Alternating consumption of β-glucan and quercetin reduces mortality in mice with colorectal cancer

From nature to clinic: Quercetin's role in breast cancer immunomodulation

Immunotherapy has brought hope to many breast cancer patients, but not all patients benefit from it. Quercetin (Qu), a natural product found in various sources, has anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. We conducted a review of the pharmacological research of Qu in regulating anti-tumor immunity in vivo and in vitro. Qu can directly regulate the local tumor microenvironment (TME) by enhancing the activity of immune cells which includes promoting the infiltration of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, inhibiting the recruitment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumor-associated macrophages. Additionally, Qu inhibits anaerobic glycolysis in tumor cells, thereby reducing the production and transport of lactic acid. It also suppresses tumor angiogenesis by targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway and the vitamin D pathway. Furthermore, Qu can enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy for breast cancer by modulating the systemic microenvironment. This includes inhibiting obesity-related chronic inflammation to decrease the production of inflammatory factors, regulating the composition of intestinal microbiota, and intervening in the metabolism of intestinal flora. At the same time, we also address challenges in the clinical application of Qu, such as low absorption rates and unknown effective doses. In conclusion, we highlight Qu as a natural immunomodulator that enhances immune cell activity and has the potential to be developed as an adjunct for breast cancer.

Preparation of enzymatic hydrolysates of mulberry leaf flavonoids and investigation into its treatment and mechanism for zebrafish inflammatory bowel disease

INTRODUCTION

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been increasing year by year in recent years. Flavonoids are the main components of mulberry leaves exerting anti-inflammatory effects and have potential applications in drug screening for IBD treatment. Enzymatic hydrolysis can enhance the bioavailability and activity of flavonoid glycosides. No relevant reports on the potentiation of mulberry leaf flavonoids (MLF) after deglycosylation have been retrieved.

METHODS

An enzymatic method was used to prepare enzymatic hydrolysates of MLF (EMLF). The protective effect of EMLF on zebrafish with IBD was evaluated by observing zebrafish intestinal length and width, intestinal histopathological morphology, as well as neutrophil and goblet expression. Network pharmacology and metabolomics were performed to explore the mechanism of action of EMLF against IBD. Finally, the mechanism of EMLF against IBD was validated using Western Blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).

RESULTS

The EMLF was successfully prepared by hydrolyzing MLF with snailase for the first time, and the anti-inflammatory effect of EMLF was clarified to be superior to that of MLF in IBD zebrafish. The network pharmacology and metabolomics studies showed that the mechanism of EMLF for IBD may be related to regulation of purine metabolic pathway. The expression levels of adenosine deaminase (ADA), critical targets in purine metabolism, were significantly down-regulated, while the expression of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) and xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) was significantly increased when compared with the TNBS group.

CONCLUSION

The results suggested that enzymatic deglycosylation is an effective measure to enhance the anti-inflammatory activity of MLF, which provides referable ideas and methods for the deep processing and utilization of natural drug resources.

Yoyo Dieting, Post-Obesity Weight Loss, and Their Relationship with Gut Health

Excessive body weight is associated with many chronic metabolic diseases and weight loss, so far, remains the gold standard treatment. However, despite tremendous efforts exploring optimal treatments for obesity, many individuals find losing weight and maintaining a healthy body weight difficult. Weight loss is often not sustainable resulting in weight regain and subsequent efforts to lose weight. This cyclic pattern of weight loss and regain is termed "yoyo dieting" and predisposes individuals to obesity and metabolic comorbidities. How yoyo dieting might worsen obesity complications during the weight recurrence phase remains unclear. In particular, there is limited data on the role of the gut microbiome in yoyo dieting. Gut health distress, especially gut inflammation and microbiome perturbation, is strongly associated with metabolic dysfunction and disturbance of energy homeostasis in obesity. In this review, we summarise current evidence of the crosstalk between the gastrointestinal system and energy balance, and the effects of yoyo dieting on gut inflammation and gut microbiota reshaping. Finally, we focus on the potential effects of post-dieting weight loss in improving gut health and identify current knowledge gaps within the field, including gut-derived peptide hormones and their potential suitability as targets to combat weight regain, and how yoyo dieting and associated changes in the microbiome affect the gut barrier and the enteric nervous system, which largely remain to be determined.

