Soyasapogenol B exhibits anti-growth and anti-metastatic activities in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Anti-inflammatory Oleanane-Type Triterpenoids Produced by Nonomuraea sp. MYH522 through Microbial Transformation

Eleven oleanane-type triterpenoids named soyasapogenols B1-B11 have been obtained unexpectedly from a marine actinomycete Nonomuraea sp. MYH522. Their structures have been determined by extensive analysis of spectroscopic experiments and X-ray crystallographic data. Soyasapogenols B1-B11 exhibit subtle differences in the positions and degrees of oxidation on an oleanane skeleton. The feeding experiment suggested that soyasapogenols might be derived from soyasaponin Bb through microbial-mediated conversion. The biotransformation pathways from soyasaponin Bb to five oleanane-type triterpenoids and six A-ring cleaved analogues were proposed. The assumed biotransformation involves an array of reactions including regio- and stereo-selective oxidation. These compounds alleviated the 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid-induced inflammation in Raw264.7 cells via the stimulator of interferon genes/TBK1/NF-κB signaling pathway. The present work provided an efficient approach for rapid diversification of soyasaponins and for developing food supplements with potent anti-inflammatory effects.

Soya saponin fails to improve the antioxidation and immune function of laying hens with antibiotics treated

Soya saponin (SS) helps to improve antioxidant and immune function of body, and intestinal bacteria might play an important role here. In the present study, the co-occurring network of the ileal flora was analyzed with 50 mg/kg SS supplemented to the diet, and Romboutsia was found to have evolved into a dominant flora. In addition, the co-occurring network of the flora was changed with the combined antibiotic treated, and the unidentified-cyanobacteria developed into the dominant flora, whereas the relative abundance of Romboutsia was dropped. Dietary SS failed to elevate the relative abundance of Romboutsia with antibiotics treated, at the same time, it was not helpful for the antioxidant and immune function of laying hens. While dietary SS had a little help on the egg-laying performance. Intestinal bacteria did play a key role in the biological functions of SS on laying hens. In conclusion, SS failed to improve the antioxidation and immune function of laying hens with antibiotics treated.

Biosynthesis of Soyasapogenol B by Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Soyasapogenol B is an oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpene that has various applications in food and healthcare and has a higher biological activity than soyasaponin. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a potential platform for terpenoid production with mature genetic tools for metabolic pathway manipulation. In this study, we developed a biosynthesis method to produce soyasapogenol B. First, we expressed β-amyrin synthase derived from Glycyrrhiza glabra in S. cerevisiae to generate β-amyrin, as the precursor of soyasapogenol B. Several different types of promoters were then used to regulate the expression of key genes in the mevalonate pathway (MVA), and this subsequently increased the yield of β-amyrin to 17.6 mg/L, 25-fold more than that produced in the original strain L01 (0.68 mg/L). Then, using the β-amyrin-producing strain, we expressed soyasapogenol B synthases from Medicago truncatula (CYP93E2 and CYP72A61V2) and from G. glabra (CYP93E3 and CYP72A566). Soyasapogenol B yields were then optimized by using soyasapogenol B synthases and cytochrome P450 reductase from G. glabra. The most effective soyasapogenol B production strain was used for fermentation, and the yield of soyasapogenol B reached 2.9 mg/L in flask and 8.36 mg/L in a 5-L bioreactor with fed glucose and ethanol. This study demonstrated the heterologous synthesis of soyasapogenol B in S. cerevisiae using the combined expression of CYP93E3 and CYP72A566 in the synthesis pathway, which significantly increased the production of soyasapogenol B and provides a reference method for the biosynthesis of other triterpenes.

Mechanism of gypenosides of Gynostemma pentaphyllum inducing apoptosis of renal cell carcinoma by PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino is a traditional medicine commonly used in China, East Asia and Southeast Asia. In clinic, it is mainly used for hyperlipidemia and antitumor. Its antitumor activity was first recorded in "Illustrated Catalogue of Plants". Gypenosides were the main active ingredients of G. pentaphyllum. The anticancer activity of gypenosides in vivo and in vitro had been widely reported. However, the mechanism of gypenosides in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) still unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

In this study, we tried to investigate the active constituents from G. pentaphyllum and potential mechanisms in RCC treatment through network pharmacology and in vitro experiments.

