Alpinetin inhibits lung cancer progression and elevates sensitization drug-resistant lung cancer cells to cis-diammined dichloridoplatium

Alpinetin: a Dietary Flavonoid with Diverse Anticancer Effects

Cancer is  a global burden and mechanistically complex disease with a plethora of genetic, physiological, metabolic, and environmental alterations. The development of dietary nutraceuticals into cancer chemotherapeutics has emerged as a new paradigm in cancer treatment. Alpinetin (ALPI) is a novel flavonoid component of multiple edible and medicinal plants and possesses a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities including antibacterial, anti-hemostatic, anti-oxidative, anti-hepatotoxic, stomachic, immunosuppressive, and anti-inflammatory. Recently, ALPI has been reported as a bioactive dietary nutraceutical with promising anticancer activity in various human cancers through multiple mechanisms. The purpose of this review is to compile the data on natural sources of ALPI, and its anticancer activity including cellular targets and anticancer mechanism in various human cancers. Moreover, this review will set the stage for further design and conduct pre-clinical and clinical trials to develop ALPI into a lead structure for oncological therapy.

Antineoplastic effects of erufosine on small cell and non-small cell lung cancer cells through induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer (LC) is the most common types of cancer worldwide and is marked by high mortality rate. LC is classified into two major types due to their molecular and histological properties; non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Currently, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the most common treatment options of LC. However, the survival rate of LC is still very poor. Therefore, new treatment strategies are urgently needed. Erufosine (ErPC3) is a novel alkylphosphocholine and inhibits the translocation of Akt to the plasma membrane.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In the current study, the effects of ErPC3 in NSCLC cell line A549 and SCLC cell line DMS 114 in terms of cell viability, induction of apoptosis, cell cycle phase distribution, gene and protein expression levels, and migration capacity were investigated. 25 µM ErPC3 exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity against in both cancer cells. However, DMS 114 was more sensitive to ErPC3 than A549. Similarly, ErPC3 induced apoptotic cell ratio in DMS114 was significantly greater than A549. 25 µM ErPC3 caused the accumulation of both cell in G2/M phase. The levels of BCL-2 were downregulated and CASPASE 3-7 and BAX were upregulated while p-Akt levels were reduced in A549 and DMS 114 cells treated with 25 µM ErPC3. Besides, ErPC3 displayed anti-migratory effect on A549 and DMS 114.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that ErPC3 may be a promising novel therapeutic candidate for treatment of LC. ErPC3 treatment merits further investigation as potential agent against LC.

Alpinetin: A Review of Its Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics

Flavonoids isolated from medicinal herbs have been utilized as valuable health-care agents due to their virous biological applications. Alpinetin is a natural flavonoid that emerges in many widely used medicinal plants, and has been frequently applied in Chinese patent drugs. Accumulated evidence has demonstrated that alpinetin possesses a broad range of pharmacological activities such as antitumor, antiinflammation, hepatoprotective, cardiovascular protective, lung protective, antibacterial, antiviral, neuroprotective, and other properties through regulating multiple signaling pathways with low systemic toxicity. However, pharmacokinetic studies have documented that alpinetin may have poor oral bioavailability correlated to its extensive glucuronidation. Currently, the reported pharmacological properties and pharmacokinetics profiles of alpinetin are rare to be scientifically reviewed. In this article, we aimed to highlight the mechanisms of action of alpinetin in various diseases to strongly support its curative potentials for prospective clinical applications. We also summarized the pharmacokinetics properties and proposed some viable strategies to convey an appreciable reference for future advances of alpinetin in drug development.

Preclinical Investigation of Alpinetin in the Treatment of Cancer-Induced Cachexia via Activating PPARγ

