Effects of Hylomecon vernalis ethanol extracts on cell cycle and apoptosis of colon cancer cells

Chemical Constituents and Biological Activities of the Hylomecon japonica (Thunb.) Prantl & Kündig - A Comprehensive Review

Hylomecon japonica (Thunb.) Prantl & Kündig (Papaveraceae) has a rich history of traditional medicinal uses, particularly in the treatment of bruises, rheumatism, and various ailments. Recent studies have identified alkaloids, saponins, terpenes, phenols, flavonoids, and other compounds in the plant, all of which demonstrate significant pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. While currently valued for its use in wetland plant landscapes and as a garden design color enhancer, ongoing research on the chemical composition and pharmacological properties of Hylomecon japonica is uncovering its potential medical applications. This paper provides a comprehensive review of extraction and separation methods, chemical components, and pharmacological activities of these compounds to further explore the medicinal potential of Hylomecon japonica.

Management of Colorectal Cancer Using Nanocarriers-based Drug Delivery for Herbal Bioactives: Current and Emerging Approaches

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a complex and multifactorial disorder in middle-aged people. Several modern medicines are available for treating and preventing it. However, their therapeutic uses are limited due to drawbacks, such as gastric perforation, diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, abdominal cramps, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and adverse reactions. Hence, there is a continuous quest for safe and effective medicines to manage human health problems, like CRC. In this context, herbal medicines are considered an alternative disease control system. It has become popular in countries, like American, European, and Asian, due to its safety and effectiveness, which has been practiced for 1000 years. During the last few decades, herbal medicines have been widely explored through multidisciplinary fields for getting active compounds against human diseases. Several herbal bioactives, like curcumin, glycyrrhizin, paclitaxel, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, catechin, berberine, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, chrysin, resveratrol, quercetin, etc., have been found to be effective against CRC. However, their pharmacological applications are limited due to low bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy apart from their several health benefits. An effective delivery system is required to increase their bioavailability and efficacy. Therefore, targeted novel drug delivery approaches are promising for improving these substances' solubility, bioavailability, and therapeutic effects. Novel carrier systems, such as liposomes, nanoparticles, micelles, microspheres, dendrimers, microbeads, and hydrogels, are promising for delivering poorly soluble drugs to the target site, i.e., the colon. Thus, the present review is focused on the pathophysiology, molecular pathways, and diagnostic and treatment approaches for CRC. Moreover, an emphasis has been laid especially on herbal bioactive-based novel delivery systems and their clinical updates.

Natural products and mitochondrial allies in colorectal cancer therapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a globally prevalent malignancy with a high potential for metastasis. Existing cancer treatments have limitations, including drug resistance and adverse effects. Researchers are striving to develop effective therapies to address these challenges. Impressively, contemporary research has discovered that many natural products derived from foods, plants, insects, and marine invertebrates can suppress the progression, metastasis, and invasion of CRC. In this review, we conducted a comprehensive search of the CNKI, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from inception to April 2023 to evaluate the efficacy of natural products targeting mitochondria to fight against CRC. Mitochondria are intracellular energy factories involved in cell differentiation, signal transduction, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis. The identified natural products have been classified and summarized based on their mechanisms of action. These findings indicate that natural products can induce apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells by inhibiting the mitochondrial respiratory chain, ROS elevation, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, the release of pro-apoptotic factors, modulation of the Bcl-2 protein family to facilitate cytochrome c release, induction of apoptotic vesicle activity by activating the caspase protein family, and selective targeting of mitochondrial division. Furthermore, diverse apoptotic signaling pathways targeting mitochondria, such as the MAPK, p53, STAT3, JNK and AKT pathway, have been triggered by natural products. Natural products such as diosgenin, allopurinol, and clausenidin have demonstrated low toxicity, high efficacy, and multi-targeted properties. Mitochondria-targeting natural products have great potential for overcoming the challenges of CRC therapy.

