Osthole inhibits the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Coumarins as versatile therapeutic phytomolecules: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Coumarins, abundantly distributed in a plethora of biologically active compounds, serve as a fundamental motif in numerous natural products, drugs, and therapeutic leads. Despite their small size, they exhibit a diverse range of biological activities, intriguing researchers with their immense pharmacological potential.

PURPOSE

This study consolidates the evidence regarding the essential role of coumarins in modern drug discovery, exploring their broad-spectrum pharmaceutical effects, structural versatility, and mechanisms of action across various domains.

METHODS

For literature search, we utilized PubMed, Google scholar, and SciFinder databases. Keyword and keyword combinations such as "coumarins", "natural coumarins", "specific natural coumarins for particular diseases", and "therapeutic effects" were employed to retrieve relevant studies. The search encompassed articles published between 2005 and 2023. Selection criteria included studies reporting on the pharmacological activities of natural coumarins against various diseases.

RESULTS

The results highlight the therapeutic potential of natural coumarins against various diseases, demonstrating anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. They also act as monoamine oxidase inhibitors and phosphodiesterase inhibitors, and as anti-thrombotic, anti-diabetic, and hepatoprotective agents. They also show efficacy against diabetic nephropathy, neurodegenerative diseases, microbial infections and many other diseases.

CONCLUSION

This review underscores the significant role of natural coumarins in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Their diverse biological activities and structural versatility make them promising therapeutic agents. This study serves as a catalyst for further research in the field, aiming to address emerging challenges and opportunities in drug development.

Osthole Suppresses Cell Growth of Prostate Cancer by Disrupting Redox Homeostasis, Mitochondrial Function, and Regulation of tiRNAHisGTG

Prostate cancer remains a significant global health concern, posing a substantial threat to men's well-being. Despite advancements in treatment modalities, the progression of prostate cancer still presents challenges, warranting further exploration of novel therapeutic strategies. In this study, osthole, a natural coumarin derivative, inhibited cell viability in cancer cells but not in the normal prostate cell line. Moreover, osthole disrupted cell cycle progression. Furthermore, osthole reduces mitochondrial respiration with mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) depolarization and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, indicating mitochondrial dysfunction. In particular, osthole-induced ROS generation was reduced by N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) in prostate cancer. In addition, using calcium inhibitors (2-APB and ruthenium red) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress inhibitor (4-PBA), we confirmed that ER stress-induced calcium overload by osthole causes mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, we verified that the osthole-induced upregulation of tiRNAHisGTG expression is related to mechanisms that induce permeabilization of the mitochondrial membrane and calcium accumulation. Regarding intracellular signaling, osthole inactivated the PI3K and ERK pathways while activating the expression of the P38, JNK, ER stress, and autophagy-related proteins. In conclusion, the results suggest that osthole can be used as a therapeutic or adjuvant treatment for the management of prostate cancer.

Osthole inhibits GSK-3β/AMPK/mTOR pathway-controlled glycolysis and increases radiosensitivity of subcutaneous transplanted hepatocellular carcinoma in nude mice

PURPOSE

Osthole possesses anti-tumor activities. However, whether osthole can have a radiosensitization effect on hepatic cancer remains unclear. Here, an HCC-LM3 cells-inoculated subcutaneous transplanted tumor was adopted to explore the effect of osthole.

METHODS

The tumor-bearing mice were treated with 100 mg/kg osthole for 12 days, 4 Gy irradiation twice, or their combination. The tumor volume and weight, lactic acid content, glycolytic enzyme activities, and protein expression of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β), p‑GSK-3β, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p‑mTOR, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), p‑AMPK, glucose transporter 1/3, and pyruvate kinase M2 were determined. The GSK-3β-overexpressed HCC-LM3 or SK-Hep‑1 cell models were also adopted to verify the effects of osthole on expression of these proteins.

