promising method in order to treatment multi-drug resistant cancer.

Anticancer Chemodiversity of Ranunculaceae Medicinal Plants: Molecular Mechanisms and Functions

The buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, comprising more than 2,200 species in at least 62 genera, mostly herbs, has long been used in folk medicine and worldwide ethnomedicine since the beginning of human civilization. Various medicinal phytometabolites have been found in Ranunculaceae plants, many of which, such as alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, and polysaccharides, have shown anti-cancer activities in vitro and in vivo. Most concerns have been raised for two epiphany molecules, the monoterpene thymoquinone and the isoquinoline alkaloid berberine. At least 17 genera have been enriched with anti-cancer phytometabolites. Some Ranunculaceae phytometabolites induce the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of cancer cells or enhance immune activities, while others inhibit the proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis, or reverse the multi-drug resistance of cancer cells thereby regulating all known hallmarks of cancer. These phytometabolites could exert their anti-cancer activities via multiple signaling pathways. In addition, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion/toxicity properties and structure/activity relationships of some phytometabolites have been revealed assisting in the early drug discovery and development pipelines. However, a comprehensive review of the molecular mechanisms and functions of Ranunculaceae anti-cancer phytometabolites is lacking. Here, we summarize the recent progress of the anti-cancer chemo- and pharmacological diversity of Ranunculaceae medicinal plants, focusing on the emerging molecular machineries and functions of anti-cancer phytometabolites. Gene expression profiling and relevant omics platforms (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) could reveal differential effects of phytometabolites on the phenotypically heterogeneous cancer cells.

Thrombomodulin reduces tumorigenic and metastatic potential of lung cancer cells by up-regulation of E-cadherin and down-regulation of N-cadherin expression

Thrombomodulin (TM) is an endothelial cell membrane protein and plays critical roles in anti-thrombosis, anti-inflammation, vascular endothelial protection, and is traditionally regarded as a "vascular protection god". In recent years, although TM has been reported to be down-regulated in a variety of malignant tumors including lung cancer, the role and mechanism of TM in lung cancer are enigmatic. In this study, we found that induction of TM overexpression by cholesterol-reducing drug atorvastatin significantly diminished the tumorigenic capability of the lung cancer cells. Moreover, we demonstrated that TM overexpression caused G0/G1 phase arrest and markedly reduced the colony forming capability of the cells. Furthermore, overexpression of TM inhibited cell migration and invasion. Consistently, depletion of TM promoted cell growth, reduced the cell population at the G0/G1 phase, and enhanced cell migratory ability. Mechanistic study revealed that TM up-regulated E-cadherin but down-regulated N-cadherin expression, resulting in reversal of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the lung cancer cells. Moreover, silencing TM expression led to decreased E-cadherin and increased N-cadherin. Taken together, our study suggests that TM functions as a tumor suppressive protein, providing a conceptual framework for inducing TM overexpression as a sensible strategy and approach for novel anti-lung cancer drug discovery.

Berberine protects rat heart from ischemia/reperfusion injury via activating JAK2/STAT3 signaling and attenuating endoplasmic reticulum stress

AIM

Berberine (BBR), an isoquinoline-derived alkaloid isolated from Rhizoma coptidis, exerts cardioprotective effects. Because endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a pivotal role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R)-induced apoptosis, it was interesting to examine whether the protective effects of BBR resulted from modulating ER stress levels during MI/R injury, and to define the signaling mechanisms in this process.

METHODS

Male rats were treated with BBR (200 mg · kg(-1) · d(-1), ig) for 2 weeks, and then subjected to MI/R surgery. Cardiac dimensions and function were assessed using echocardiography. Myocardial infarct size and apoptosis was examined. Total serum LDH levels and CK activities, superoxide production, MDA levels and the antioxidant SOD activities in heart tissue were determined. An in vitro study was performed on cultured rat embryonic myocardium-derived cells H9C2 exposed to simulated ischemia/reperfusion (SIR). The expression of apoptotic, ER stress-related and signaling proteins were assessed using Western blot analyses.

RESULTS

Pretreatment with BBR significantly reduced MI/R-induced myocardial infarct size, improved cardiac function, and suppressed myocardial apoptosis and oxidative damage. Furthermore, pretreatment with BBR suppressed MI/R-induced ER stress, evidenced by down-regulating the phosphorylation levels of myocardial PERK and eIF2α and the expression of ATF4 and CHOP in heart tissues. Pretreatment with BBR also activated the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in heart tissues, and co-treatment with AG490, a specific JAK2/STAT3 inhibitor, blocked not only the protective effects of BBR, but also the inhibition of BBR on MI/R-induced ER stress. In H9C2 cells, treatment with BBR (50 μmol/L) markedly reduced SIR-induced cell apoptosis, oxidative stress and ER stress, which were abolished by transfection with JAK2 siRNA.