Immune-inflammatory modulation by natural products derived from edible and medicinal herbs used in Chinese classical prescriptions

BACKGROUND

Edible and medicinal herbs1 (EMHs) refer to a class of substances with dual attribution of food and medicine. These substances are traditionally used as food and also listed in many international pharmacopoeias, including the European Pharmacopoeia, the United States Pharmacopoeia, and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Some classical formulas that are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine include a series of EMHs, which have been shown to be effective with obvious characteristics and advantages. Notably, these EMHs and Chinese classical prescriptions2 (CCPs) have also attracted attention in international herbal medicine research because of their low toxicity and high efficiency as well as the rich body of experience for their long-term clinical use.

PURPOSE

Our purpose is to explore the potential therapeutic effect of EMHs with immune-inflammatory modulation for the study of modern cancer drugs.

STUDY DESIGN

In the present study, we present a detailed account of some EMHs used in CCPs that have shown considerable research potential in studies exploring modern drugs with immune-inflammatory modulation.

METHODS

Approximately 500 publications in the past 30 years were collected from PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect using the keywords, such as natural products, edible and medicinal herbs, Chinese medicine, classical prescription, immune-inflammatory, tumor microenvironment and some related synonyms. The active ingredients instead of herbal extracts or botanical mixtures were focused on and the research conducted over the past decade were discussed emphatically and analyzed comprehensively.

RESULTS

More than ten natural products derived from EMHs used in CCPs are discussed and their immune-inflammatory modulation activities, including enhancing antitumor immunity, regulating inflammatory signaling pathways, lowering the proportion of immunosuppressive cells, inhibiting the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, immunosuppressive factors, and inflammatory mediators, are summarized.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate the immune-inflammatory modulating role of those EMHs used in CCPs and provide new ideas for cancer treatment in clinical settings.

β-glucan: a potent adjuvant in immunotherapy for digestive tract tumors

The immunotherapy for gastrointestinal tumors, as a significant research direction in the field of oncology treatment in recent years, has garnered extensive attention due to its potential therapeutic efficacy and promising clinical application prospects. Recent advances in immunotherapy notwithstanding, challenges persist, such as side effects, the complexity of the tumor immune microenvironment, variable patient responses, and drug resistance. Consequently, there is a pressing need to explore novel adjunctive therapeutic modalities. β-glucan, an immunomodulatory agent, has exhibited promising anti-tumor efficacy in preclinical studies involving colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and gastric cancer, while also mitigating the adverse reactions associated with chemotherapy and enhancing patients' quality of life. However, further clinical and fundamental research is warranted to comprehensively evaluate its therapeutic potential and underlying biological mechanisms. In the future, β-glucan holds promise as an adjunctive treatment for gastrointestinal tumors, potentially bringing significant benefits to patients.

Dietary fiber as a wide pillar of colorectal cancer prevention and adjuvant therapy

Colorectal cancer is the third most incident and second most lethal type of cancer worldwide. Lifestyle and dietary patterns are the key factors for higher disease development risk. The dietary fiber intake from fruits and vegetables, mainly formed by food hydrocolloids, can help to lower the incidence of this type of neoplasia. Different food polysaccharides have applications in anti-tumoral therapy, such as coadjuvant to mainstream drugs, carriage-like properties, or direct influence on tumoral cells. Some classes include inulin, β-glucans, pectins, fucoidans, alginates, mucilages, and gums. Therefore, it is fundamental to discuss colorectal cancer mechanisms and the roles played by different polysaccharides in intestinal health. Genetic, environmental, and immunological modulation of mutated pathways regarding colorectal cancer has been explored before. Microbial diversity, byproduct formation (primarily short-chain fatty acids), inflammatory profile control, and tumoral mutated pathways regulation are thoroughly explored mechanisms by which dietary fiber sources influence a healthy gut ambiance.

Molecular crosstalk between polyphenols and gut microbiota in cancer prevention

A growing body of evidence suggests that cancer remains a significant global health challenge, necessitating the development of novel therapeutic approaches. In recent years, the molecular crosstalk between polyphenols and gut microbiota has emerged as a promising pathway for cancer prevention. Polyphenols, abundant in many plant-based foods, possess diverse bioactive properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. The gut microbiota, a complex microbial community residing in the gastrointestinal tract, plays a crucial role in a host's health and disease risks. This review highlights cancer suppressive and oncogenic mechanisms of gut microbiota, the intricate interplay between gut microbiota modulation and polyphenol biotransformation, and the potential therapeutic implications of this interplay in cancer prevention. Furthermore, this review explores the molecular mechanisms underpinning the synergistic effects of polyphenols and the gut microbiota, such as modulation of signaling pathways and immune response and epigenetic modifications in animal and human studies. The current review also summarizes the challenges and future directions in this field, including the development of personalized approaches that consider interindividual variations in gut microbiota composition and function. Understanding the molecular crosstalk could offer new perspectives for the development of personalized cancer therapies targeting the polyphenol-gut axis. Future clinical trials are needed to validate the potential role of polyphenols and gut microbiota as innovative therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.

