Sanggenon C Suppresses Tumorigenesis of Gastric Cancer by Blocking ERK-Drp1-Mediated Mitochondrial Fission

Moracin D suppresses cell growth and induces apoptosis via targeting the XIAP/PARP1 axis in pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic cancer, a tumor with a high metastasis rate and poor prognosis, is among the deadliest human malignancies. Investigating effective drugs for their treatment is imperative. Moracin D, a natural benzofuran compound isolated from Morus alba L., shows anti-inflammation and anti-breast cancer properties and is effective against Alzheimer's disease. However, the effect and mechanism of Moracin D action in pancreatic cancer remain obscure.

PURPOSE

To investigate the function and molecular mechanism of Moracin D action in repressing the malignant progression of pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

Pancreatic cancer cells were treated with Moracin D, and cell proliferation was evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and immunofluorescence assays. The clonogenicity of pancreatic cancer cells was assessed based on plate colony formation and soft agar assay. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis. The expression of proteins related to the apoptosis pathway was determined by Western blot analysis. Moracin D and XIAP were subjected to docking by auto-dock molecular docking analysis. Ubiquitination levels of XIAP and the interaction of XIAP and PARP1 were assessed by co-immunoprecipitation analysis. Moracin D's effects on tumorigenicity were assessed by a tumor xenograft assay.

RESULTS

Moracin D inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis, and regulated the protein expression of molecules involved in caspase-dependent apoptosis pathways. Moracin D suppressed clonogenicity and tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer cells. Mechanistically, XIAP could interact with PARP1 and stabilize PARP1 by controlling its ubiquitination levels. Moracin D diminished the stability of XIAP and decreased the expression of XIAP by promoting proteasome-dependent XIAP degradation, further blocking the XIAP/PARP1 axis and repressing the progression of pancreatic cancer. Moracin D could dramatically improve the chemosensitivity of gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

Moracin D repressed cell growth and tumorigenesis, induced cell apoptosis, and enhanced the chemosensitivity of gemcitabine through the XIAP/PARP1 axis in pancreatic cancer. Moracin D is a potential therapeutic agent or adjuvant for pancreatic cancer.

Kuwanon C inhibits proliferation and induction of apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway in MDA-MB231 and T47D breast cancer cells

Breast cancer ranks as the most prevalent malignancy, presenting persistent therapeutic challenges encompassing issues such as drug resistance, recurrent occurrences, and metastatic progression. Therefore, there is a need for targeted drugs that are less toxic and more effective against breast cancer. Kuwanon C, an isoamylated flavonoid derived from mulberry resources, has shown promise as a potential candidate due to its strong cytotoxicity against cancer cells. The present study focused on investigating the anticancer activity of kuwanon C in two human breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB231 and T47D cells. MTS assay results indicated a decrease in cell proliferation with increasing concentrations of kuwanon C. Furthermore, kuwanon C upregulated the expression levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 and effectively inhibited cell DNA replication and induced DNA damage. Flow cytometry confirmed that kuwanon C induced cell apoptosis and upregulated the expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax and c-caspase3). Additionally, it stimulated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells. Transmission electron microscopy and Fluo-4 AM-calcium ion staining experiments provided insights into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), revealing that kuwanon C induced ER stress. Kuwanon C upregulated the expression levels of unfolded protein response-related proteins (ATF4, GADD34, HSPA5, and DDIT3). Overall, the present findings suggested that kuwanon C exerts a potent inhibitory effect on breast cancer cell proliferation through modulating of the p21, induction of mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, activation of ER stress and induction of DNA damage. These results position kuwanon C as a potential targeted therapeutic agent for breast cancer.

Natural compound Sanggenon C inhibits porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus replication in piglets

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus is one of the main pathogens threatening the global pig industry, and there is still a lack of effective therapeutic drugs. Sanggenon C is a flavanone Diels-Alder adduct compound extracted from the root bark of the mulberry genus, which has blood pressure-reducing, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-oxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects. In our previous study, Sanggenon C was confirmed to significantly inhibit PRRSV replication in vitro. However, its antiviral potential to inhibit PRRSV infection in vivo has not been evaluated in piglets. Here, the antiviral effect of Sanggenon C was evaluated in PRRSV-challenged piglets based on assessments of rectal temperature, viral load, pathological changes of lung tissue and secretion of inflammatory cytokines. The results showed that Sanggenon C treatment relieved the clinical symptoms, reduced the viral loads in the lungs and bloods, alleviated the pathological damage of lung tissue, decreased the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, and shorten the excretion time of virus from the oral and nasal secretions and feces of piglets after PRRSV infection. The results indicated that Sanggenon C is a promising anti-PRRSV drug, which provides a new strategy for the prevention and control of PRRS in clinical practice.