The ongoing loss of skeletal muscle is a central event of cancer cachexia, and its consequences include adverse effects on patient’s quality of life and survival. Alpinetin (Alp), a natural plant-derived flavonoid obtained from Alpinia katsumadai Hayata, has been reported to possess potent anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of Alp in the prevention of cancer cachexia. We found that Alp (25–100 μM) dose-dependently attenuated Lewis lung carcinoma–conditioned medium-induced C2C12 myotube atrophy and reduced expression of the E3 ligases Atrogin-1 and MuRF1. Moreover, Alp administration markedly improved vital features of cancer cachexia in vivo with visible reduction of the loss of tumor-free body weight and wasting of multiple tissues, including skeletal muscle, epididymal fat, and decreased expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF1 in cachectic muscle. Alp suppressed the elevated spleen weight and serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6. Further, Alp treatment remained protective against cancer cachexia in the advanced stage of tumor growth. Molecular docking results suggested that Alp was docked into the active site of PPARγ with the docking score of –7.6 kcal/mol, forming a hydrogen bond interaction with PPARγ protein amino acid residue HIS449 with a bond length of 3.3 Å. Mechanism analysis revealed that Alp activated PPARγ, resulting in the downregulated phosphorylation of NF-κB and STAT3 in vitro and in vivo. PPARγ inhibition induced by GW9662 notably attenuated the improvement of Alp on the above cachexia phenomenon, indicating that PPARγ activation mediated the therapeutic effect of Alp. These findings suggested that Alp might be a potential therapeutic candidate against cancer cachexia.

Anticancer mechanism of breviscapine in non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells acts via ROS-mediated upregulation of IGFBP4

Background

The overall 5-year survival rate of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is less than 15% because of multiple drug resistance to chemotherapy and the limitations of early diagnosis. Thus, safe and effective drugs to treat NSCLC are required. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of breviscapine (BVP) on NSCLC cell apoptosis and proliferation, and to study its possible mechanisms.

Methods

Using the NSCLC A549 cell line and BVP (0, 25, 50, and 100 µM), the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to detect A549 cell proliferation, and flow cytometry was used to assess cell apoptosis. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 (IGFBP4) levels was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and western blotting. Flow cytometry of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide was used to assess intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Western blotting was used to assess the levels of BCL2-associated X, apoptosis regulator (BAX) and B-cell CLL/lymphoma 2 (BCL2). Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to assess IGFBP4 mRNA expression.

Results

BVP induced apoptosis, inhibited cell proliferation, and increased ROS in A549 cells. Western blotting and qRT-PCR showed that BVP increased IGFBP4 protein and mRNA expressions in A549 cells. Compared with BVP treatment alone, IGFBP4 expression decreased in A549 cells treated with BVP and the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine. IGFBP4 overexpression increased BVP-induced proliferation inhibition, while increasing BAX expression and decreasing BCL2 expression. Silencing IGFBP4 had the opposite effects.

Conclusions

BVP could inhibit the growth of NSCLC A549 cells by promoting apoptosis via ROS-mediated upregulation of IGFBP4.

Natural Products Targeting the Mitochondria in Cancers

There are abundant sources of anticancer drugs in nature that have a broad prospect in anticancer drug discovery. Natural compounds, with biological activities extracted from plants and marine and microbial metabolites, have significant antitumor effects, but their mechanisms are various. In addition to providing energy to cells, mitochondria are involved in processes, such as cell differentiation, cell signaling, and cell apoptosis, and they have the ability to regulate cell growth and cell cycle. Summing up recent data on how natural products regulate mitochondria is valuable for the development of anticancer drugs. This review focuses on natural products that have shown antitumor effects via regulating mitochondria. The search was done in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, over a 5-year period, between 2015 and 2020, with a keyword search that focused on natural products, natural compounds, phytomedicine, Chinese medicine, antitumor, and mitochondria. Many natural products have been studied to have antitumor effects on different cells and can be further processed into useful drugs to treat cancer. In the process of searching for valuable new drugs, natural products such as terpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, coumarins, and quinones cover the broad space.

Alpinetin inhibits breast cancer growth by ROS/NF-κB/HIF-1α axis

Alpinetin, the main active ingredient in the Chinese medicinal herb Alpinia katsumadai Hayata, has been found to have anticancer activity. However, the therapeutic efficacy of signalling cascades modulated by alpinetin remains unknown. Here, we showed that alpinetin provoked mitochondria‐associated apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner in breast cancer cells. Mechanistic investigations revealed that alpinetin dampens hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) signalling due to a lack of NF‐κB activation through reduced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, decreasing HIF‐1α transcription. In vivo, we also found alpinetin led to significant tumour regression by inhibiting NF‐κB pathway. Overall, our work uncovers a ROS/NF‐κB/HIF‐1α axis‐dependent mechanism underlying the anticancer effects of alpinetin and suggests that alpinetin could act as a novel therapeutic agent against breast cancer.

