Integrated network pharmacology and experimental analysis unveil multi-targeted effect of 18α- glycyrrhetinic acid against non-small cell lung cancer

The role of TIGIT-CD226-PVR axis in mediating T cell exhaustion and apoptosis in NSCLC

The treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a critical challenge in oncology, primarily due to the dysfunction and exhaustion of T cells within the tumor microenvironment, which greatly limits the effectiveness of immunotherapy. This study investigates the regulatory role of the T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT)-CD226-PVR signaling axis in the exhaustion and apoptosis of cluster of differentiation (CD)27+/CD127+T cells in NSCLC. Utilizing single-cell sequencing technology, we conducted a comprehensive gene expression analysis of T cells in a mouse model of NSCLC. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the TIGIT-CD226-PVR signaling axis is highly active in the CD27+/CD127+T cell subset and is closely associated with their functional decline and exhaustion. In vitro experiments further demonstrated that inhibiting the TIGIT-PVR pathway while activating the CD226-PVR pathway significantly restored T cell proliferation and effector function. Importantly, in vivo studies showed that targeting this axis can significantly alleviate T cell exhaustion, enhance their cytotoxicity against NSCLC cells, and promote apoptosis, thereby improving the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Synthesis and antitumor evaluation of glycyrrhetinic acid-dithiocarbamate hybrids

Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is a naturally occurring triterpene compound. The aim of this study was to employ the pharmacophore hybrid strategy to merge GA with various dithiocarbamates and obtain novel compounds with better antitumor activities. We present a two-step synthetic protocol wherein the GA derivative underwent reaction with carbon disulfide and various secondary amines in a one-pot manner under mild conditions, facilitating the preparation of a series of structurally novel GA-dithiocarbamate derivatives. Bioassay screening revealed that the representative compound 3c demonstrated the capacity to reduce the mitochondrial membrane potential in Hep3B and Huh-7 cells, induce nuclear apoptosis, inhibit invasion and migration, and prompt both early and late apoptosis. Furthermore, our research findings indicated that this apoptotic phenomenon may be associated with the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, Bak, PARP, and cleaved-PARP proteins. Utilizing network pharmacology for predicting core targets and signaling pathways of compound 3c for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment involved employing molecular docking models to demonstrate high affinity between compound and target protein. In conjunction with Western blot analysis, compound 3c may impact HCC through the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway.

Recent progress on triterpenoid derivatives and their anticancer potential

Cancer poses a significant global public health challenge, with commonly used adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy often leading to adverse side effects and drug resistance. Therefore, advancing cancer treatment necessitates the ongoing development of novel anticancer agents with diverse structures and mechanisms of action. Natural products remain crucial in the process of drug discovery, serving as a primary source for pharmaceutical leads and therapeutic advancements. Triterpenoids are particularly compelling due to their complex structures and wide array of biological activities. Recent research has demonstrated that naturally occurring triterpenes and their derivatives have the potential to serve as promising candidates for new drug development. This review aims to comprehensively explore the anticancer properties of triterpenoids and their synthetic analogs, with a focus on recent advancements. Various aspects, such as synthesis, phytochemistry, and molecular simulation for structure-activity relationship analyses, are summarized. It is anticipated that triterpenoid derivatives will emerge as notable anticancer agents following further investigation into their mechanisms of action and in vivo studies.

Natural ingredients in the regulation of abnormal lipid peroxidation: a potential therapy for pulmonary diseases

Pulmonary diseases are a major category of diseases that pose a threat to human health. The most common drugs currently used to treat lung diseases are still chemical drugs, but this may lead to drug resistance and damage to healthy organs in the body. Therefore, developing new drugs is an urgent task. Lipid peroxidation is caused by the disruption of redox homeostasis, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), depletion of glutathione (GSH), and inactivation of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Lipid peroxidation is closely related to the occurrence and progression of respiratory diseases, including acute lung injury, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Natural ingredients have high safety, high availability, and low cost, and can regulate lipid peroxidation through multiple pathways and targets, making them valuable new drugs. This article aims to summarize the pharmacology and mechanism of natural ingredients targeting lipid peroxidation in the treatment of lung diseases. The reviewed data indicate that natural ingredients are a promising anti-lipid peroxidation drug, mainly alleviating lipid peroxidation through the cystine/glutamate antiporter (System Xc -)/GSH/GPX4 axis, Nrf2 pathway, and ROS pathway. In the future, it will still be necessary to further study the mechanisms of natural products in treating pulmonary diseases through lipid peroxidation and conduct multi-center, large-sample clinical trials to promote the development of new drugs.

KM04416 suppressed lung adenocarcinoma progression by promoting immune infiltration

OBJECTIVES

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a malignant tumor originating from the bronchial mucosa or glands of the lung, with the fastest increasing morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the prognosis of lung cancer remains poor. Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 (GPD2) is a widely existing protein pattern sequence in biology and is closely related to tumor progression. The therapy values of GPD2 inhibitor in LUAD were unclear. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the therapy values of GPD2 inhibitor in LUAD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LUAD database was used to analyze the expression levels of GPD2 in LUAD tissues. The relationship between GPD2 expression and LUAD patient survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. Moreover, KM04416 as a target inhibitor of GPD2 was used to further investigate the therapy value of GPD2 inhibitor in LUAD cells lines (A549 cell and H1299 cell). The TISIDB website was used to investigate the associations between GPD2 expression and immune cell infiltration in LUAD.

RESULTS

The results showed that GPD2 is overexpressed in LUAD tissues and significantly associated with poor survival. KM04416 can suppress the progression of LUAD cells by targeting GPD2. Low expression of GPD2 is related to high infiltration of immune cells.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, our present study found that targeting inhibition of GPD2 by KM04416 can suppress LUAD progression via adjusting immune cell infiltration.