CONCLUSION

BBR ameliorates MI/R injury in rats by activating the AK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and attenuating ER stress-induced apoptosis.

Oroxin A inhibits breast cancer cell growth by inducing robust endoplasmic reticulum stress and senescence

Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer death among women. Although various anticancer drugs have been used in clinics, drugs that are effective against advanced and metastatic breast cancer are still lacking and in great demand. In this study, we found that oroxin A, an active component isolated from the herb Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz, effectively inhibited the growth of human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 by inducing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated senescence. Oroxin A caused breast cancer cell cycle arrest at the G2/M stage, and reorganization of microtubules and actin cytoskeleton accompanied by a decrease in cellular mitosis. ER-specific probe ER-Tracker Red and confocal microscope imaging showed that ER-Tracker Red-positive cells increased in an oroxin A dosage-dependent manner. In addition, oroxin A increased cell population with high β-Gal activity and SAHF-positive staining; these data suggest that oroxin A induces breast cancer cell ER stress and senescence. Mechanistic studies showed that oroxin A led to a significant increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, promoted expression of ER stress markers ATF4 and GRP78, and increased the phosphorylation of a key stress-response signaling protein p38, resulting in an ER stress-mediated senescence. Taken together, our data indicate that oroxin A exerts its antibreast cancer effects by inducing ER stress-mediated senescence, activating the key stress p38 signaling pathway, and increasing key ER stress genes ATF4 and GRP78 expression levels.

Annickia affinis and A. chlorantha (Enantia chlorantha)--A review of two closely related medicinal plants from tropical Africa

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Annickia affinis (Exell) Versteegh & Sosef, closely related to A. chlorantha Setten & P.J.Maas (both species also referred to as Enantia chlorantha Oliv.), from the Annonaceae family, are multi-purpose medicinal plants used widely across tropical Africa. The two Annickia species are morphologically distinct from each other and have different distribution patterns, but are frequently confused. Furthermore, the name Enantia chlorantha is an illegitimate name, but is still used today.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A review of the literature was undertaken and an in-depth analysis of previous research and future prospectives are considered. While a myriad of publications cite the species "Enantia chlorantha", this is not the case for A. affinis and A. chlorantha, and no reviews are available for any of the species to date. Consequently, a summary of their ethnobotany, phytochemistry and biological properties is presented here (for the period 1933 - November 2014) in order to substantiate their traditional importance as medicines for rural people in Africa.

RESULTS

To this effect, these species seem to be the preferred traditional treatments for malaria in tropical Africa, an area suffering heavily under the malaria pandemic. Their chemical composition is dominated particularly by various isoquinoline alkaloids, as well as by acetogenins and sesquiterpenes, which have been isolated from the bark and leaves. All three of these classes of compounds have been reported to exhibit noteworthy biological activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to their widespread use, especially of the bark, these species have already been categorized as threatened with extinction. Consequently this study further aims to identify areas where more research needs to be conducted involving these important species, and also to suggest possible means of increasing the biological activities of their extracts as a way to conserve the species.

Oroxin B selectively induces tumor-suppressive ER stress and concurrently inhibits tumor-adaptive ER stress in B-lymphoma cells for effective anti-lymphoma therapy

Cancer cells have both tumor-adaptive and -suppressive endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress machineries that determine cell fate. In malignant tumors including lymphoma, constant activation of tumor-adaptive ER stress and concurrent reduction of tumor-suppressive ER stress favors cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth. Current ER stress-based anti-tumor drugs typically activate both tumor-adaptive and -suppressive ER stresses, resulting in low anti-cancer efficacy; hence, selective induction of tumor-suppressive ER stress and inhibition of tumor-adaptive ER stress are new strategies for novel anti-cancer drug discovery. Thus far, specific tumor-suppressive ER stress therapeutics have remained absent in clinical settings. In this study, we explored unique tumor-suppressive ER stress agents from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Oroxylum indicum, and found that a small molecule oroxin B selectively induced tumor-suppressive ER stress in malignant lymphoma cells, but not in normal cells, effectively inhibited lymphoma growth in vivo, and significantly prolonged overall survival of lymphoma-xenografted mice without obvious toxicity. Mechanistic studies have revealed that the expression of key tumor-adaptive ER-stress gene GRP78 was notably suppressed by oroxin B via down-regulation of up-stream key signaling protein ATF6, while tumor-suppressive ER stress master gene DDIT3 was strikingly activated through activating the MKK3-p38 signaling pathway, correcting the imbalance between tumor-suppressive DDIT3 and tumor-adaptive GRP78 in lymphoma. Together, selective induction of unique tumor-suppressive ER stress and concurrent inhibition of tumor-adaptive ER stress in malignant lymphoma are new and feasible approaches for novel anti-lymphoma drug discovery and anti-lymphoma therapy.