MATERIAL/METHODS

Active compounds and their targets were evaluated and screened through TCMSP and Swiss Target Prediction database. Notably, nine preliminary screened components obtained from database were identified by LC-MS and LC-MS/MS. The targets associated with RCC were obtained from OMIM, TTD and GeneCards database. The PPI network and active component/target/pathway networks were constructed to identify the potential drug targets using String database and Cytoscape software. The functions and pathways of targets were analyzed through DAVID database. Finally, AutoDockTools 1.5.6 was used for molecular docking to assess the binding ability between compounds and targets. To support our prediction, we then explore the antitumor effect and mechanism of gypenosides by vitro experiments. CCK8 and flow cytometry were performed to evaluate cell death treated with gypenosides. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were conducted to detect the changes of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

RESULTS

Nine saponins and 68 targets have been screened. The hub targets covered PIK3CA, VEGFA, STAT3, JAK2, CCND1 and MAPK3. Enrichment analysis showed that the pathways mainly contained PI3K/Akt/mTOR, HIF-1, TNF, JAK-STAT and MAPK signaling pathways. Gypenosides extracted from G. pentaphyllum showed strong activity against 786-O and Caki-1 cells, and cell apoptosis were detected through Annexin V/PI dual staining assay. RT-qPCR showed that gypenosides downregulated the levels of PIK3CA, Akt and mTOR in Caki-1 and 786-O cells. Mechanistically, gypenosides induced apoptosis of RCC cells through regulating PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway which was implemented though decreasing the phosphorylation level of Akt and mTOR.

CONCLUSIONS

Gypenosides induced apoptosis of RCC cells by modulating PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Physiologically Active Molecules and Functional Properties of Soybeans in Human Health-A Current Perspective

In addition to providing nutrients, food can help prevent and treat certain diseases. In particular, research on soy products has increased dramatically following their emergence as functional foods capable of improving blood circulation and intestinal regulation. In addition to their nutritional value, soybeans contain specific phytochemical substances that promote health and are a source of dietary fiber, phospholipids, isoflavones (e.g., genistein and daidzein), phenolic acids, saponins, and phytic acid, while serving as a trypsin inhibitor. These individual substances have demonstrated effectiveness in preventing chronic diseases, such as arteriosclerosis, cardiac diseases, diabetes, and senile dementia, as well as in treating cancer and suppressing osteoporosis. Furthermore, soybean can affect fibrinolytic activity, control blood pressure, and improve lipid metabolism, while eliciting antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, and antibacterial effects. In this review, rather than to improve on the established studies on the reported nutritional qualities of soybeans, we intend to examine the physiological activities of soybeans that have recently been studied and confirm their potential as a high-functional, well-being food.

Soyasapogenol B Attenuates Laryngeal Carcinoma Progression through Inducing Apoptotic and Autophagic Cell Death

Soyasapogenol B (Soy B), a constituent of soybean, has been shown to exhibit antitumor activities against different types of cancers. However, to our knowledge, no studies so far have investigated the effect of Soy B in human laryngeal carcinoma. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the effect of Soy B in human laryngeal carcinoma cell lines HeP-2 and TU212 and to elucidate the possible underlying mechanisms by which Soy B can induce its antitumor effects. The results showed that Soy B effectively attenuated the cell growth by causing G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest in laryngeal carcinoma cell lines. Moreover, the percentage of apoptotic and autophagic cells dramatically increased upon exposure to Soy B. Western blotting results confirmed that Soy B can alter the expression levels of established markers of apoptosis and autophagy. Interestingly, both apoptosis inhibitor (ZVAD-fmk) and autophagy inhibitor (3-MA) could partially reverse the effect of Soy B, while blocking autophagy did not cause obvious alteration in the percentage of apoptotic cells. Similarly, in vivo studies validated that Soy B could effectively reduce the size of the tumor and induce apoptosis and autophagy in tumor tissues. Collectively, these results suggested that Soy B can exert anticancer activities against laryngeal carcinoma through inducing apoptotic and autophagic cell death. Our study highlighted the potential role of Soy B as a chemotherapeutic agent for laryngeal carcinoma. Anat Rec, 2019. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy Anat Rec, 303:1851-1858, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.