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Zhang Z, Yang L, Hou J, Tian S, Liu Y. Molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer activities of licorice flavonoids. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2021; 267:113635. [PMID: 33246112 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Licorice has been commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of gastric, liver, and respiratory disease conditions for more than two thousand years. It is a major component of several Chinese patent medicines certificated by National Medical Products Administration that possess great anticancer activities. AIM OF THE STUDY To comprehensively summarize the anticancer activities of licorice flavonoids, explain the underlying molecular mechanisms, and assess their therapeutic potentials and side-effects. METHODS PubMed, Research Gate, Web of Science, Google Scholar, academic journals, and Science Direct were used as information sources, with the key words of "anticancer", "licorice", "flavonoids", and their combinations, mainly from 2000 to 2019. RESULTS Sixteen licorice flavonoids are found to possess anticancer activities. These flavonoids inhibit cancer cells through blocking cell cycle and regulating multiple signaling pathways. The major pathways targeted by licorice flavonoids include: the MAPK pathway, PI3K/AKT pathway, NF-κB pathway, death receptor - dependent extrinsic signaling pathway, and mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. CONCLUSION Licorice flavonoids are a group of versatile molecules that have pleiotropic effects on cell growth, survival and cell signaling. Many of the flavonoids possess inhibitory activities toward cancer cell growth and hence have a great therapeutic potential in cancer treatment. However, additional preclinical studies are still needed to assess their in vivo efficacy and possible toxicities. It is also imperative to evaluate the effects of licorice flavonoids on the metabolism of other drugs and explore the potential synergistic mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixin Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 102488, China
| | - Lin Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 102488, China
| | - Jiaming Hou
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 102488, China
| | - Shaokai Tian
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 102488, China
| | - Ying Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 102488, China.
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Zhang F, Ni ZJ, Ye L, Zhang YY, Thakur K, Cespedes-Acuña CL, Han J, Zhang JG, Wei ZJ. Asparanin A inhibits cell migration and invasion in human endometrial cancer via Ras/ERK/MAPK pathway. Food Chem Toxicol 2021; 150:112036. [PMID: 33561516 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2021.112036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Asparanin A (AA), a natural compound present in vegetables and medicinal herbs like Asparagus officinalis L., has been investigated extensively for its pharmacological attributes. So far, the effect of AA on endometrial cancer (EC) cell migration and invasion has not been explored. Herein, we elucidated the anti-metastasis mechanism of AA on Ishikawa cells based on miRNA-seq and mRNA-seq integrated analyses. AA treatment led to altered miRNAs expression in Ishikawa cells and inhibited the cell wound healing, cell migration and invasion. Gene Ontology and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that the target genes of different expression miRNAs were significantly enriched in Ras, Rap1 and MAPK signaling pathways. Further verification of these changes via qRT-PCR and Western blot assays in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that AA could suppress human EC cell migration and invasion through Ras/ERK/MAPK pathway. Furthermore, top two miRNAs (miR-6236-p5 and miR-12136_R+8) and top three target genes (KITLG, PDGFD, and NRAS) were identified as functional hub miRNAs and genes through miRNA-target gene network analysis. Our data presented a holistic approach to comprehend the anti-metastatic role of AA in EC after in vitro and in vivo analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Zhang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, People's Republic of China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhi-Jing Ni
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lei Ye
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yuan-Yuan Zhang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kiran Thakur
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | | | - Jinzhi Han
- College of Biological Science and Technology, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jian-Guo Zhang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhao-Jun Wei
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, People's Republic of China.
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Zhang YY, Ni ZJ, Elam E, Zhang F, Thakur K, Wang S, Zhang JG, Wei ZJ. Juglone, a novel activator of ferroptosis, induces cell death in endometrial carcinoma Ishikawa cells. Food Funct 2021; 12:4947-4959. [PMID: 34100505 DOI: 10.1039/d1fo00790d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Ferroptosis is a novel iron-dependent cell death pathway mainly caused by an abnormal redox state and associated with various diseases including cancer. Recently, much attention has been paid to natural compounds that are involved in its activation and inhibition. This is the first ever study to demonstrate the role of juglone isolated from Carya cathayensis green peel in inducing autophagy and inhibiting endometrial cancer (EC) cell migration. Subsequently, Fe2+ accumulation, lipid peroxidation, GSH depletion, the upregulation of HMOX1, and heme degradation to Fe2+ were reported. Juglone was involved in inducing autophagy and inhibiting cell migration and endoplasmic reticulum stress, which are the new hallmarks of cancer treatment. Collectively, our data indicate that juglone as a functional food ingredient induces the programmed cell death of EC cells by activating oxidative stress and suggest a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment and prevention of EC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Yuan Zhang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, People's Republic of China. and Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhi-Jing Ni
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Elnur Elam
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Fan Zhang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, People's Republic of China. and Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kiran Thakur
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, People's Republic of China. and Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shaoyun Wang
- College of Biological Science and Technology, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jian-Guo Zhang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, People's Republic of China. and Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhao-Jun Wei
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, People's Republic of China. and Collaborative Innovation Center for Food Production and Safety, School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, People's Republic of China.
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