RESULTS

The tumor volume and weight, lactic acid content, and glycolytic enzyme activities in tumor tissues were lower in the osthole + radiation group than in the radiation group. Moreover, osthole could reverse the radiation-induced increments of p‑GSK-3β/GSK-3β and p‑mTOR/mTOR protein ratios and the expression of glucose transporter 1/3 and pyruvate kinase M2 proteins in tumor tissues, and increase the protein ratio of p‑AMPK/AMPK. The effects of osthole on these glycolysis-related proteins were also observed in GSK-3β-overexpressed HCC-LM3 or SK-Hep‑1 cell models.

CONCLUSION

Osthole has a radiosensitizing effect on subcutaneous transplanted hepatocellular carcinoma, and its mechanism may be related to inhibition of GSK-3β/AMPK/mTOR pathway-controlled glycolysis.

GelMA Hydrogel as a Promising Delivery System for Osthole in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Targeting the miR-1224-3p/AGO1 Axis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multifaceted, chronic, progressive autoimmune disease. This study aims to explore the potential benefits of an enhanced drug delivery system utilizing optimized Gelatin Methacryloyl (GelMA) vectors in RA management. We evaluated the levels of miR-1124-3p and AGO1 in RA tissues and cell lines using qPCR, WB, and immunofluorescence. The effects of osthole on inflammatory response and joint morphology were determined by qPCR, H&E staining, and micro-CT. The data showed that miR-1224-3p was downregulated in RA tissues and HUM-iCell-s010RA cells, while the overexpression of miR-1224-3p in HUM-iCell-s010RA cells reduced the expression of IL-6 and IL-1β. Luciferase assay demonstrated that AGO1 was a direct target gene of miR-1224-3p. Additionally, osthole treatment increased miR-1224-3p levels and decreased AGO1 expression. The release data showed that osthole loaded on GelMA was released at a slower rate than free osthole. Further studies in a mouse model of CIA confirmed that osthole-loaded GelMA was more effective in attenuating osteopenia in RA as well as alleviating autoimmune arthritis. These findings suggest that osthole can regulate the miR-1224-3p/AGO1 axis in RASFs cells and has the potential to be developed as a clinical anti-RA drug. GelMA could provide a new approach to long-term RA treatment.

Anti-Cancer Potential of Phytochemicals: The Regulation of the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

A biological process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) allows epithelial cells to change into mesenchymal cells and acquire some cancer stem cell properties. EMT contributes significantly to the metastasis, invasion, and development of treatment resistance in cancer cells. Current research has demonstrated that phytochemicals are emerging as a potential source of safe and efficient anti-cancer medications. Phytochemicals could disrupt signaling pathways related to malignant cell metastasis and drug resistance by suppressing or reversing the EMT process. In this review, we briefly describe the pathophysiological properties and the molecular mechanisms of EMT in the progression of cancers, then summarize phytochemicals with diverse structures that could block the EMT process in different types of cancer. Hopefully, these will provide some guidance for future research on phytochemicals targeting EMT.

Potential mechanisms of osthole against bladder cancer cells based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental validation

BACKGROUND

Osthole was traditionally used in treatment for various diseases. However, few studies had demonstrated that osthole could suppress bladder cancer cells and its mechanism was unclear. Therefore, we performed a research to explore the potential mechanism for osthole against bladder cancer.

METHODS

Internet web servers SwissTargetPrediction, PharmMapper, SuperPRED, and TargetNet were used to predict the Osthole targets. GeneCards and the OMIM database were used to indicate bladder cancer targets. The intersection of two target gene fragments was used to obtain the key target genes. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis was performed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database. Furthermore, we used gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses to explore the molecular function of target genes. AutoDock software was then used to perform molecular docking of target genes,osthole and co-crystal ligand. Finally, an in vitro experiment was conducted to validate bladder cancer inhibition by osthole.