Multi-targeted effects of D-carvone against Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): A network pharmacology-based study

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a complex malignancy with a high degree of heterogeneity, representing approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases. The treatment landscape for NSCLC has been revolutionised by incorporating targeted and immunotherapies; however, novel therapeutic modalities are consistently needed to enhance the treatment outcomes. Indeed, alternative anti-cancer therapies involving natural products have drawn the attention of clinicians and scientists owing to their remarkable chemopreventive potential, often displaying minimal toxicity. D-carvone (CN) is one such natural product that has exhibited numerous promising therapeutic benefits, yet its efficacy against NSCLC remains enigmatic. In the present study, network pharmacological studies and molecular docking in conjunction with in-vitro validation were used to elucidate the underlying mechanism of action of CN comprehensively. Different databases revealed a total of 77 putative anti-NSCLC targets of CN. The identified core targets were utilised to construct a "Compound- Target- Disease" network by Cytoscape (v3.9.0). Further analysis identified 5 core/ hub targets of CN including JAK2, ERK1, ESR1, GSK3B and HSP90AA1. Molecular docking indicated a strong binding interaction of the compound with these core targets. Also, Gene Ontology and KEGG analysis validated the involvement of multiple biological processes. Additionally, CN significantly inhibited cell proliferation, clonogenicity, and wound healing potential while promoting apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in H1299 and A549 cell lines as examined by flow cytometry, morphological assessment, and western blotting. In conclusion, this study delineates the therapeutic effects of CN on NSCLC, thus highlighting CN as a putative drug candidate for further analysis.

A Chinese classical prescription Maimendong decoction in treatment of pulmonary fibrosis: an overview

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic and progressive disease characterized by fibrosis and interstitial pneumonia. It has similar clinical symptoms to "Fei Bi" and "Fei Wei" as described in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) classic Jingui Yaolue written by Zhang Zhongjing in the Han Dynasty. This study explored the potential of Maimendong Decoction (MMDD). MMDD consists of Ophiopogon japonicus (L.f) (ophiopogonis), Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit. (pinellia), Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. (ginseng), Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (glycyrrhiza), Zizi phus jujuba Mill. (jujuba), and Oryza sativa L. (oryza sativa), with the function of nourishing the lung and stomach, and reducing the effect of reverse qi. It has been used clinically for over two thousand years to treat conditions like "Fei Bi" and "Fei Wei". Previous research suggests that MMDD and its individual herbal extracts have anti-fibrotic effects. The main focus of MMDD in treating PF is to reduce inflammatory cytokines, inhibit pro-fibrotic factors and oxidative stress, promote differentiation and homing of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, and enhance cell autophagy activity. This review summarized the clinical applications, mechanisms, and pharmacological effects of MMDD in treating PF based on existing clinical applications and experimental research. It also discussed current issues and prospects, aiming to provide a reference for further research on the mechanism of PF, drug development, and clinical trials.

Natural products from Streptomyces spp. as potential inhibitors of the major factors (holoRdRp and nsp13) for SARS-CoV-2 replication: an in silico approach

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented damage to humanity, and while vaccines have been developed, they are not fully effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Limited targeted drugs, such as Remdesivir and Paxlovid, are available against the virus. Hence, there is an urgent need to explore and develop new drugs to combat COVID-19. This study focuses on exploring microbial natural products from soil-isolated bacteria Streptomyces sp. strain 196 and RI.24 as a potential source of new targeted drugs against SARS-CoV-2. Molecular docking studies were performed on holoRdRp and nsp13, two key factors responsible for virus replication factor. Our in silico studies, K-252-C aglycone indolocarbazole alkaloid (K252C) and daunorubicin were found to have better binding affinities than the respective control drugs, with K252C exhibiting binding energy of - 9.1 kcal/mol with holoRdRp and - 9.2 kcal/mol with nsp13, and daunorubicin showing binding energy at - 8.1 kcal/mol with holoRdRp and - 9.3 kcal/mol with nsp13. ADMET analysis, MD simulation, and MM/GBSA studies indicated that K252C and daunorubicin have the potential to be developed as targeted drugs against SARS-CoV-2. The study concludes that K252C and daunorubicin are potential lead compounds that might suppress the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication among the tested microbial compounds and could be developed as targeted drugs against COVID-19. In the future, further in vitro studies are required to validate these findings.

Formulation and Evaluation on Synergetic Anti-Hepatoma Effect of a Chemically Stable and Release-Controlled Nanoself-Assembly with Natural Monomers

Introduction

Hepatoma is the leading cause of death among liver diseases worldwide. Modern pharmacological studies suggest that some natural monomeric compounds have a significant effect on inhibiting tumor growth. However, poor stability and solubility, and side effects are the main factors limiting the clinical application of natural monomeric compounds.

Methods

In this paper, drug-co-loaded nanoself-assemblies were selected as a delivery system to improve the chemical stability and solubility of Tanshinone II A and Glycyrrhetinic acid, and to produce a synergetic anti-hepatoma effect.

Results

The study suggested that the drug co-loaded nanoself-assemblies showed high drug loading capacity, good physical and chemical stability, and controlled release. In vitro cell experiments verified that the drug-co-loaded nanoself-assemblies could increase the cellular uptake and cell inhibitory activity. In vivo studies verified that the drug co-loaded nanoself-assemblies could prolong the MRT_0-∞, increase accumulation in tumor and liver tissues, and show strong synergistic anti-tumor effect and good bio-safety in H22 tumor-bearing mice.

Conclusion

This work indicates that natural monomeric compounds co-loaded nanoself-assemblies would be a potential strategy for the treatment of hepatoma.