Antiangiogenesis Efficacy of Ethanol Extract from Amomum tsaoko in Ovarian Cancer through Inducing ER Stress to Suppress p-STAT3/NF-kB/IL-6 and VEGF Loop. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020;2020:2390125. [PMID: 32190078 PMCID: PMC7066415 DOI: 10.1155/2020/2390125]

Insights into the key odorants in fresh and dried Amomum tsaoko using the sensomics approach

To identify the key odorants in Amomum tsaoko (AT), volatiles in fresh AT (FAT) and dried AT (DAT) were investigated using molecular sensory science. In addition to this, the sensomics approach was used to confirm the presence of the compound in FAT that contributed the most to its aroma profile. A total of 49 odor-active compounds (43 in FAT and 42 in DAT) with flavor dilution (FD) factors ranging from 1 to 6561 were identified, with eucalyptol exhibiting the highest FD factor of 6561. Odorants with FD factors ≥ 27 were quantitated, and 23 and 20 compounds in FAT and DAT, respectively, with odor activity value ≥ 1 were determined as key odorants. Recombination and omission experiment further indicated that (E)-2-dodecenal, geranial, octanal, (E)-2-octenal, (E)-2-decenal, and eucalyptol contributed significantly to the overall aroma profile of FAT. After drying of FAT, the concentrations of aldehydes decreased significantly, whereas those of terpene hydrocarbons increased. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that 26 FAT and 23 DAT odorants were biomarker compounds.

Natural products' antiangiogenic roles in gynecological cancer

Gynecological cancers pose a significant threat to women's health. Although the pathogenesis of gynecological cancer remains incompletely understood, angiogenesis is widely acknowledged as a fundamental pathological mechanism driving tumor cell growth, invasion, and metastasis. Targeting angiogenesis through natural products has emerged as a crucial strategy for treating gynecological cancer. In this review, we conducted comprehensive searches in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Science Direct, and CNKI databases from the first publication until May 2023 to identify natural products that target angiogenesis in gynecologic tumors. Our findings revealed 63 natural products with anti-angiogenic activity against gynecological cancer. These results underscore the significance of these natural products in augmenting their anticancer effects by modulating other factors within the tumor microenvironment via their impact on angiogenesis. This article focuses on exploring the potential of natural products in targeting blood vessels within gynecological cancer to provide novel research perspectives for targeted vascular therapy while laying a solid theoretical foundation for new drug development.

Curcumin potentiates the anti-inflammatory effects of Tehranolide by modulating the STAT3/NF-κB signaling pathway in breast and ovarian cancer cell lines

BACKGROUND

Studies have demonstrated that natural products, such as curcumin and artemisinin, possess anti-inflammatory effects, which can be beneficial for cancer treatment. Tehranolide, as a novel natural product, has a wide range of biological activities, including anti-cancer effects. However, many properties of Tehranolide, like its anti-inflammatory activity and its combination with curcumin, have not been investigated yet. This investigation examined the anti-inflammatory activity of Tehranolide, either alone or in combination with curcumin, via modulating the NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) and STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) signaling pathways in MDA-MB-231 and SKOV3, breast and ovarian cancer cell lines.

METHODS

ELISA-based methods were employed to measure the pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and the NF-κB activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cells. The real-time PCR experiment and Griess test were performed to evaluate inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression and nitrite levels, respectively. The STAT3 and NF-κB signaling pathways were investigated by Western blotting analysis. Tehranolide's anti-cancer activity was also assessed in a mouse model of breast cancer using the TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick-end labeling) assay.

RESULTS

Tehranolide diminished levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in cancer cells. Additionally, it suppressed NF-κB DNA binding and STAT3 phosphorylation, reducing iNOS gene expression and nitrite production. Moreover, Western blotting showed that Tehranolide enhanced the inhibitory κB (IκBα) and Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2)-associated X (BAX) expression, and downregulated the expression of Bcl-2 proteins. Furthermore, the TUNEL assay demonstrated that Tehranolide induced apoptosis in a breast cancer mouse model. Curcumin potentiated all the anti-inflammatory effects of Tehranolide.