Dehydroeffusol effectively inhibits human gastric cancer cell-mediated vasculogenic mimicry with low toxicity

Accumulated data has shown that various vasculogenic tumor cells, including gastric cancer cells, are able to directly form tumor blood vessels via vasculogenic mimicry, supplying oxygen and nutrients to tumors, and facilitating progression and metastasis of malignant tumors. Therefore, tumor vasculogenic mimicry is a rational target for developing novel anticancer therapeutics. However, effective antitumor vasculogenic mimicry-targeting drugs are not clinically available. In this study, we purified 2,7-dihydroxyl-1-methyl-5-vinyl-phenanthrene, termed dehydroeffusol, from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Juncus effusus L., and found that dehydroeffusol effectively inhibited gastric cancer cell-mediated vasculogenic mimicry in vitro and in vivo with very low toxicity. Dehydroeffusol significantly suppressed gastric cancer cell adhesion, migration, and invasion. Molecular mechanistic studies revealed that dehydroeffusol markedly inhibited the expression of a vasculogenic mimicry master gene VE-cadherin and reduced adherent protein exposure on the cell surface by inhibiting gene promoter activity. In addition, dehydroeffusol significantly decreased the expression of a key vasculogenic gene matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) in gastric cancer cells, and diminished MMP2 protease activity. Together, our results showed that dehydroeffusol effectively inhibited gastric cancer cell-mediated vasculogenic mimicry with very low toxicity, suggesting that dehydroeffusol is a potential drug candidate for anti-gastric cancer neovascularization and anti-gastric cancer therapy.

Ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Stephania rotunda Lour

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Stephania rotunda Lour. (Menispermaceae) is an important traditional medicinal plant that is grown in Southeast Asia. The stems, leaves, and tubers have been used in the Cambodian, Lao, Indian and Vietnamese folk medicine systems for years to treat a wide range of ailments, including asthma, headache, fever, and diarrhoea.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

To provide an up-to-date, comprehensive overview and analysis of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Stephania rotunda for its potential benefits in human health, as well as to assess the scientific evidence of traditional use and provide a basis for future research directions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Peer-reviewed articles on Stephania rotunda were acquired via an electronic search of the major scientific databases (Pubmed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect). Data were collected from scientific journals, theses, and books.

RESULTS

The traditional uses of Stephania rotunda were recorded in countries throughout Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and India). Different parts of Stephania rotunda were used in traditional medicine to treat about twenty health disorders. Phytochemical analyses identified forty alkaloids. The roots primarily contain l-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP), whereas the tubers contain cepharanthine and xylopinine. Furthermore, the chemical composition differs from one region to another and according to the harvest period. The alkaloids exhibited approximately ten different pharmacological activities. The main pharmacological activities of Stephania rotunda alkaloids are antiplasmodial, anticancer, and immunomodulatory effects. Sinomenine, cepharanthine, and l-stepholidine are the most promising components and have been tested in humans. The pharmacokinetic parameters have been studied for seven compounds, including the three most promising compounds. The toxicity has been evaluated for liriodenine, roemerine, cycleanine, l-tetrahydropalmatine, and oxostephanine.

CONCLUSION

Stephania rotunda is traditionally used for the treatment of a wide range of ailments. Pharmacological investigations have validated different uses of Stephania rotunda in folk medicine. The present review highlights the three most promising compounds of Stephania rotunda, which could constitute potential leads in various medicinal fields, including malaria and cancer.

Unraveling the novel anti-osteosarcoma function of coptisine and its mechanisms

Uncontrolled cell proliferation and robust angiogenesis play critical roles in osteosarcoma growth and metastasis. In this study we explored novel agents derived from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs that potently inhibit osteosarcoma growth and metastasis. Coptisine, an active component of the herb Coptidis rhizoma, markedly inhibited aggressive osteosarcoma cell proliferation. Coptisine induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase through downregulation of CDK4 and cyclin D1 expression and effectively suppressed tumor growth in a xenografted mouse model. Coptisine significantly impeded osteosarcoma cell migration, invasion, and capillary-like network formation by decreasing the expression of VE-cadherin and integrin ß3, and diminishing STAT3 phosphorylation. Coptisine significantly elevated blood erythrocyte and hemoglobin levels while still remaining within the normal range. It also moderately increased white blood cell and platelet counts. These data suggest that coptisine exerts a strong anti-osteosarcoma effect with very low toxicity and is a potential anti-osteosarcoma drug candidate.