RESULTS

Our analysis identified 369 intersection genes for osthole, the top ten target genes included MAPK1, AKT1, SRC, HRAS, HASP90AA1, PIK3R1, PTPN11, MAPK14, CREBBP, and RXRA. The GO and KEGG pathway enrichment results revealed that the PI3K-AKT pathway was closely correlated with osthole against bladder cancer. The osthole had cytotoxic effect on bladder cancer cells according to the cytotoxic assay. Additionally, osthole blocked the bladder cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promoted bladder cancer cell apoptosis by inhibiting the PI3K-AKT and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT3) pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that osthole had cytotoxic effect on bladder cancer cells and inhibited invasion, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by inhibiting PI3K-AKT and JAK/STAT3 pathways in in vitro experiment. Above all, osthole might have potential significance in treatment of bladder cancer.

SUBJECTS

Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Molecular Biology.

Potential of Compounds Originating from the Nature to Act in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Therapy by Targeting the Tumor Immunosuppressive Microenvironment: A Review

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most prevalent subtype of liver cancer, is the second main reason for cancer-related deaths worldwide. In recent decades, sufficient evidence supported that immunotherapy was a safe and effective treatment option for HCC. However, tolerance and frequent recurrence and metastasis occurred in patients after immunotherapy due to the complicated crosstalk in the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME) in HCC. Therefore, elucidating the TIME in HCC and finding novel modulators to target TIME for attenuating immune suppression is critical to optimize immunotherapy. Recently, studies have shown the potentially immunoregulatory activities of natural compounds, characterized by multiple targets and pathways and low toxicity. In this review, we concluded the unique role of TIME in HCC. Moreover, we summarized evidence that supports the hypothesis of natural compounds to target TIME to improve immunotherapy. Furthermore, we discussed the comprehensive mechanisms of these natural compounds in the immunotherapy of HCC. Accordingly, we present a well-grounded review of the naturally occurring compounds in cancer immunotherapy, expecting to shed new light on discovering novel anti-HCC immunomodulatory drugs from natural sources.

Osthole increases the radiosensitivity of hepatoma cells by inhibiting GSK-3β/AMPK/mTOR pathway-controlled glycolysis

Osthole is a natural coumarin substance that has an inhibitory effect on hepatic cancer, but its radiosensitization effect on hepatoma cells has not been reported. This study aimed to investigate the effect of osthole. Human HCC-LM3 and SK-Hep-1 hepatoma cells were used and treated with or without osthole, irradiation, or their combination; the cell survival, migration, colony formation, DNA damage repair, intracellular lactic acid content, and glycolysis-related glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), p-GSK-3β, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), p-AMPK, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p-mTOR, glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1), GLUT-3, and pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2) protein expressions were determined. Compared with the irradiation group, the osthole plus irradiation group could further decrease the survival rate, migration, colony formation, and DNA damage repair of both hepatoma cells, indicating a synergistic effect of the combination treatment. Moreover, the combination of osthole and irradiation could decrease the content of intracellular lactic acid, ratios of intracellular p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β and p-mTOR/mTOR proteins, and expressions of intracellular GLUT-1/3 and PKM2 proteins, and increase the ratio of intracellular p-AMPK/AMPK proteins. Osthole can increase the radiosensitivity of hepatoma cells, and its radiosensitization mechanisms may be related to glycolytic inhibition by attenuating the GSK-3β/AMPK/mTOR pathway.