CONCLUSION

This investigation indicated for the first time that Tehranolide, either alone or in combination with curcumin, exerted its anti-inflammatory effects by suppressing NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways in SKOV3 and MDA-MB-231 cells.

A novel imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivative and its co-administration with curcumin exert anti-inflammatory effects by modulating the STAT3/NF-κB/iNOS/COX-2 signaling pathway in breast and ovarian cancer cell lines

Introduction

Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives with diverse pharmacological properties and curcumin, as a potential natural anti-inflammatory compound, are promising compounds for cancer treatment. This study aimed to synthesize a novel imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivative, (MIA), and evaluate its anti-inflammatory activity and effects on nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathways, and their target genes, alone and in combination with curcumin, in MDA-MB-231 and SKOV3 cell lines.

Methods

We evaluated the interaction between imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ligand, curcumin, and NF-κB p50 protein, using molecular docking studies. MTT assay was used to investigate the impacts of compounds on cell viability. To evaluate the NF-κB DNA binding activity and the level of inflammatory cytokines in response to the compounds, ELISA-based methods were performed. In addition, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting were carried out to analyze the expression of genes and investigate NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways.

Results

Molecular docking studies showed that MIA docked into the NF-κB p50 subunit, and curcumin augmented its binding. The MTT assay results indicated that MIA and its combination with curcumin reduced cell viability. According to the results of the ELISA-based methods, MIA lowered the levels of inflammatory cytokines and suppressed NF-κB activity. In addition, real-time PCR and Griess test results showed that the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) genes, and nitrite production were reduced by MIA. Furthermore, the western blotting analysis demonstrated that MIA increased the expression of inhibitory κB (IκBα) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X proteins (BAX), and suppressed the STAT3 phosphorylation, and Bcl-2 expression. Our findings revealed that curcumin had a potentiating role and enhanced all the anti-inflammatory effects of MIA.

Conclusion

This study indicated that the anti-inflammatory activity of MIA is exerted by suppressing the NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways in MDA-MB-231 and SKOV3 cancer cell lines.

De novo transcriptome assembly, gene annotation, and EST-SSR marker development of an important medicinal and edible crop, Amomum tsaoko (Zingiberaceae)

BACKGROUND

Amomum tsaoko is a medicinal and food dual-use crop that belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. However, the lack of transcriptomic and genomic information has limited the understanding of the genetic basis of this species. Here, we performed transcriptome sequencing of samples from different A. tsaoko tissues, and identified and characterized the expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers.

RESULTS

A total of 58,278,226 high-quality clean reads were obtained and de novo assembled to generate 146,911 unigenes with an N50 length of 2002 bp. A total of 128,174 unigenes were successfully annotated by searching seven protein databases, and 496 unigenes were identified as annotated as putative terpenoid biosynthesis-related genes. Furthermore, a total of 55,590 EST-SSR loci were detected, and 42,333 primer pairs were successfully designed. We randomly selected 80 primer pairs to validate their polymorphism in A. tsaoko; 18 of these primer pairs produced distinct, clear, and reproducible polymorphisms. A total of 98 bands and 96 polymorphic bands were amplified by 18 pairs of EST-SSR primers for the 72 A. tsaoko accessions. The Shannon's information index (I) ranged from 0.477 (AM208) to 1.701 (AM242) with an average of 1.183, and the polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.223 (AM208) to 0.779 (AM247) with an average of 0.580, indicating that these markers had a high level of polymorphism. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated relatively low genetic differentiation among the six A. tsaoko populations. Cross-species amplification showed that 14 of the 18 EST-SSR primer pairs have transferability between 11 Zingiberaceae species.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study is the first to provide transcriptome data of this important medicinal and edible crop, and these newly developed EST-SSR markers are a very efficient tool for germplasm evaluation, genetic diversity, and molecular marker-assisted selection in A. tsaoko.

Effects of alendronate combined with local radiotherapy on serum Akt/GSK3β and bone metabolism levels in patients with bone metastases from primary liver cancer

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of alendronate combined with local radiotherapy on the level of serum Akt/GSK3β and bone metabolism in patients of primary liver cancer with bone metastases.

