Levistolide A ameliorates fibrosis in chronic kidney disease via modulating multitarget actions in vitro and in vivo

AIMS

The increasing incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) urgently calls for effective nephroprotective agents. Traditional Chinese Medicine Angelica sinensis and its formula are well known for CKD therapy, but the underlying mechanisms and effective substances of reno-protective effects remain unclear. To this end, we isolated eleven ligustilide dimers (1-11) from A. sinensis and examined the molecular mechanism of their nephroprotective effects.

MAIN METHODS

Because of internal RAS playing an important role in CKD, we used renin expression as a target and screened preliminarily for antifibrotic effects of ligustilide dimers (1-11) by constructing a dual luciferase reporter gene in vitro. Furthermore, the reno-protective effects of the ligustilides and their underlying mechanism were investigated in TGF-β1-stimulated HK-2 cells and 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx) mice.

KEY FINDINGS

The ligustilide dimers exhibited anti-fibrotic effects by inhibiting human renin (hREN) promoter activity to decrease renin expression and down-regulate the expression of fibrosis-related factors, including α-SMA, collagen I, and fibronectin in vitro. Levistolide A (LA) and angeolide keto ester (AK) were screened out to identify their ability and underlying mechanism for treating CKD. Experimental validation further indicated that LA or AK treatment inhibited the expression of key molecules in RAS, TGF-β1/Smad, and MAPK pathways to downregulate ECM deposition. Furthermore, LA obviously meliorated renal injury in 5/6 Nx mice through ameliorating oxidant stress, inflammation, apoptosis and renal fibrosis.

SIGNIFICANCE

The experimental results demonstrated that ligustilide dimers were potential nephroprotective agents. LA might be an attractive drug candidate for renin-targeted CKD therapy.

Levistolide A Induces Apoptosis via ROS-Mediated ER Stress Pathway in Colon Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Levistolide A (LA), a natural compound isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort, is used for treating cancer. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effect of LA in HCT116 and its isogenic p53-/- colon cancer cells, as well as the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

MTT assay was used to evaluate the effect of LA on the viability of cancer cells. Apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by the cells were determined by flow cytometry. Protein expression was detected by western blotting.

RESULTS

The results showed that LA inhibited viability and caused apoptosis of both wild-type and p53-/- HCT116 cells. LA was able to trigger production of ROS and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Inhibition of ROS using N-acetylcysteine abrogated LA-induced ER stress and apoptosis, as well as the reduction in cancer cell viability.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that LA causes apoptosis of colon cancer cells via ROS-mediated ER stress pathway. It will be interesting to develop the natural compound for chemotherapy of cancers such as CRC.