Osthole Induces Apoptosis and Caspase-3/GSDME-Dependent Pyroptosis via NQO1-Mediated ROS Generation in HeLa Cells

Osthole is a natural coumarin which has been proved to inhibit growth of cancer cells by inducing cell death, while its mechanism was considered to be just caused by apoptosis. In our study, we found that osthole activated not just apoptosis, but also pyroptosis which is a form of regulated cell death accompanied by loss of cell membrane integrity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Caspase-3 is a key protein of apoptosis as well as pyroptosis. The apoptosis and pyroptosis induced by osthole were all inhibited by irreversible caspase-3 inhibitor Z-DEVD-FMK. Meanwhile, knockdown of gasdermin E (GSDME) only reduced the osthole-induced pyroptosis but did not affect the occurrence of apoptosis. Our proteomic analysis revealed that the expression of NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) was decreased in osthole-treated cells. Moreover, NQO1 inhibition by osthole induced the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as apoptosis and pyroptosis. ROS inhibitor N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) not only reduced osthole-induced apoptosis but also reversed its effect on the pyroptosis. Meanwhile, knockdown of NQO1 by si-NQO1 or its inhibitor dicoumarol (DIC) not only enhanced ROS generation but also strengthened the GSDME-mediated pyroptosis. Finally, we demonstrated that osthole inhibited tumor growth and the expression of NQO1 in a HeLa xenograft mode. Similar to the results in vitro, osthole stimulated the activation of caspase-3, PARP, and GSDME in vivo. Taken together, all these data suggested that osthole induced apoptosis and caspase-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis via NQO1-mediated ROS accumulation.

Osthole Increases the Sensitivity of Liver Cancer to Sorafenib by Inhibiting Cholesterol Metabolism

Osthole is a natural product that has an inhibitory effect on liver cancer, but its effect on the sensitivity of liver cancer to sorafenib is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of osthole and possible sensitization mechanisms. Our results showed that the combination of 2.5 μM sorafenib and 10 μM osthole had significantly synergistic inhibitory effects on proliferation, colony formation, and migration of HCCLM3, sorafenib-resistant HCCLM3 (HCCLM3-SR), and SK-Hep-1 cells. After treatment of HCCLM3 cells-inoculated subcutaneous xenotransplanted tumor mice with 100 mg/kg osthole, 70 mg/kg sorafenib or their combination for 24 day, the tumor volume, tumor weight, and tumor weight coefficient were significantly lower in the osthole + sorafenib group than in the sorafenib group. Compared with the control group, the total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol contents in serum and tumor tissue were significantly decreased in the osthole or osthole + sorafenib groups, the sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-2c, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) protein expressions in tumor tissue were significantly downregulated as well. In conclusion, osthole can increase the sensitivity of liver cancer to sorafenib, and the mechanism is related to the downregulations of SREBP-2c, HMGCR, and LDLR protein expressions and subsequent inhibition of cholesterol metabolism.

Osthole: Synthesis, Structural Modifications and Biological Properties

Abstract:

Osthole, a naturally occurring coumarin-type compound, is isolated from a Chinese herbal medicine Cnidium monnieri (L.), and exhibits a broad range of biological properties. In this review, the total synthesis and structural modifications of osthole and its analogs are described. Additionally, the progress on bioactivities of osthole and its analogs is outlined since 2016. Moreover, the structure-activity relationships and mechanisms of action of osthole and its derivatives are discussed. These can provide references for future design, development and application of osthole and its analogs as drugs or pesticides in the fields of medicine and agriculture.

Current Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicines and Active Ingredients in the Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading lethal tumors worldwide, and the treatment remains a great medical challenge. Surgery and chemotherapy are current standard curative methods for patients with HCC, but the prognosis is still dismal. Based on unique medical theories and rich practical experience, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been broadly employed to effectively treat HCC for a long history. Recently, systematic clinical trials have been well designed to study the efficacy of TCMs in the treatment of HCC, and the underlying antitumor mechanisms were also deeply explored. Here, we reviewed the published clinical evaluation of some commonly used TCMs in the treatment of HCC, and the related anti-HCC mechanisms through in vitro and in vivo study, promoting the modernization of TCM study in oncology for achieving a substantial reduction of HCC burden in the future.