Metabolic Profiling of Alpinetin in Rat Plasma, Urine, Bile and Feces after Intragastric Administration

Alpinetin, a bioactive flavonoid, has been known to have a diverse therapeutic effect, with namely anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidant effects with low systemic toxicity. This study aimed to obtain metabolic profiles of alpinetin in orally administrated rats. The metabolites of alpinetin were systematically analyzed and identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The chromatographic separation was achieved on a High Strength Silica (HSS) T3 (1.8 μm, 2.1 × 100 mm) column with the mobile phase consisting of water containing 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid via gradient elution. An extracted ion chromatogram strategy based on multiple prototype/metabolite intermediate templates and 71 typical metabolic reactions was proposed to comprehensively profile the metabolites of alpinetin. With the metabolite profiling strategy, altogether 15 compounds were recognized from urine, plasma, bile and feces of rats after intragastric administration of alpinetin for the first time. The prototype, glucuronide conjugates and phenolic acids metabolites were the probable predominant form of alpinetin in rats. This work showed a comprehensive study of the probable metabolic pathways of alpinetin in vivo, which could provide meaningful information for future pharmacological studies.

Alpinetin Inhibits Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Proliferation via miR-211-5p Upregulation and Notch Pathway Deactivation

Background: The effect of alpinetin (ALP) on miR-211-5p level and function in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unclear.Materials and methods: Human OSCC cell lines (CAL-27 and TCA-8113) and a mouse xenograft model with subcutaneously injected TCA-8113 cells were used. Effect of ALP treatment on cell viability, cell cycle distributions, and p-p53, p21, c-PARP, cyclin D1, NICD, HES1, and miR-211-5p expression levels was analyzed. Influence of ALP on tumor volume and weight was determined.Results: ALP treatment (at doses 400 and 500 µM) significantly decreased the viability of CAL-27 and TCA-8113 cells (P < 0.05). It upregulated the number of cells in G1 phase and miR-211-5p expression, increased p-p53, p21, and c-PARP levels, and decreased cyclin D1 levels. Furthermore, miR-211-5p mimic treatment increased the number of cells in G1 phase, and p53, p21, and c-PARP levels, and decreased cyclin D1 levels. Contrasting effects were observed under anti-miR-211-5p treatment. ALP downregulated NICD and HES1, whereas anti-miR-211-5p increased NICD and HES1 expression. ALP effects were alleviated in both cell lines under Jagged-1 overexpression plasmid treatment. Finally, ALP inhibited tumor growth and increased miR-211-5p expression in vivo.Conclusion: ALP-induced miR-211-5p upregulation and Notch pathway deactivation may be involved in its anti-proliferative effects in OSCC.

Breviscapine suppresses the growth of non-small cell lung cancer by enhancing microRNA-7 expression

Breviscapine (BVP) has previously been shown to inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. However, little is known about the effects of BVP on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) growth. Here, we aimed to study the effects of BVP on human NSCLC growth. We employed A549, NCL-H460 and A549 cells transfected with microRNA-7 (miR-7) mimic and inhibitor to investigate the effect of BVP on cell proliferation, apoptosis and apoptosis-associated molecules. The results showed that BVP significantly reduced the growth of A549 and NCLH460 cells in a concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner, accompanied by a significant elevation of apoptosis. Additionally, the present study also confirmed that BVP-treated A549 cells showed increased levels of Bax and microRNA-7 (miR-7) and a decreased level of Bcl-2. The up-regulation of miR-7 enhanced the BVP sensitivity of NSCLC cells by suppressing cell proliferation and promoting cell apoptosis, while the inhibition of miR-7 reversed the anti-proliferative pro-apoptotic effects of BVP. Pre-treatment with miR-7 mimics enhanced the BVP-mediated down-regulation of Bax/Bcl-2 in NSCLC cells, while pre-treatment with the miR-7 inhibitor blocked the BVPmediated down-regulation of Bax/Bcl. Taken together, these results confirm that BVP effectively inhibits NSCLC proliferation and that miR-7, as a novel target, is likely involved in BVP-induced growth suppression and the apoptosis of NSCLC cells.