β-glucans: a potential source for maintaining gut microbiota and the immune system

The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract holds a complex and dynamic population of microbial communities, which exerts a marked influence on the host physiology during homeostasis and disease conditions. Diet is considered one of the main factors in structuring the gut microbiota across a lifespan. Intestinal microbial communities play a vital role in sustaining immune and metabolic homeostasis as well as protecting against pathogens. The negatively altered gut bacterial composition has related to many inflammatory diseases and infections. β-glucans are a heterogeneous assemblage of glucose polymers with a typical structure comprising a leading chain of β-(1,4) and/or β-(1,3)-glucopyranosyl units with various branches and lengths as a side chain. β-glucans bind to specific receptors on immune cells and initiate immune responses. However, β-glucans from different sources differ in their structures, conformation, physical properties, and binding affinity to receptors. How these properties modulate biological functions in terms of molecular mechanisms is not known in many examples. This review provides a critical understanding of the structures of β-glucans and their functions for modulating the gut microbiota and immune system.

Flavonoids attenuate cancer metabolism by modulating Lipid metabolism, amino acids, ketone bodies and redox state mediated by Nrf2

Metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells is a common hallmark of malignant transformation. The preference for aerobic glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation in tumors is a well-studied phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. Importantly, metabolic transformation of cancer cells also involves alterations in signaling cascades contributing to lipid metabolism, amino acid flux and synthesis, and utilization of ketone bodies. Also, redox regulation interacts with metabolic reprogramming during malignant transformation. Flavonoids, widely distributed phytochemicals in plants, exert various beneficial effects on human health through modulating molecular cascades altered in the pathological cancer phenotype. Recent evidence has identified numerous flavonoids as modulators of critical components of cancer metabolism and associated pathways interacting with metabolic cascades such as redox balance. Flavonoids affect lipid metabolism by regulating fatty acid synthase, redox balance by modulating nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activity, or amino acid flux and synthesis by phosphoglycerate mutase 1. Here, we discuss recent preclinical evidence evaluating the impact of flavonoids on cancer metabolism, focusing on lipid and amino acid metabolic cascades, redox balance, and ketone bodies.

N-Rich, Polyphenolic Porous Organic Polymer and Its In Vitro Anticancer Activity on Colorectal Cancer

N-rich organic materials bearing polyphenolic moieties in their building networks and nanoscale porosities are very demanding in the context of designing efficient biomaterials or drug carriers for the cancer treatment. Here, we report the synthesis of a new triazine-based secondary-amine- and imine-linked polyphenolic porous organic polymer material TrzTFPPOP and explored its potential for in vitro anticancer activity on the human colorectal carcinoma (HCT 116) cell line. This functionalized (-OH, -NH-, -C=N-) organic material displayed an exceptionally high BET surface area of 2140 m2 g-1 along with hierarchical porosity (micropores and mesopores), and it induced apoptotic changes leading to high efficiency in colon cancer cell destruction via p53-regulated DNA damage pathway. The IC30, IC50, and IC70 values obtained from the MTT assay are 1.24, 3.25, and 5.25 μg/mL, respectively.

Chemoprevention effect of the Mediterranean diet on colorectal cancer: Current studies and future prospects

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the second most deadly cancer worldwide. Nevertheless, more than 70% of CRC cases are resulted from sporadic tumorigenesis and are not inherited. Since adenoma-carcinoma development is a slow process and may take up to 20 years, diet-based chemoprevention could be an effective approach in sporadic CRC. The Mediterranean diet is an example of a healthy diet pattern that consists of a combination of nutraceuticals that prevent several chronic diseases and cancer. Many epidemiological studies have shown the correlation between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and low incidence of CRC. The goal of this review is to shed the light on the anti-inflammatory and anti-colorectal cancer potentials of the natural bioactive compounds derived from the main foods in the Mediterranean diet.

Presurgery Adhesion Molecules and Angiogenesis Biomarkers Are Differently Associated with Outcomes in Colon and Rectal Cancer: Results from the ColoCare Study

BACKGROUND

Cell-to-cell adhesion and angiogenesis are hallmarks of cancer. No studies have examined associations of adhesion molecules and angiogenesis biomarkers with clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer.