Traditional Chinese medicine for prevention and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: A focus on epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent malignant cancers worldwide. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which endows epithelial cells with mesenchymal properties, plays an important role in the early stages of metastasis. Conventional cancer therapies have promising effects, but issues remain, such as high rates of metastasis and drug resistance. Thus, exploring and evaluating new therapies is an urgent need. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been acknowledged for their multi-target and coordinated intervention effects against HCC. Accumulating evidence indicates that TCM can inhibit the malignancy of cells and the progression of EMT in HCC. However, studies on the effects of TCM on EMT in HCC are scarce. In this review, we summarized recent developments in anti-EMT TCMs and formulae, focusing on their underlying pharmacological mechanisms, to provide a foundation for further research on the exact mechanisms through which TCM affects EMT in HCC.

Osthole: an overview of its sources, biological activities, and modification development

Osthole, also known as osthol, is a coumarin derivative found in several medicinal plants such as Cnidium monnieri and Angelica pubescens. It can be obtained via extraction and separation from plants or total synthesis. Plenty of experiments have suggested that osthole exhibited multiple biological activities covering antitumor, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, osteogenic, cardiovascular protective, antimicrobial, and antiparasitic activities. In addition, there has been some research done on the optimization and modification of osthole. This article summarizes the comprehensive information regarding the sources and modification progress of osthole. It also introduces the up-to-date biological activities of osthole, which could be of great value for its use in future research.

Nanocarriers-loaded with natural actives as newer therapeutic interventions for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction: Cancer has always been a menace for the society. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal and 3rdlargest causes of deaths around the world.Area covered: The emergence of natural actives is considered as the greatest boon for fighting cancer. The natural actives take precedence over the traditional chemotherapeutic drugs in terms of their multi-target, multi-level and coordinated effects in the treatment of HCC. Literature reports have indicated the tremendous potential of bioactive natural products in inhibiting the HCC via molecular drug targeting, augmented bioavailability, and the ability for both passive or active targeting and stimulus-responsive drug release characteristics. This review provides a newer treatment approaches involved in the mechanism of action of different natural actives used for the HCC treatment via different molecular pathways. Besides, the promising advantage of natural bioactive-loaded nanocarriers in HCC treatment has also been also presented in this review. Expert opinion: The remarkable outcomes have been observed with therapeutic efficacy of the nanocarriers of natural actives in the treatment of HCC.Furthermore, it requires a thorough assessment of the safety and efficacy evaluation of the nanocarriers for the delivery of targeted natural active ingredients in HCC.].

Osthole induces necroptosis via ROS overproduction in glioma cells

Glioma is a common primary malignant tumor that has a poor prognosis and often develops drug resistance. The coumarin derivative osthole has previously been reported to induce cancer cell apoptosis. Recently, we found that it could also trigger glioma cell necroptosis, a type of cell death that is usually accompanied with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. However, the relationship between ROS production and necroptosis induced by osthole has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we found that osthole could induce necroptosis of glioma cell lines U87 and C6; such cell death was distinct from apoptosis induced by MG-132. Expression of necroptosis inhibitor caspase-8 was decreased, and levels of necroptosis proteins receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1), RIP3 and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein were increased in U87 and C6 cells after treatment with osthole, whereas levels of apoptosis-related proteins caspase-3, caspase-7, and caspase-9 were not increased. Lactate dehydrogenase release and flow cytometry assays confirmed that cell death induced by osthole was primarily necrosis. In addition, necroptosis induced by osthole was accompanied by excessive production of ROS, as observed for other necroptosis-inducing reagents. Pretreatment with the RIP1 inhibitor necrostatin-1 attenuated both osthole-induced necroptosis and the production of ROS in U87 cells. Furthermore, the ROS inhibitor N-acetylcysteine decreased osthole-induced necroptosis and growth inhibition. Overall, these findings suggest that osthole induces necroptosis of glioma cells via ROS production and thus may have potential for development into a therapeutic drug for glioma therapy.