METHODS

Clinical data of 68 patients of primary liver cancer with bone metastases and treated in Shanghai General Hospital, a hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different surgical methods, the patients were divided into a control group, with 33 cases treated with local radiotherapy plus Oxycodone hydrochloride extended-release tablets, and a study group, with 35 cases treated with alendronate combined with local radiotherapy. The remission rate and adverse reaction rate were compared between the two groups. In addition, we observed and compared the liver function indexes (total bilirubin (TBIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)), serum Akt/GSK3β level, bone metabolism levels (bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and levels of osteocalcin (OST)), α-fetoprotein (AFP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), osteopontin (OPN), matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9), and quality of life of the patients in two groups before and after treatment.

RESULTS

A higher remission rate was observed in the study group (94.29%) than that in the control group (75.76%) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the adverse reaction rate between the study group (20.00%) and the control group (12.12%) (P>0.05). In both groups, the post-treatment serum levels of TBIL, ALT, ALP, Akt, GSK3β, AFP, VEGF, OPN, MMP-9, hardship and nausea due to cancer were all decreased, while serum levels of BAP and OST, and psychological, physical and social functions were all increased (all P<0.05). The improvement of the above indicators in the study group were better than those in the control group (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The use of alendronate combined with local radiotherapy received good response in patients of primary liver cancer with bone metastasis. In addition, their liver function, bone metabolism levels and quality of life all improved without increasing adverse reactions. The underlying mechanism may be related to the regulation of Akt and GSK3β levels.

Co-Targeting Tumor Angiogenesis and Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment: A Perspective in Ethnopharmacology

Tumor angiogenesis is one of the most important processes of cancer deterioration via nurturing an immunosuppressive tumor environment (TME). Targeting tumor angiogenesis has been widely accepted as a cancer intervention approach, which is also synergistically associated with immune therapy. However, drug resistance is the biggest challenge of anti-angiogenesis therapy, which affects the outcomes of anti-angiogeneic agents, and even combined with immunotherapy. Here, emerging targets and representative candidate molecules from ethnopharmacology (including traditional Chinese medicine, TCM) have been focused, and they have been proved to regulate tumor angiogenesis. Further investigations on derivatives and delivery systems of these molecules will provide a comprehensive landscape in preclinical studies. More importantly, the molecule library of ethnopharmacology meets the viability for targeting angiogenesis and TME simultaneously, which is attributed to the pleiotropy of pro-angiogenic factors (such as VEGF) toward cancer cells, endothelial cells, and immune cells. We primarily shed light on the potentiality of ethnopharmacology against tumor angiogenesis, particularly TCM. More research studies concerning the crosstalk between angiogenesis and TME remodeling from the perspective of botanical medicine are awaited.

Novel Insight Into Nutritional Regulation in Enhancement of Immune Status and Mediation of Inflammation Dynamics Integrated Study In Vivo and In Vitro of Teleost Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella): Administration of Threonine