METHODS

In presurgery serum from n = 426 patients with colorectal cancer (stage I-III), we investigated associations of CRP, SAA, adhesion molecules (sICAM-1, sVCAM-1), and angiogenesis markers (VEGF-A and VEGF-D) with overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and risk of recurrence. We computed HRs and 95% confidence intervals; adjusted for age, sex, BMI, stage, site, and study site, stratified by tumor site in exploratory analyses.

RESULTS

N = 65 (15%) were deceased, and 39 patients (14%) had a recurrence after a median follow-up of 31 months. We observed significant associations of biomarkers with OS, DFS, and risk of recurrence on a continuous scale and comparing top to bottom tertile, with HRs ranging between 1.19 and 13.92. CRP was associated with risk of death and recurrence in patients in the top tertile compared with patients in the bottom tertile, for example, risk of recurrence HRQ3-Q1: 13.92 (1.72-112.56). Significant heterogeneity between biomarkers and clinical outcomes was observed in stratified analysis by tumor site for CRP, SAA, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, and VEGF-D. VEGF-D was associated with a 3-fold increase in risk of death for rectal cancer (HRlog2: 3.26; 95% CI, 1.58-6.70) compared with no association for colon cancer (HRlog2: 0.78; 95% CI, 0.35-1.73; Pheterogenity = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Adhesion molecules and angiogenesis biomarkers are independent prognostic markers for colorectal cancer, with differences by tumor site.

IMPACT

There is need for tailored treatment for colon and rectal cancer.

Natural Products in Preventing Tumor Drug Resistance and Related Signaling Pathways

Drug resistance is still an obstacle in cancer therapy, leading to the failure of tumor treatment. The emergence of tumor drug resistance has always been a main concern of oncologists. Therefore, overcoming tumor drug resistance and looking for new strategies for tumor treatment is a major focus in the field of tumor research. Natural products serve as effective substances against drug resistance because of their diverse chemical structures and pharmacological effects. We reviewed the signaling pathways involved in the development of tumor drug resistance, including Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Renin-angiotensin system (Ras), Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), Wnt, Notch, Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), and their specific signaling pathway inhibitors derived from natural products. This can provide new ideas for the prevention of drug resistance in cancer therapy.

Application of Quercetin in the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancers

Many cellular signaling pathways contribute to the regulation of cell proliferation, division, motility, and apoptosis. Deregulation of these pathways contributes to tumor cell initiation and tumor progression. Lately, significant attention has been focused on the use of natural products as a promising strategy in cancer treatment. Quercetin is a natural flavonol compound widely present in commonly consumed foods. Quercetin has shown significant inhibitory effects on tumor progression via various mechanisms of action. These include stimulating cell cycle arrest or/and apoptosis as well as its antioxidant properties. Herein, we summarize the therapeutic effects of quercetin in gastrointestinal cancers (pancreatic, gastric, colorectal, esophageal, hepatocellular, and oral).

Evidence for Anticancer Effects of Chinese Medicine Monomers on Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers worldwide. Although clinical reports have indicated the anticancer effects of Chinese herbal medicine, the multiple underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms of action remain to be fully characterized. Chinese medicine (CM) monomers, which are the active components of CM, serve as the material basis of the functional mechanisms of CM. The aim of this review is to summarize the current experimental evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies for the effects of CM monomers in colorectal cancer prevention and treatment, providing some useful references for future research.

A Comprehensive View on the Quercetin Impact on Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents the third type of cancer in incidence and second in mortality worldwide, with the newly diagnosed case number on the rise. Among the diagnosed patients, approximately 70% have no hereditary germ-line mutations or family history of pathology, thus being termed sporadic CRC. Diet and environmental factors are to date considered solely responsible for the development of sporadic CRC; therefore; attention should be directed towards the discovery of preventative actions to combat the CRC initiation, promotion, and progression. Quercetin is a polyphenolic flavonoid plant secondary metabolite with a well-characterized antioxidant activity. It has been extensively reported as an anti-carcinogenic agent in the scientific literature, and the modulated targets of quercetin have been also characterized in the context of CRC, mainly in original research publications. In this fairly comprehensive review, we summarize the molecular targets of quercetin reported to date in in vivo and in vitro CRC models, while also giving background information about the signal transduction pathways that it up- and downregulates. Among the most relevant modulated pathways, the Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT, MAPK/Erk, JNK, or p38, p53, and NF-κB have been described. With this work, we hope to encourage further quests in the elucidation of quercetin anti-carcinogenic activity as single agent, as dietary component, or as pharmaconutrient delivered in the form of plant extracts.

