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Xie Y, Xu H, Gu Z. Ge-gen decoction alleviates primary dysmenorrhoea symptoms in a rat model. J OBSTET GYNAECOL 2024; 44:2337691. [PMID: 38594870 DOI: 10.1080/01443615.2024.2337691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Existing treatments for primary dysmenorrhoea (PD), such as NSAIDs, impart side effects. Ge-Gen decoction (GGD), a traditional Chinese medicine, has shown promise in treating PD, but its exact mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the efficiency of GGD in alleviating PD using a rat model to understand its precise mechanism of action. METHODS We established a rat model of dysmenorrhoea induced by oestradiol and oxytocin. The PD rats were administered GGD or Ibuprofen (positive control) intragastrically once daily for seven consecutive days. Serum levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2α), β-endorphin (β-EP), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α) were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression levels of oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in uterine tissue were measured using immunohistochemical assays, and those of phosphorylated and total extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) were assessed using western blot analysis. RESULTS Treatment with GGD significantly reduced writhing behaviour, histopathological scores, and levels of COX-2, PGE2, and PGF2α in the serum of PD rats. Additionally, GGD increased β-EP content and inhibited ERK1/2 activation and ERα expression in uterine tissues. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that GGD alleviates PD in rats by suppressing the COX-2-mediated release of PGE2 and PGF2α, modulating the ERα/ERK1/2/COX-2 pathway, and increasing β-EP content. These results provide insights into the potential mechanisms of GGD in treating PD and support its further investigation as an alternative therapy for this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazhen Xie
- Department of Gynaecology, Taicang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Taicang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haifeng Xu
- Department of Anorectal Surgery, Taicang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Taicang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhijuan Gu
- Department of Gynaecology, Taicang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Taicang, Jiangsu, China
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Wright EB, Lannigan DA. Therapeutic targeting of p90 ribosomal S6 kinase. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1297292. [PMID: 38169775 PMCID: PMC10758423 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1297292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The Serine/Threonine protein kinase family, p90 ribosomal S6 kinases (RSK) are downstream effectors of extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and are activated in response to tyrosine kinase receptor or G-protein coupled receptor signaling. RSK contains two distinct kinase domains, an N-terminal kinase (NTKD) and a C-terminal kinase (CTKD). The sole function of the CTKD is to aid in the activation of the NTKD, which is responsible for substrate phosphorylation. RSK regulates various homeostatic processes including those involved in transcription, translation and ribosome biogenesis, proliferation and survival, cytoskeleton, nutrient sensing, excitation and inflammation. RSK also acts as a major negative regulator of ERK1/2 signaling. RSK is associated with numerous cancers and has been primarily studied in the context of transformation and metastasis. The development of specific RSK inhibitors as cancer therapeutics has lagged behind that of other members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. Importantly, a pan-RSK inhibitor, PMD-026, is currently in phase I/1b clinical trials for metastatic breast cancer. However, there are four members of the RSK family, which have overlapping and distinct functions that can vary in a tissue specific manner. Thus, a problem for transitioning a RSK inhibitor to the clinic may be the necessity to develop isoform specific inhibitors, which will be challenging as the NTKDs are very similar to each other. CTKD inhibitors have limited use as therapeutics as they are not able to inhibit the activity of the NTKD but could be used in the development of proteolysis-targeting chimeras.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric B. Wright
- Department Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Deborah A. Lannigan
- Department Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
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Burgermeister E. Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase and Nuclear Hormone Receptor Crosstalk in Cancer Immunotherapy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13661. [PMID: 37686465 PMCID: PMC10488039 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The three major MAP-kinase (MAPK) pathways, ERK1/2, p38 and JNK/SAPK, are upstream regulators of the nuclear "hormone" receptor superfamily (NHRSF), with a prime example given by the estrogen receptor in breast cancer. These ligand-activated transcription factors exert non-genomic and genomic functions, where they are either post-translationally modified by phosphorylation or directly interact with components of the MAPK pathways, events that govern their transcriptional activity towards target genes involved in cell differentiation, proliferation, metabolism and host immunity. This molecular crosstalk takes place not only in normal epithelial or tumor cells, but also in a plethora of immune cells from the adaptive and innate immune system in the tumor-stroma tissue microenvironment. Thus, the drugability of both the MAPK and the NHRSF pathways suggests potential for intervention therapies, especially for cancer immunotherapy. This review summarizes the existing literature covering the expression and function of NHRSF subclasses in human tumors, both solid and leukemias, and their effects in combination with current clinically approved therapeutics against immune checkpoint molecules (e.g., PD1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Burgermeister