Multiple biological functions and pharmacological effects of lycorine

Lycorine is the major active component from the amaryllidaceae family plant Lycoris radiate, a represent traditional Chinese medicinal herb, and is one of the typical alkaloids with pyrrolophenanthridine nucleus core. Lycorine has drawn great interest in medicinal field due to its divergent chemical structures and multiple biological functions, as well as pharmacological effects on various diseases. Accumulated evidence shows that lycorine not only possesses strong pharmacological effects on many diseases, including anti-leukemia, anti-tumor, anti-angiogenesis, anti-virus, anti-bacteria, anti-inflammation, and antimalaria, but also exerts many other biological functions, such as inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and topoisomerase, suppression of ascorbic acid biosynthesis, and control of circadian period length. Notably, lycorine exhibits its numerous pharmacological effects on various diseases with very low toxicity and mild side effects. The divergent chemical structures, multiple biological functions, and very low toxicity of lycorine imply that the agent is a potential drug candidate that warrants for further preclinical and clinic investigation.

Jatrorrhizine hydrochloride inhibits the proliferation and neovascularization of C8161 metastatic melanoma cells

Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Although various antimelanoma approaches have been used in the clinics to treat the disease over the last three decades, none of the drugs significantly prolonged the survival of metastatic melanoma patients; hence, effective drugs against metastatic melanoma are highly desired. In this study, we explored an antimetastatic melanoma agent derived from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs and found that jatrorrhizine hydrochloride (JH), an active component of the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Coptis chinensis, inhibited the proliferation and neovascularization of C8161 human metastatic melanoma cells. JH suppressed C8161 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 47.4±1.6 μmol/l; however, it did not induce significant cellular apoptosis at doses up to 320 μmol/l. Mechanistic studies showed that JH-induced C8161 cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 transition, which was accompanied by overexpression of the cell cycle-suppressive genes p21 and p27 at higher doses. Moreover, JH reduced C8161 cell-mediated neovascularization in vitro and in vivo and impeded the expression of the gene for VE-cadherin, a key protein in tumor vasculogenic mimicry and angiogenesis. Taken together, the effective inhibitory effects of JH on metastatic melanoma cell proliferation and neovascularization with low toxicity suggest that JH is a potential new antimelanoma drug candidate.

Synthesis, characterization, in vitro antimicrobial, and U2OS tumoricidal activities of different coumarin derivatives

BACKGROUND

Coumarin and its derivatives are biologically very active. It was found that the enhanced activities are dependent on the coumarin nucleus. Biological significance of these compounds include anti-bacterial, anti-thrombotic and vasodilatory, anti-mutagenic, lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase inhibition, scavenging of reactive oxygen species, and anti-tumourigenic. Our interest in medicinal chemistry of dicoumarol compounds have been developed by keeping in view the importance of coumarins along with its derivatives in medicinal chemistry. All the synthesized compounds were fully characterized by spectroscopic and analytical techniques and were screened for antimicrobial and U2OS bone cancer activities.

RESULTS

4-hydroxycoumarin was derivatized by condensing with different aldehydes yielding the dicoumarol and translactonized products. Elemental analyses, ESI(+,-) MS, 1H and 13C{1H}-NMR, infrared spectroscopy and conductance studies were used to characterize the synthesized compounds which revealed the dicoumarol and dichromone structures for the compounds. The compounds were screened against U2OS cancerous cells and pathogenic micro organisms. The compounds with intermolecular H-bonding were found more active revealing a possible relationship among hydrogen bonding, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activities.

CONCLUSION

Coumarin based drugs can be designed for the possible treatment of U2OS leukemia.

Lycorine hydrochloride selectively inhibits human ovarian cancer cell proliferation and tumor neovascularization with very low toxicity

Uncontrolled tumor cell proliferation and robust neovascularization are prominent features of aggressive ovarian cancers. Although great efforts in anti-ovarian cancer therapy have been made in the past 4 decades, the 5-year survival rates for ovarian cancer patients are still poor, and effective drugs to cure ovarian cancer patients are absent. In this study, we evaluated the anti-cancer effects of lycorine hydrochloride (LH), a novel anti-ovarian cancer agent, using the highly-invasive ovarian cancer cell line, Hey1B, as a model. Our data showed that LH effectively inhibited mitotic proliferation of Hey1B cells (half maximal inhibitory concentration=1.2μM) with very low toxicity, resulting in cell cycle arrest at the G2/M transition through enhanced expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 and marked down-regulation of cyclin D3 expression. Moreover, LH suppressed both the formation of capillary-like tubes by Hey1B cells cultured in vitro and the ovarian cancer cell-dominant neovascularization in vivo when administered to Hey1B-xenotransplanted mice. LH also suppressed the expression of several key angiogenic genes, including VE-cadherin, vascular endothelial growth factor, and Sema4D, and reduced Akt phosphorylation in Hey1B cells. These results suggest that LH selectively inhibits ovarian cancer cell proliferation and neovascularization and is a potential drug candidate for anti-ovarian cancer therapy.