Dectin-1 Signaling Update: New Perspectives for Trained Immunity

The C-type lectin receptor Dectin-1 was originally described as the β-glucan receptor expressed in myeloid cells, with crucial functions in antifungal responses. However, over time, different ligands both of microbial-derived and endogenous origin have been shown to be recognized by Dectin-1. The outcomes of this recognition are diverse, including pro-inflammatory responses such as cytokine production, reactive oxygen species generation and phagocytosis. Nonetheless, tolerant responses have been also attributed to Dectin-1, depending on the specific ligand engaged. Dectin-1 recognition of their ligands triggers a plethora of downstream signaling pathways, with complex interrelationships. These signaling routes can be modulated by diverse factors such as phosphatases or tetraspanins, resulting either in pro-inflammatory or regulatory responses. Since its first depiction, Dectin-1 has recently gained a renewed attention due to its role in the induction of trained immunity. This process of long-term memory of innate immune cells can be triggered by β-glucans, and Dectin-1 is crucial for its initiation. The main signaling pathways involved in this process have been described, although the understanding of the above-mentioned complexity in the β-glucan-induced trained immunity is still scarce. In here, we have reviewed and updated all these factors related to the biology of Dectin-1, highlighting the gaps that deserve further research. We believe on the relevance to fully understand how this receptor works, and therefore, how we could harness it in different pathological conditions as diverse as fungal infections, autoimmunity, or cancer.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Colorectal Cancer: Implications for Drug Discovery

As an important part of complementary and alternative medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been applied to treat a host of diseases for centuries. Over the years, with the incidence rate of human colorectal cancer (CRC) increasing continuously and the advantage of TCM gradually becoming more prominent, the importance of TCM in both domestic and international fields is also growing with each passing day. However, the unknowability of active ingredients, effective substances, and the underlying mechanisms of TCM against this malignant tumor greatly restricts the translation degree of clinical products and the pace of precision medicine. In this review, based on the characteristics of TCM and the oral administration of most ingredients, we herein provide beneficial information for the clinical utilization of TCM in the prevention and treatment of CRC and retrospect the current preclinical studies on the related active ingredients, as well as put forward the research mode for the discovery of active ingredients and effective substances in TCM, to provide novel insights into the research and development of innovative agents from this conventional medicine for CRC treatment and assist the realization of precision medicine.

Polyphenols of the Mediterranean Diet and Their Metabolites in the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer

The Mediterranean diet is a central element of a healthy lifestyle, where polyphenols play a key role due to their anti-oxidant properties, and for some of them, as nutripharmacological compounds capable of preventing a number of diseases, including cancer. Due to the high prevalence of intestinal cancer (ranking second in causing morbidity and mortality), this review is focused on the beneficial effects of selected dietary phytophenols, largely present in Mediterranean cooking: apigenin, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin-rutine, and resveratrol. The role of the Mediterranean diet in the prevention of colorectal cancer and future perspectives are discussed in terms of food polyphenol content, the effectiveness, the plasma level, and the importance of other factors, such as the polyphenol metabolites and the influence of the microbiome. Perspectives are discussed in terms of microbiome-dependency of the brain-second brain axis. The emergence of polyphenol formulations may strengthen the efficiency of the Mediterranean diet in the prevention of cancer.

Quercetin Inhibits Colorectal Cancer Cells Induced-Angiogenesis in Both Colorectal Cancer Cell and Endothelial Cell through Downregulation of VEGF-A/VEGFR2

Colorectal cancer (CRC) aggressiveness is caused by cancer angiogenesis which promotes the cancer growth and metastasis associated with poor prognosis and poor survival. The vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and its receptor (VEGFR-2) form the major signaling pathway in cancer angiogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the anti-angiogenesis activity of quercetin in both colorectal cancer cells and endothelial cells. The tube formation of human vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was determined by using conditioned media of HT-29 cells treated with quercetin co-cultured with HUVECs. The VEGF-A and NF-κB p65 protein expressions in the quercetin-treated HT-29 cells were determined by fluorescence assay and Western blot analysis. The VEGFR-2 protein expression in HUVECs was determined after they were co-cultured with the quercetin-treated HT-29 cells. Quercetin markedly decreased the HT-29 cell-induced angiogenesis in HUVECs. NF-κB p65 and VEGF-A protein expression were also inhibited by quercetin. Moreover, quercetin significantly inhibited VEGFR-2 expression and translocation in HUVECs after they were co-cultured with high dose quercetin-treated HT-29 cells. Taken together, quercetin had an anti-angiogenesis effect on VEGF-A inhibition related to the NF-κB signaling pathway in the HT-29 cells and reduced VEGFR-2 expression and translocation in HUVECs.