Osthole interacts with an ER-mitochondria axis and facilitates tumor suppression in ovarian cancer

Osthole is a natural coumarin found in a variety of plants and has been reported to have diverse biological functions, including antimicrobial, antiviral, immunomodulatory, and anticancer effects. Here, we investigated the natural derivative osthole as a promising anticancer compound against ovarian cancer and evaluated its ability to suppress and abrogate tumor progression. In addition, we found the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial axis-mediated anticancer mechanisms of osthole against ES2 and OV90 ovarian cancer cells and demonstrated its calcium-dependent pharmacological potential. Mechanistically, osthole was found to target the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway to facilitate tumor suppression in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, we identified the effects of osthole in a three-dimensional tumor-formation model using the zebrafish xenograft assay, providing convincing evidence of the pharmacological effects of osthole within the anchorage-independent tumor microenvironment. These findings suggest that osthole has strong potential as a pharmacological agent for targeting ovarian cancer.

Anti-Tumor Effects of Osthole on Different Malignant Tissues: A Review of Molecular Mechanisms

Cancer management and/or treatment require a comprehensive understanding of the molecular and signaling pathways involved. Recently, much attention has been directed to these molecular and signaling pathways, and it has been suggested that a number of biomolecules/players involved in such pathways, such as PI3K/Akt, NF-kB, STAT, and Nrf2 contribute to the progression, invasion, proliferation, and metastasis of malignant cells. Synthetic anti-tumor agents and chemotherapeutic drugs have been a mainstay in cancer therapy and are widely used to suppress the progression and, hopefully, halt the proliferation of malignant cells. However, these agents have some undesirable side-effects and, therefore, naturally-occurring compounds with high potency and fewer side-effects are now of great interest. Osthole is a plant-derived chemical compound that can inhibit the proliferation of malignant cells and provide potent anti-cancer effects in various tissues. Therefore, in this review, we presented the main findings concerning the potential anti-tumor effects of osthole and its derivatives and described possible molecular mechanisms by which osthole may suppress malignant cell proliferation in different tissues.

Osthole induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by suppressing the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common lethal tumors with a high recurrence rate and low survival rate. Therefore, an urgent need exists for novel and effective treatment strategies for HNSCC patients.

METHODS

Osthole, a natural ingredient extracted from Cnidium monnieri (L.) 'Cusson', has multiple pharmacological effects including antineoplastic activity. Regrettably, the antineoplastic effect of osthole in HNSCC cells remains undefined. We utilize in vitro assays to assess the anti-proliferative effects of osthole in HNSCC cells and tumorigenesis assays using FaDu cells in murine HNSCC models to assess in vivo function. Moreover, the possible molecular mechanisms of Osthole on HNSCC cells was also investigated.

RESULTS

Our findings show that the anti-proliferation effect of osthole might function through induction of cell cycle arrest (G2/M phase) and apoptosis in HNSCC. Osthole could also down-regulating the protein level of cell cycle and apoptosis related proteins, such as Bcl-2, PARP1, Survivin, CyclinB1 and Cdc2, while up-regulating expression of Cleaved Caspase3/9, Cleaved PARP1 and Bax. Similarly, osthole suppressed the in vivo growth of FaDu cells in a subcutaneous tumor model. In terms of mechanism, our data show that osthole can suppress the PI3K/AKT pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

In the current study, our in vitro and in vivo assay showed the suppressive effect of Osthole on HNSCC cells through induce cell cycle arrest (G2/M phase) and apoptosis. Moreover, the action mechanisms of Osthole on proliferation related signaling pathways was disclosed. Our present study suggests that osthole might be used as an effective therapeutic agent for patients with HNSCC.

