Taraxerol Induces Cell Apoptosis through A Mitochondria-Mediated Pathway in HeLa Cells

Research on the mechanisms of taraxerol for the treatment of gastric cancer effect based on network pharmacology

BACKGROUND

Modern pharmacological studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Taraxacum mongolicum possesses anti-cancer activity. Taraxerol (TRX) is a pentacyclic triterpene isolated from T. mongolicum, which is widely used in clinical treatment, and its anti-cancer effects have been extensively studied. However, the effects and molecular mechanism of TRX in gastric cancer (GC) have not been fully explicated.

METHODS

We used public databases to derive information on potential targets of TRX and proteins related to GC. Also, STRING and R3.6.2 software were used to analyze the protein-protein interaction (PPI). The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were done to explain the potential mechanism underlying the regulatory role of TRX in GC. The role of TRX in GC was verified by 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-di- phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) assay, apoptosis analysis, Transwell assay, and wound healing assay, and the key signaling pathways were verified.

RESULTS

We identified 135 potential targets for the treatment of GC via network pharmacological analysis. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that steroid hormone receptor activity and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway were the biological processes and pathways with the highest degree of enrichment. Additionally, cellular experiments revealed that TRX inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells as well as induced G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in GC cells.

CONCLUSION

Here, we used multi-target and multi-pathway network pharmacological analysis to verify the anti-cancer activity of TRX in GC. Also, in vitro experimental data were used to derive the potential molecular mechanism.

Network Pharmacology/Metabolomics-Based Validation of AMPK and PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway as a Central Role of Shengqi Fuzheng Injection Regulation of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Cancer-Related Fatigue

Chinese herbal medicines have multiple targets and properties, and their use in multidisciplinary cancer therapies has consequently received increasing attention. Here, we have investigated the possible active ingredients associated with cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in the Shengqi Fuzheng Injection (SFI). In vitro cell models were used to measure the regulation effects of SFI on CRF. Metabolomic analysis was used to identify the potential genes and pathways in C2C12 mouse myoblasts treated with SFI, and the interaction of compounds and CRF targets was predicted using network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses. The putative pathways were further verified using immuno-blotting assays. The results showed that SFI significantly inhibited muscle cell apoptosis and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential of muscle cells. The network pharmacology analysis results identified 36 candidate compounds, and 244 potential targets were yielded by SFI, and they shared 10 key targets associated with cancer-related fatigue. According to the enrichment analysis and experimental validation, SFI might ameliorate muscle cell mitochondrial function by activating AMPK and inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathways, and the expression changes of mitochondrial metabolic enzymes MnSOD and apoptosis-associated proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were also triggered. The functions and mechanisms of SFI in anticancer-related fatigue were found here to be at least partly due to the targeting of the AMPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways, and this has highlighted new potential applications for network pharmacology when researching Chinese Medicines.

miRNA-216 knockdown has effects to suppress osteosarcoma via stimulating PTEN

The aim of this study is to explain the effects and mechanism of miRNA-216 in osteosarcoma. We firstly evaluated the PTEN expression in 30 pairs of tumor and adjacent tissues which were from the 30 osteosarcoma patients. In the following cell experiments, we measured the cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell invasion, and migration abilities of NC (normal control) group, BL (blank) group, siRNA (miRNA-216 inhibitor) group, and siRNA+PTEN inhibitor group. Furthermore, we measured the relative protein expression of difference groups by WB to explain the mechanism of miRNA-216 in osteosarcoma. The PTEN was confirmed the target gene of miRNA-216 by double luciferase target test. In conclusion, miRNA-216 was an oncogene in osteosarcoma. miRNA-216 knockdown had effects to suppress cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration and improve cell apoptosis by keeping in G1 phase via PTEN.

Tanshinone I induces apoptosis and protective autophagy in human glioblastoma cells via a reactive oxygen species‑dependent pathway

Glioma is the most common primary malignancy of the central nervous system and is associated with high mortality rates. Despite the available treatment options including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the median patient survival rate is low. Therefore, the development of novel anticancer agents for the treatment of glioma is urgently required. Tanshinone I (TS I) is a tanshinone compound that is isolated from Danshen. Accumulating evidence indicates that TS I exhibits antiproliferative activity in a variety of cancer types. However, the role of TS I and its mechanism of action in human glioma remain to be elucidated. In the present study, the anticancer potential of TS I against human glioma U87 MG cells was investigated. The results indicated that TS I exerted a potential cytotoxic effect on human glioma U87 MG cells. TS I was found to induce cell proliferation, inhibition, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagy in U87 MG cells. Mechanistic experiments indicated that TS I activated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and inhibited AKT signaling and apoptosis in human glioma U87 MG cells. Furthermore, the present study demonstrated that TS I induced protective autophagy in U87 MG cells. Additionally, ER stress and AKT signal-mediated apoptosis and protective autophagy were found to be induced by TS I via intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation. The results of the present study demonstrated that TS I may be a potential anticancer drug candidate that may be of value in the treatment of human glioma.

A Traditional Chinese Medicine Herb Mixture Qingjie Fuzheng Granules Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Growth by Inducing Apoptosis

In this study, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) mouse xenograft model, MTT assay, colony formation, nuclear staining, and Annexin-V/PI staining assays were used to evaluate the effect of Qingjie Fuzheng granules (QFG) on cell proliferation and apoptosis of HCC cell in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of Fas, FasL, Bcl-2, Bax, and the activation of caspase-3/-8/-9. The results showed that QFG reduced tumor weight (P < .05) but had no effect on body weight gain in HCC mice in vivo. QFG significantly reduced HCC cell viability and attenuated cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (P < .05). QFG increased the expression of Fas, FasL, and Bax (P < .05). QFG downregulated the expression of Bcl-2 and promoted the activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3 (P < .05). These results suggested that QFG possessed anticancer effects, and the mechanisms of action may involve the death receptor pathway and mitochondrion-dependent pathway-mediated apoptosis.