Natural substances derived from herbs or plants are promising sources of anticancer agents against colorectal cancer via triggering apoptosis

OBJECTIVES

Nowadays, one of the most common gastrointestinal cancers is colorectal cancer (CRC). Chemotherapy is still one of the main methods to treat cancer. However, the currently available synthetic chemotherapy drugs often cause serious adverse reactions. Apoptosis is generally considered as an ideal way for induction the death of tumour cells without the body's inflammatory response, and it is reported that lots of natural agents could trigger various cancer cells to apoptosis. The overarching aim of this project was to elucidate the specific mechanisms by which natural substances induce apoptosis in CRC cells and to be used as an alternative therapeutic option in the future.

KEY FINDINGS

The mechanisms for the pro-apoptotic effects of natural substances derived from herbs or plants include death receptor pathway, mitochondrial pathway, endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway, related signal transduction pathways (PI3K/Akt, MAPK, p53 signalling), and so on.

SUMMARY

This paper updated this information regarding the anti-tumour effects of natural agents via induction of apoptosis against CRC, which would be beneficial for future new drug research regarding natural products from herbs or plants.

Anticancer effects and the mechanism underlying 2-methoxyestradiol in human osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo

Osteosarcoma (OS) occurs in both children and adolescents and leads to a poor prognosis. 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME) has a strong antitumor effect and is effective against numerous types of tumor. However, 2-ME has a low level of antitumor effects in OS. The present study investigated the effects of 2-ME on the proliferation and apoptosis of human MG63 OS cells. The potential biological mechanisms by which 2-ME exerts its biological effects were also investigated in the present study. The results of the present study demonstrated that 2-ME inhibited the proliferation of OS cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, induced G₂/M phase cell cycle arrest and early apoptosis. The expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Bcl-2 and caspase-3 were measured via western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. As the concentration of 2-ME increased, the RNA and protein expression levels of VEGF and Bcl-2 decreased gradually, whereas the expression of caspase-3 increased gradually. In addition, tumor growth in nude mice was suppressed by 2-ME with no toxic side effects observed in the liver or kidney. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the expression levels of Bcl-2 and VEGF were significantly lower, and those of caspase-3 were significantly higher in test mice compared with the control group. TUNEL staining of xenograft tumors revealed that with increased 2-ME concentration, the number of apoptotic cells also gradually increased. Thus, 2-ME effectively inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis of MG63 OS cells in vitro and in vivo with no obvious side effects. The mechanism of the anticancer effect of 2-ME may be associated with the actions of Bcl-2, VEGF and caspase-3.

Long non-coding RNA LINC00261 sensitizes human colon cancer cells to cisplatin therapy

Colon cancer is one of the most common digestive tumors. The present study aimed to explore the functional role, as well as the underlying mechanism of long non-coding RNA LINC00261 in colon cancer. Expression of LINC00261 was analyzed in colon cancer cell lines and human normal cell lines. Acquired resistance cell lines were then built and the acquired resistance efficiency was detected by evaluating cell viability. Thereafter, the effects of LINC00261 overexpression on cisplatin-resistant colon cancer cells were measured, as well as cell apoptosis, viability, migration, and invasion. Subsequently, we investigated the interaction of LINC00261 and β-catenin. The results showed that the LINC00261 gene was down-regulated in colon cancer cell lines and tissues, and in cisplatin-resistant cells. LINC00261 overexpression might relieve cisplatin resistance of colon cancer cells via promoting cell apoptosis, and inhibiting cell viability, migration, and invasion. Moreover, LINC00261 might down-regulate nuclear β-catenin through restraining β-catenin from cytoplasm into nuclei or it could also promote β-catenin degradation and inhibit activation of Wnt pathway. Finally, LINC00261 reduced cisplatin resistance of colon cancer in vivo and enhanced the anti-colon cancer effect of cisplatin through reducing tumor volume and weight.