Osthole Ameliorates Renal Fibrosis in Mice by Suppressing Fibroblast Activation and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Renal fibrosis is a common pathway of virtually all progressive kidney diseases. Osthole (OST, 7-Methoxy-8-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-2-chromenone), a derivative of coumarin mainly found in plants of the Apiaceae family, has shown inhibitory effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, fibrosis and tumor progression. The present study investigated whether OST mediates its effect via suppressing fibroblast activation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced renal fibrosis in mice. Herein, we found that OST inhibited fibroblast activation in a dose-dependent manner by inhibiting the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1)-Smad pathway. OST also blocked fibroblast proliferation by reducing DNA synthesis and downregulating the expressions of proliferation- and cell cycle-related proteins including proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), CyclinD1 and p21 Waf1/Cip1. Meanwhile, in the murine model of renal interstitial fibrosis induced by UUO, myofibroblast activation with increased expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and proliferation were attenuated by OST treatment. Additionally, we provided in vivo evidence suggesting that OST repressed EMT with preserved E-cadherin and reduced Vimentin expression in obstructed kidney. UUO injury-induced upregulation of EMT-related transcription factors, Snail family transcriptional repressor-1(Snail 1) and Twist family basic helix-loop-helix (BHLH) transcription factor (Twist) as well as elevated G2/M arrest of tubular epithelial cell, were rescued by OST treatment. Further, OST treatment reversed aberrant expression of TGFβ1-Smad signaling pathway, increased level of proinflammatory cytokines and NF-kappaB (NF-κB) activation in kidneys with obstructive nephropathy. Taken together, these findings suggest that OST hinder renal fibrosis in UUO mouse mainly through inhibition of fibroblast activation and EMT.

Osthole inhibits pancreatic cancer progression by directly exerting negative effects on cancer cells and attenuating tumor-infiltrating M2 macrophages

Pancreatic cancer has remained a major cause of cancer-related deaths. A hallmark of pancreatic cancer is extensive stromal reactions, resulting in a unique tumor microenvironment, especially the involvement of macrophages. These tumor-educated cells limit the efficacy of chemotherapy. Therefore, it is necessary to identify an effective treatment strategy. In this study, we aimed to explore the anti-tumor and immunomodulatory effects of osthole on pancreatic cancer. We found that osthole suppressed Panc 02 cell migration and proliferation and induced apoptosis as shown in vitro. Osthole also attenuated the development of pancreatic cancer in mice by inhibiting tumor-infiltrating M2 macrophages in our study. Additionally, osthole inhibited the polarization of primary bone marrow cells into M2 macrophages and inhibited the expression of MRC1, CCL22 and TGF-β in the M2 polarization process in vitro. Detection of the related signaling pathways revealed that osthole exerted immunomodulatory effects on M2 macrophages by down-regulating p-STAT6 and the p-ERK1/2-C/EBP β axis. These results indicated that osthole has effective anti-tumor and immunomodulatory effects on pancreatic cancer.

Potential Anticancer Properties of Osthol: A Comprehensive Mechanistic Review

Cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell proliferation which has the potential to occur in different tissues and spread into surrounding and distant tissues. Despite the current advances in the field of anticancer agents, rapidly developing resistance against different chemotherapeutic drugs and significantly higher off-target effects cause millions of deaths every year. Osthol is a natural coumarin isolated from Apiaceaous plants which has demonstrated several pharmacological effects, such as antineoplastic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. We have attempted to summarize up-to-date information related to pharmacological effects and molecular mechanisms of osthol as a lead compound in managing malignancies. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane library, ScienceDirect and Scopus were searched for in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies on anticancer effects of osthol. Osthol exerts remarkable anticancer properties by suppressing cancer cell growth and induction of apoptosis. Osthol's protective and therapeutic effects have been observed in different cancers, including ovarian, cervical, colon and prostate cancers as well as chronic myeloid leukemia, lung adenocarcinoma, glioma, hepatocellular, glioblastoma, renal and invasive mammary carcinoma. A large body of evidence demonstrates that osthol regulates apoptosis, proliferation and invasion in different types of malignant cells which are mediated by multiple signal transduction cascades. In this review, we set spotlights on various pathways which are targeted by osthol in different cancers to inhibit cancer development and progression.