Gastrointestinal Cancer Therapeutics via Triggering Unfolded Protein Response and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress by 2-Arylbenzofuran

Gastrointestinal cancers are a major global health challenge, with high mortality rates. This study investigated the anti-cancer activities of 30 monomers extracted from Morus alba L. (mulberry) against gastrointestinal cancers. Toxicological assessments revealed that most of the compounds, particularly immunotoxicity, exhibit some level of toxicity, but it is generally not life-threatening under normal conditions. Among these components, Sanggenol L, Sanggenon C, Kuwanon H, 3'-Geranyl-3-prenyl-5,7,2',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone, Morusinol, Mulberrin, Moracin P, Kuwanon E, and Kuwanon A demonstrate significant anti-cancer properties against various gastrointestinal cancers, including colon, pancreatic, and gastric cancers. The anti-cancer mechanism of these chemical components was explored in gastric cancer cells, revealing that they inhibit cell cycle and DNA replication-related gene expression, leading to the effective suppression of tumor cell growth. Additionally, they induced unfolded protein response (UPR) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, potentially resulting in DNA damage, autophagy, and cell death. Moracin P, an active monomer characterized as a 2-arylbenzofuran, was found to induce ER stress and promote apoptosis in gastric cancer cells, confirming its potential to inhibit tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of Morus alba L. monomers in gastrointestinal cancers, especially focusing on Moracin P as a potent inducer of ER stress and apoptosis.

The natural compound Sanggenon C inhibits PRRSV infection by regulating the TRAF2/NF-κB signalling pathway

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a serious infectious disease and one of the major causes of death in the global pig industry. PRRS virus (PRRSV) strains have complex and diverse genetic characteristics and cross-protection between strains is low, which complicates vaccine selection; thus, the current vaccination strategy has been greatly compromised. Therefore, it is necessary to identify effective natural compounds for the clinical treatment of PRRS. A small molecule library composed of 720 natural compounds was screened in vitro, and we found that Sanggenon C (SC) was amongst the most effective natural compound inhibitors of PRRSV infection. Compared with ribavirin, SC more significantly inhibited PRRSV infection at both the gene and protein levels and reduced the viral titres and levels of protein expression and inflammatory cytokine secretion to more effectively protect cells from PRRSV infection and damage. Mechanistically, SC inhibits activation of the NF-κB signalling pathway by promoting TRAF2 expression, thereby reducing PRRSV replication. In conclusion, by screening natural compounds, we found that SC suppresses PRRSV infection by regulating the TRAF2/NF-κB signalling pathway. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the therapeutic targets and pathogenesis of PRRSV infection. More importantly, our results demonstrate that SC has potential as a candidate for the treatment of PRRS.

Sanggenon C inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis by regulating the MIB1/DAPK1 axis in glioblastoma

Sanggenon C (SC), a herbal flavonoid extracted from Cortex Mori, has been mentioned to possess more than one treasured organic properties. However, the molecular mechanism of its anti-tumor impact in glioblastoma (GBM) remains unclear. In this study, we reported that SC displayed a GBM-suppressing impact in vitro and in vivo with no apparent organ toxicity. SC dramatically suppressed cell proliferation-induced cell apoptosis in GBM cells. Mechanistically, we unveiled that SC modulated the protein expression of death associated protain kinase 1 (DAPK1) by controlling the ubiquitination and degradation of DAPK1. Quantitative proteomic and Western blot analyses showed that SC improved DAPK1 protein degradation via decreasing the expression of E3 ubiquitin ligase Mindbomb 1 (MIB1). More importantly, the effects of SC on cell proliferation and apoptosis of GBM cells have been in part reversed through DAPK1 downregulation or MIB1 overexpression, respectively. These results indicated that SC might suppress cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis by decreasing MIB1-mediated DAPK1 degradation. Furthermore, we found that SC acted synergistically with temozolomide (TMZ), an anti-cancer drug used in GBM, resulting in elevated chemotherapeutic sensitivity of GBM to TMZ. Collectively, our data suggest that SC might be a promising anti-cancer agent for GBM therapy.

Identification of Dietary Bioflavonoids as Potential Inhibitors against KRAS G12D Mutant—Novel Insights from Computer-Aided Drug Discovery

The KRAS G12D mutation is very frequent in many cancers, such as pancreatic, colon and lung, and has remained undruggable for the past three decades, due to its smooth surface and lack of suitable pockets. Recent small pieces of evidence suggest that targeting the switch I/II of KRAS G12D mutant could be an efficient strategy. Therefore, in the present study, we targeted the switch I (residues 25–40) and switch II (residues 57–76) regions of KRAS G12D with dietary bioflavonoids in comparison with the reference KRAS SI/II inhibitor BI-2852. Initially, we screened 925 bioflavonoids based on drug-likeness properties, and ADME properties and selected 514 bioflavonoids for further studies. Molecular docking resulted in four lead bioflavonoids, namely 5-Dehydroxyparatocarpin K (L1), Carpachromene (L2), Sanggenone H (L3), and Kuwanol C (L4) with binding affinities of 8.8 Kcal/mol, 8.64 Kcal/mol, 8.62 Kcal/mol, and 8.58 Kcal/mol, respectively, in comparison with BI-2852 (−8.59 Kcal/mol). Further steered-molecular dynamics, molecular-dynamics simulation, toxicity, and in silico cancer-cell-line cytotoxicity predictions significantly support these four lead bioflavonoids as potential inhibitors of KRAS G12D SI/SII inhibitors. We finally conclude that these four bioflavonoids have potential inhibitory activity against the KRAS G12D mutant, and are further to be studied in vitro and in vivo, to evaluate their therapeutic potential and the utility of these compounds against KRAS G12D mutated cancers.