This study aims to investigate the effects of threonine (Thr) on immunoregulation in vivo and in vitro of teleost grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Juveniles (9.53 ± 0.02 g) were reared for 8 weeks with respective Thr diet (3.99, 7.70, 10.72, 14.10, 17.96, and 21.66 g/kg) and then challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila for in vivo study. Macrophages isolated from head kidney were treated in vitro for 48 h with L-Thr (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 mM) after 6 h of lipopolysaccharide induction. The results showed that, compared with Thr deficiency (3.99 g/kg), the optimal dietary Thr (14.10g/kg) affected the immunocyte activation in the head kidney (HK) and spleen (SP) by downregulating the mRNA expressions of MHC-II and upregulating CD4 (not CD8), and it mediated the innate immune by enhancing the activities of lysozyme (LZ), acid phosphatase content of complement 3 (C3) and C4, increasing the mRNA abundances of hepcidin, liver expressed antimicrobial peptide-2A (LEAP-2A), LEAP-2B, β-defensin1, downregulating tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), IL-6, IL-1β, IL-12p35, IL-12p40, IL-17AF1, and IL-17D partly by attenuating RORγ1 transcriptional factor and nuclear factor kappa B p65 (NF-κBp65) signaling cascades [IKKβ/IκBα/NF-κBp65] and upregulating transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), IL-4/13A, -4/13B, IL-10, and IL-22 partly by GATA-3. Besides these, the optimal dietary Thr regulated the adaptive immune by upregulating the mRNAs of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgZ (not IgD). Moreover, 2 mM Thr downregulated in vitro the mRNA abundances of colony stimulating factor-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase, mannose receptor 1, matrix metalloproteinase2 (MMP-2), and MMP-9 significantly (P < 0.05), indicating that Thr could attenuate the M1-type macrophages’ activation. Moreover, L-Thr downregulated the mRNA transcripts of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β associated with impairing the SOCS1/STAT1 signaling and upregulated IL-10 and TGF-β1 partly by accentuating the SOCS3/STAT3 pathway. The above-mentioned observations suggested that Thr improved the immune status in the immune organs of fish by enhancing the immune defense and mediating the inflammation process. Finally, based on the immune indices of LZ activity in HK and C3 content in SP, the optimal Thr for immune enhancement in juvenile grass carp (9.53–53.43 g) was determined to be 15.70 g/kg diet (4.85 g/100 g protein) and 14.49 g/kg diet (4.47 g/100 g protein), respectively.

Nano-Drug Delivery Systems Entrapping Natural Bioactive Compounds for Cancer: Recent Progress and Future Challenges

Cancer is a prominent cause of mortality globally, and it becomes fatal and incurable if it is delayed in diagnosis. Chemotherapy is a type of treatment that is used to eliminate, diminish, or restrict tumor progression. Chemotherapeutic medicines are available in various formulations. Some tumors require just one type of chemotherapy medication, while others may require a combination of surgery and/or radiotherapy. Treatments might last from a few minutes to many hours to several days. Each medication has potential adverse effects associated with it. Researchers have recently become interested in the use of natural bioactive compounds in anticancer therapy. Some phytochemicals have effects on cellular processes and signaling pathways with potential antitumor properties. Beneficial anticancer effects of phytochemicals were observed in both in vivo and in vitro investigations. Encapsulating natural bioactive compounds in different drug delivery methods may improve their anticancer efficacy. Greater in vivo stability and bioavailability, as well as a reduction in undesirable effects and an enhancement in target-specific activity, will increase the effectiveness of bioactive compounds. This review work focuses on a novel drug delivery system that entraps natural bioactive substances. It also provides an idea of the bioavailability of phytochemicals, challenges and limitations of standard cancer therapy. It also encompasses recent patents on nanoparticle formulations containing a natural anti-cancer molecule.

Treatment repurposing for inflammatory bowel disease using literature-related discovery and innovation

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) incidence has been increasing steadily, most dramatically in the Western developed countries. Treatment often includes lifelong immunosuppressive therapy and surgery. There is a critical need to reduce the burden of IBD and to discover medical therapies with better efficacy and fewer potential side-effects. Repurposing of treatments originally studied in other diseases with similar pathogenesis is less costly and time intensive than de novo drug discovery. This study used a treatment repurposing methodology, the literature-related discovery and innovation (LRDI) text mining system, to identify potential treatments (developed for non-IBD diseases) with sufficient promise for extrapolation to treatment of IBD. By searching for desirable patterns of twenty key biomarkers relevant to IBD (e.g., inflammation, reactive oxygen species, autophagy, barrier function), the LRDI-based query retrieved approximately 9500 records from Medline. The most recent 350 records were further analyzed for proof-of-concept. Approximately 18% (64/350) met the criteria for discovery (not previously studied in IBD human or animal models) and relevance for application to IBD treatment. Many of the treatments were compounds derived from herbal remedies, and the majority of treatments were being studied in cancer, diabetes, and central nervous system disease, such as depression and dementia. As further validation of the search strategy, the query identified ten treatments that have just recently begun testing in IBD models in the last three years. Literature-related discovery and innovation text mining contains a unique search strategy with tremendous potential to identify treatments for repurposing. A more comprehensive query with additional key biomarkers would have retrieved many thousands more records, further increasing the yield of IBD treatment repurposing discovery.