Synergistic Antitumor Effects of Berbamine and Paclitaxel through ROS/Akt Pathway in Glioma Cells

In vitro interactions of berbamine hydrochloride and azoles against Aspergillus fumigatus

The growing resistance of Aspergillus to azoles poses a significant challenge in treating invasive fungal infections. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic effect of berbamine hydrochloride (BBM) combined with azoles in treating Aspergillus fumigatus and explore the role of efflux pump inhibition in this synergy. The efficacy of combining BBM with itraconazole (ITC), voriconazole (VOR), and posaconazole (POS) was tested against 69 A. fumigatus strains that had been identified using the M38-A3 broth microdilution method. quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to measure gene expression related to synergy, while flow cytometry was employed to assess mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and Rhodamine 6G exocytosis assays were performed to quantify efflux pump activity. BBM alone showed no significant antifungal activity. BBM combined with POS exhibited synergy against 66 strains (95.7%), while two clinical isolates (Af05/Af08) and one defective strain (Δcdr1B) showed no synergy. Synergy with ITC was observed in three strains (4.3%), but not with VOR. In the non-synergistic Af05 and Af08 strains, the expression of the cdr1B gene was significantly lower compared to wild-type (WT) strains. ROS levels increased significantly in WT with POS and BBM combination therapy, but not in the defective strains. Glucose uptake was also reduced in the POS-BBM combination. BBM enhances azole sensitivity in A. fumigatus primarily by inhibiting the cdr1B-mediated efflux pump, supported by reduced Rhodamine 6G exocytosis and synergy loss in cdr1B-deficient strains. ROS accumulation and metabolic disruption may further contribute to this synergy. Targeting efflux pumps with BBM provides a novel strategy to combat azole resistance.

IMPORTANCE

The combination of berbamine hydrochloride and posaconazole effectively enhances azole sensitivity in Aspergillus fumigatus by reducing efflux pump activity and increasing reactive oxygen species levels. The findings offer a promising strategy to combat azole resistance in invasive fungal infections.

The biology and total syntheses of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids

This mini-review provides a concise overview of the biosynthetic pathway and pharmacology of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid (bisBIA) natural products. Additional emphasis is given to the methodologies in the total syntheses of both simpler acyclic diaryl ether dimers and their macrocyclic counterparts bearing two diaryl ether linkages.

Berbamine Suppresses the Progression of Bladder Cancer by Modulating the ROS/NF-κB Axis

Berbamine (BBM), one of the bioactive ingredients extracted from Berberis plants, has attracted intensive attention because of its significant antitumor activity against various malignancies. However, the exact role and potential molecular mechanism of berbamine in bladder cancer (BCa) remain unclear. In the present study, our results showed that berbamine inhibited cell viability, colony formation, and proliferation. Additionally, berbamine induced cell cycle arrest at S phase by a synergistic mechanism involving stimulation of P21 and P27 protein expression as well as downregulation of CyclinD, CyclinA2, and CDK2 protein expression. In addition to suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), berbamine rearranged the cytoskeleton to inhibit cell metastasis. Mechanistically, the expression of P65, P-P65, and P-IκBα was decreased upon berbamine treatment, yet P65 overexpression abrogated the effects of berbamine on the proliferative and metastatic potential of BCa cells, which indicated that berbamine attenuated the malignant biological activities of BCa cells by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway. More importantly, berbamine increased the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level through the downregulation of antioxidative genes such as Nrf2, HO-1, SOD2, and GPX-1. Following ROS accumulation, the intrinsic apoptotic pathway was triggered by an increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. Furthermore, berbamine-mediated ROS accumulation negatively regulated the NF-κB pathway to a certain degree. Consistent with our in vitro results, berbamine successfully inhibited tumor growth and blocked the NF-κB pathway in our xenograft model. To summarize, our data demonstrated that berbamine exerts antitumor effects via the ROS/NF-κB signaling axis in bladder cancer, which provides a basis for further comprehensive study and presents a potential candidate for clinical treatment strategies against bladder cancer.

Bersavine: A Novel Bisbenzylisoquinoline Alkaloidwith Cytotoxic, Antiproliferative and Apoptosis-Inducing Effects on Human Leukemic Cells

Bersavine is the new bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from the Berberis vulgaris L. (Berberidaceae) plant. The results of cytotoxicity screening 48 h post-treatment showed that bersavine considerably inhibits the proliferation and viability of leukemic (Jurkat, MOLT-4), colon (HT-29), cervix (HeLa) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cells with IC₅₀ values ranging from 8.1 to 11 µM. The viability and proliferation of leukemic Jurkat and MOLT-4 cells were decreased after bersavine treatment in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Bersavine manifested concentration-dependent antiproliferative activity in human lung, breast, ovarian and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines using a xCELLigence assay. Significantly higher percentages of MOLT-4 cells exposed to bersavine at 20 µM for 24 h were arrested in the G1 phase of the cell cycle using the flow cytometry method. The higher percentage of apoptotic cells was measured after 24 h of bersavine treatment. The upregulation of p53 phosphorylated on Ser392 was detected during the progression of MOLT-4 cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, bersavine-induced apoptosis is an effect of increased activity of caspases, while reduced proliferation seems dependent on increased Chk1 Ser345 phosphorylation and decreased Rb Ser807/811 phosphorylation in human leukemic cells.

In vitro and in vivo superior radiosensitizing effect of berbamine for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Berbamine (BBM), one of the bis-benzylisoquinoline products isolated from Berberis amurensis, has been demonstrated for its anticancer effect against leukemia, breast cancer, liver cancer, etc. There are some studies focusing on the chemosensitization effect of BBM. However, there is no report about whether BBM could enhance the anticancer effect of radiation, which made us to explore the possible radiosensitization effect of BBM.

Materials and methods

Here, in vitro cytotoxicity of BBM was evaluated on two kinds of head and neck squamous cancer cell lines. Clonogenic assay was performed to study the radiosensitization effect of BBM. Western blot was utilized to elucidate the possible mechanism underlying the radiosensitization effect.

Results

BBM effectively inhibited the growth of two kinds of cancer cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Radiation plus BBM led to significantly more reduction of the colony-forming ability of cancer cells when compared with radiation alone. BBM plus radiation led to the most reduction of STAT3 phosphorylation, followed by the significant decrease of the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. In vivo study demonstrated that the combinational administration of BBM and radiation generated the most significant tumor-delaying effect among all of the treatment regimens.

Conclusion

We reported, in the current study, the potential role of BBM in not only treating cancer by itself but also offering a promising way to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy by inhibiting the activation of STAT3 and subsequently inducing the apoptosis of cancer.