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An W, Zhang Y, Lai H, Zhang Y, Zhang H, Zhao G, Liu M, Li Y, Lin X, Cao S. Alpinia katsumadai Hayata induces growth inhibition and autophagy‑related apoptosis by regulating the AMPK and Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathways in cancer cells. Oncol Rep 2022; 48:142. [PMID: 35730618 PMCID: PMC9245070 DOI: 10.3892/or.2022.8353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Alpinia katsumadai Hayata (AKH), a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, exerts various biological functions, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-microbial and anti-asthmatic effects. However, studies on its anticancer activity and associated mechanisms are limited. The present study investigated the effects of ethanol extract from AKH on the viability of various human cancer and normal liver LX-2 cells using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Apoptosis was detected by Hoechst 33342/PI staining and Annexin-V-FITC/PI double staining. Autophagy was examined by Ad-GFP-LC3B transfection. The association between AKH-induced autophagy and apoptosis was investigated by pre-treatment of the cells with the autophagy inhibitors, 3-methyladenine (3MA) and bafilomycin A1 (Baf-A1), followed by treatment with AKH. The expression levels of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), caspase-8, caspase-3, caspase-9, phosphorylated (p-)AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), Akt, mTOR and p70S6K were examined using western blot analysis. The in vivo antitumor activity of AKH was investigated in nude mice bearing A549 lung cancer xenografts. The components of AKH were detected by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-ion trap-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The results revealed that AKH significantly inhibited the proliferation of various cancer cells with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 203–284 µg/ml; however, its inhibitory effect was much less prominent against normal liver LX-2 cells with an IC50 value of 395 µg/ml. AKH markedly induced apoptosis and autophagy, and upregulated the protein expression of cleaved-caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 and cleaved PARP in a concentration-dependent manner. Of note, the autophagy inhibitors (3MA and Baf-A1) significantly attenuated its pro-apoptotic effects on human pancreatic cancer Panc-28 and lung cancer A549 cells. Furthermore, AKH significantly increased the levels of p-AMPK, and decreased those of p-Akt, p-mTOR and p-p70S6K in Panc-28 and A549 cells. AKH markedly inhibited the growth of A549 tumor xenografts in vivo. In addition, a total of nine compounds were detected from AKH. The present study demonstrates that AKH markedly inhibits the growth and induces autophagy-related apoptosis in cancer cells by regulating the AMPK and Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathways. AKH and/or its active fractions may thus have potential to be developed as novel anticancer agents for clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixiao An
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, P.R. China
| | - Yuxi Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, P.R. China
| | - Honglin Lai
- Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, P.R. China
| | - Yangyang Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Dongying Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dongying, Shandong 257055, P.R. China
| | - Hongmei Zhang
- Rizhao Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Rizhao, Shandong 276801, P.R. China
| | - Ge Zhao
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, P.R. China
| | - Minghua Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, P.R. China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of International Trade, School of International Traded and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Xiukun Lin
- Delisi Group Co. Ltd., Zhucheng, Shandong 262200, P.R. China
| | - Shousong Cao
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, P.R. China
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Shi Y, Hou SA. Protective effects of metformin against myocardial ischemia‑reperfusion injury via AMPK‑dependent suppression of NOX4. Mol Med Rep 2021; 24:712. [PMID: 34396450 PMCID: PMC8383039 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have demonstrated that metformin can reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction and improve the prognosis of patients. However, its specific mechanism has not been determined. Using a rat model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI), it was observed that metformin significantly reduced infarct size, and decreased the levels of plasma lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase-MB form. A TTC-Evans blue staining was used to detect the infarct size and MTT assay was used to evaluate the cell viability. TUNEL assay was performed to evaluate apoptosis. Furthermore, 4-hydroxynonenal was detected by immunohistochemical staining. mRNA expression levels were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR; protein expression levels were detected by immunoblotting. When treated with metformin, the number of TUNEL-positive cells was significantly decreased. Reduced 4HNE immunoreactivity was observed in metformin-treated rats as determined via immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) was downregulated by metformin at both the mRNA and protein levels, and adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation was increased by metformin. In a primary myocardial hypoxia-reoxygenation cell model, metformin increased the viability of cardiomyocytes and reduced the content of malondialdehyde. It was also found that metformin upregulated the phosphorylation of AMPK and decreased the expression of NOX4. Furthermore, pre-treatment with AMPK inhibitor compound-C could block the effect of metformin, indicated by increased NOX4 compared with metformin treatment alone. These results suggested that metformin was capable of reducing the oxidative stress injury induced by MIRI. In conclusion, the present study indicated that metformin activated AMPK to inhibit the expression of NOX4, leading to a decrease in myocardial oxidative damage and apoptosis, thus alleviating reperfusion injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Shi
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China
| | - Shu-Ai Hou
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China
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