Gut Microbiota in Tumor Microenvironment: A Critical Regulator in Cancer Initiation and Development as Potential Targets for Chinese Medicine

Cancer is a disease with a high mortality and disability rate. Cancer consists not only of cancer cells, but also of the surrounding microenvironment and tumor microenvironment (TME) constantly interacting with tumor cells to support tumor development and progression. Over the last decade, accumulating evidence has implicated that microbiota profoundly influences cancer initiation and progression. Most research focuses on gut microbiota, for the gut harbors the largest collection of microorganisms. Gut microbiota includes bacteria, viruses, protozoa, archaea, and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract, affecting DNA damage, host immune response and chronic inflammation in various types of cancer (i.e., colon cancer, gastric cancer and breast cancer). Notably, gut dysbiosis can reshape tumor microenvironment and make it favorable for tumor growth. Recently, accumulating studies have attached the importance of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to cancer treatments, and the bioactive natural compounds have been considered as potential drug candidates to suppress cancer initiation and development. Interestingly, more recent studies demonstrate that TCM could potentially prevent and suppress early-stage cancer progression through the regulation of gut microbiota. This review is on the purpose of exhausting the significance of gut microbiota in the tumor microenvironment as potential targets of Chinese medicine.

Network Pharmacology Analysis to Uncover the Potential Mechanisms of Lycium barbarum on Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Studies have shown that extracts from Lycium barbarum exerted protective effects against colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. We used the network pharmacology method to determine the effects of L. barbarum on CRC and to predict core targets, biological functions, pathways, and mechanisms of action.

METHOD

We obtained the active compounds and their targets in L. barbarum via use of the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database (TCMSP), gathered the CRC targets from Malacards, TTD, GeneCards, and DisGeNET, and chosen the overlapped targets as the candidate targets. After protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, 20 with the highest node degree were selected as the core targets, and their enrichment and pathways were analyzed. Furthermore, we employed iGEMDOCK to validate the compound-target relation.

RESULT

Eventually, 103 overlapped targets were chosen as the candidate targets. Targets with the top 20 highest node degree were selected as the core targets. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated that the core targets were enriched in cell proliferation regulation, extracellular space, cytokine receptor binding, and so on. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis proved that the core targets were significantly enriched in bladder cancer, pathways in cancer. The docking results demonstrated that beta-sitosterol, glycitein, and quercetin had good binding activity to CRC putative targets.

CONCLUSION

Our work successfully predicted the functioning ingredients and potential targets of L. barbarum in CRC and illustrated the potential pathways and mechanisms comprehensively. Nevertheless, these results still call for in vitro and in vivo experiments to validate.

Quercetin pretreatment enhances the radiosensitivity of colon cancer cells by targeting Notch-1 pathway

Cancer stem-like cells are rare immortal cells within tumor, which are thought to play important roles in ionizing radiation (IR) therapy-resistance. Quercetin is a natural flavonoid with potential anti-cancer properties without significant cytotoxicity in normal tissues. In this study, we demonstrated that quercetin-IR combination treatment exhibited more dramatic anti-cancer effect than either quercetin or IR treatment alone via targeting colon cancer stem cells (CSCs) and inhibiting the Notch-1 signaling. These effects were further verified by in vivo studies which showed remarkable decrease of the CSCs markers and the expression of Notch-1 signaling proteins in human colon cancer xenografts in nude mice. Co-treatment with quercetin and low dose of radiation significantly reduced the expressions of all five proteins of γ-secretase complex in HT-29 and DLD-1 cells. In addition, ectopic expression of the Notch intracellular domain (NICD) partly reversed the inhibition effects by the combination therapy. In conclusion, our results indicated that the combination of quercetin (20 μM) and IR (5Gy) might be a promising therapeutic strategy for colon cancer treatment by targeting colon cancer stem-like cells and inhibiting the Notch-1 signaling. In future studies, we intend to further explore the potential therapeutic efficacy of the quercetin-radiation combination treatment in clinical trials.