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Song L, Mino M, Yamak J, Nguyen V, Lopez D, Pham V, Fazelpour A, Le V, Fu D, Tippin M, Uchio E, Zi X. Flavokawain A Reduces Tumor-Initiating Properties and Stemness of Prostate Cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:943846. [PMID: 35912174 PMCID: PMC9326116 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.943846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously demonstrated the in vivo chemopreventive efficacy of flavokawain A (FKA), a novel chalcone from the kava plant, in prostate carcinogenesis models. However, the mechanisms of the anticarcinogenic effects of FKA remain largely unknown. We evaluated the effect of FKA on prostate tumor spheroid formation by prostate cancer stem cells, which were sorted out from CD44+/CD133+ prostate cancer cells 22Rv1 and DU145. FKA treatment significantly decreased both the size and numbers of the tumor spheroids over different generations of spheroid passages. In addition, the dietary feeding of FKA-formulated food to Nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice bearing CD44+/CD133+ 22Rv1 xenograft tumors resulted in a significant reduction of tumor growth compared to those fed with vehicle control food–fed mice. Furthermore, the expression of stem cell markers, such as Nanog, Oct4, and CD44, were markedly downregulated in both tumor spheroids and tumor tissues. We also observed that FKA inhibits Ubc12 neddylation, c-Myc, and keratin-8 expression in both CD44+/CD133+ prostate tumor spheroids and xenograft tumors. Our results suggest that FKA can reduce the tumor-initiating properties and stemness of prostate cancer, which provides a new mechanism for the chemoprevention efficacy of FKA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liankun Song
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
| | - Merci Mino
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
| | - Jana Yamak
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
| | - Vyvyan Nguyen
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
| | - Derron Lopez
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
| | - Victor Pham
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Ali Fazelpour
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
| | - Vinh Le
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
| | - Dongjun Fu
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
| | - Matthew Tippin
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
| | - Edward Uchio
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Orange, CA, United States
| | - Xiaolin Zi
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orang, CA, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Orange, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Xiaolin Zi,
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Identification of Novel Cannabinoid CB2 Receptor Agonists from Botanical Compounds and Preliminary Evaluation of Their Anti-Osteoporotic Effects. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27030702. [PMID: 35163968 PMCID: PMC8838898 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27030702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
As cannabinoid CB2 receptors (CB2R) possess various pharmacological effects—including anti-epilepsy, analgesia, anti-inflammation, anti-fibrosis, and regulation of bone metabolism—without the psychoactive side effects induced by cannabinoid CB1R activation, they have become the focus of research and development of new target drugs in recent years. The present study was intended to (1) establish a double luciferase screening system for a CB2R modulator; (2) validate the agonistic activities of the screened compounds on CB2R by determining cAMP accumulation using HEK293 cells that are stably expressing CB2R; (3) predict the binding affinity between ligands and CB2 receptors and characterize the binding modes using molecular docking; (4) analyze the CB2 receptors–ligand complex stability, conformational behavior, and interaction using molecular dynamics; and (5) evaluate the regulatory effects of the screened compounds on bone metabolism in osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The results demonstrated that the screening system had good stability and was able to screen cannabinoid CB2R modulators from botanical compounds. Altogether, nine CB2R agonists were identified by screening from 69 botanical compounds, and these CB2R agonists exhibited remarkable inhibitory effects on cAMP accumulation and good affinity to CB2R, as evidenced by the molecular docking and molecular dynamics. Five of the nine CB2R agonists could stimulate osteoblastic bone formation and inhibit osteoclastic bone resorption. All these findings may provide useful clues for the development of novel anti-osteoporotic drugs and help elucidate the mechanism underlying the biological activities of CB2R agonists identified from the botanical materials.
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