- Department of Medicine II, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim, Germany
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Samanta R, Pradhan KK, Sen D, Kar S, Ghosh M. Structure-based drug design-guided identification of estrogen receptor binders. Mol Divers 2023:10.1007/s11030-023-10657-z. [PMID: 37289383 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-023-10657-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is one of the life-threatening diseases and the second leading cause of death in the world. The estrogen receptor can be considered as one of the significant drug targets for cancer. A large number of clinically used anticancer drugs were identified from phytochemicals. Multiple literatures suggested that extracts of Datura sp. significantly inhibit estrogen receptors associated with human cancer. In the present study, all reported natural products present in Datura sp. were subjected to molecular docking against estrogen receptors. The top hits were shortlisted based on binding orientation and docking score and subjected to molecular dynamics simulation to explore the conformational stability followed by binding energy calculation. The ligand [(1S,5R)-8-Methyl-8-Azabicyclo [3.2.1] Octan-3-yl] (2R)-3-Hydroxy-2-Phenylpropanoate depicts highly acceptable MD simulations outcomes and drug-likeness profile. Knowledge-based de novo design and similar ligand screening were executed using the structural information. The designed ligand DL-50 exhibited satisfactory binding, drug-likeness profile, and well-accepted ADMET profile followed by easy synthetic accessibility which further requires experimental validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rojalini Samanta
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 83521, India
| | - Kishanta Kumar Pradhan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 83521, India
| | - Debanjan Sen
- BCDA College of Pharmacy & Technology, Hridaypur, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700127, India
| | - Supratik Kar
- Chemometrics and Molecular Modeling Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Kean University, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ, 07083, USA.
| | - Manik Ghosh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 83521, India.
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Sun Y, Tang L, Wu C, Wang J, Wang C. RSK inhibitors as potential anticancer agents: Discovery, optimization, and challenges. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 251:115229. [PMID: 36898330 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
Ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) family is a group of serine/threonine kinases, including four isoforms (RSK1/2/3/4). As a downstream effector of the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (Ras-MAPK) pathway, RSK participates in many physiological activities such as cell growth, proliferation, and migration, and is intimately involved in tumor occurrence and development. As a result, it is recognized as a potential target for anti-cancer and anti-resistance therapies. There have been several RSK inhibitors discovered or designed in recent decades, but only two have entered clinical trials. Low specificity, low selectivity, and poor pharmacokinetic properties in vivo limit their clinical translation. Published studies performed structure optimization by increasing interaction with RSK, avoiding hydrolysis of pharmacophores, eliminating chirality, adapting to binding site shape, and becoming prodrugs. Besides enhancing efficacy, the focus of further design will move towards selectivity since there are functional differences among RSK isoforms. This review summarized the types of cancers associated with RSK, along with the structural characteristics and optimization process of the reported RSK inhibitors. Furthermore, we addressed the importance of RSK inhibitors' selectivity and discussed future drug development directions. This review is expected to shed light on the emergence of RSK inhibitors with high potency, specificity, and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Sun
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Institute of Respiratory Health, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; Precision Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province & Precision Medicine Research Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Lichao Tang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, 60208, IL, United States
| | - Chengyong Wu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Institute of Respiratory Health, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; Precision Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province & Precision Medicine Research Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Jiaxing Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, 38163, Tennessee, United States
| | - Chengdi Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Institute of Respiratory Health, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
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