In vitro anti-proliferative effects of Zuojinwan on eight kinds of human cancer cell lines

Network Pharmacology-Based Prediction and Verification of the Active Ingredients and Potential Targets of Zuojinwan for Treating Colorectal Cancer

Background

Zuojinwan (ZJW), a famous Chinese medicine formula, has been widely used to treat colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its bioactive compounds, potential targets, and molecular mechanism remain largely elusive.

Aim

A network pharmacology-based strategy combined with molecular docking studies and in vitro validation were employed to investigate bioactive compounds, potential targets, and molecular mechanism of ZJW against CRC.

Materials and Methods

Bioactive compounds and potential targets of ZJW, as well as related genes of CRC, were acquired from public databases. Important ingredients, potential targets, and signaling pathways were determined through bioinformatics analysis, including protein-protein interaction (PPI), the Gene Ontology (GO), and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Subsequently, molecular docking and cell experiments were performed to further verify the findings.

Results

A total of 36 bioactive ingredients of ZJW and 163 gene targets of ZJW were identified. The network analysis revealed that quercetin, baicalein, wogonin, beta-sitosterol, and isorhamnetin may be candidate agents. The AKT1, JUN, CDKN1A, BCL2L1, and NCOA1 could become potential drug targets. The KEGG indicated that PI3K-AKT signaling pathway may play an important role in the effect of ZJW against CRC. Molecular docking suggested that quercetin, baicalein, and wogonin combined well with AKT1 and JUN. The in vitro experiment showed that quercetin, the most important ingredient of ZJW, could induce apoptosis of HCT116 cells through PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. This finding was congruent with the prediction obtained through the network pharmacology approach.

Conclusion

This study comprehensively illuminated the active ingredients, potential targets, and molecular mechanism of ZJW against CRC. It also provided a promising approach to uncover the scientific basis and therapeutic mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula treating for disease.

Uncovering the Anticancer Mechanisms of Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas: Therapeutic Alternatives for Liver Cancer

The potential values of Chinese herbal formulas in treating various diseases are well known. In addition to more than 2,000 years of history, herbal medicine is appreciated for its remarkable efficacy in a lot of cases, which warrants a role in public health care worldwide, especially in East Asian countries. Liver cancer is the second most fatal cancer across the world. Recent studies have extensively investigated the chemical profiles and pharmacological effects of Chinese herbal medicine formulas on liver cancer. Either through observational follow-up or experimental studies, multiple herbal formulas have benefits implicated in the management of liver cancer. However, complex composition of each formula imposes restrictions on promoting clinical practice and global recognition. Therefore, understanding the mode of action of Chinese herbal medicine formulas in depth may offer sufficient evidence for their clinical use. This review highlighted the chemical characteristics and molecular mechanisms of actions of prominent Chinese herbal medicine formulas and summarized the correlated findings on the potential use in liver cancer treatment. At last, the present progresses of Chinese herbal medicine formulas in the perspective of clinical trials are discussed.

The Zuo Jin Wan Formula increases chemosensitivity of human primary gastric cancer cells by AKT mediated mitochondrial translocation of cofilin-1

Resistance to cisplatin (DDP)-based chemotherapy is a major cause of treatment failure in human gastric cancer (GC). It is necessary to identify the drugs to re-sensitize GC cells to DDP. In our previous research, Zuo Jin Wan Formula (ZJW) has been proved could increase the mitochondrial apoptosis via cofilin-1 in a immortalized cell line, SGC-7901/DDP. Due to the immortalized cells may still difficult highly recapitulate the important molecular events in vivo, primary GC cells model derived from clinical patient was constructed in the present study to further evaluate the effect of ZJW and the underlying molecular mechanism. Immunofluorescent staining was used to indentify primary cultured human GC cells. Western blotting was carried out to detect the protein expression. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to evaluate cell proliferation. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to assess cell apoptosis. ZJW inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in primary DDP-resistant GC cells. Notably, the apoptosis in GC cells was mediated by inducing cofilin-1 mitochondrial translocation, down-regulating Bcl-2 and up-regulating Bax expression. Surprisingly, the level of p-AKT protein was higher in DDP-resistant GC cells than that of the DDP-sensitive GC cells, and the activation of AKT could attenuate ZJW-induced sensitivity to DDP. These data revealed that ZJW can increase the chemosensitivity in DDP-resistant primary GC cells by inducing mitochondrial apoptosis and AKT inactivation. The combining chemotherapy with ZJW may be an effective therapeutic strategy for GC chemoresistance patients.

Zuo Jin Wan Reverses DDP Resistance in Gastric Cancer through ROCK/PTEN/PI3K Signaling Pathway

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Chemotherapy resistance remains the major reason for GC treatment failure and poor overall survival of patients. Our previous studies have proved that Zuo Jin Wan (ZJW), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, could significantly enhance the sensitivity of cisplatin (DDP)-resistant gastric cancer cells to DDP by inducing apoptosis via mitochondrial translocation of cofilin-1. However, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ROCK/PTEN/PI3K on ZJW-induced apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. We found that ZJW could significantly activate the ROCK/PTEN pathway, inhibit PI3K/Akt, and promote the apoptosis of SGC-7901/DDP cells. Inhibition of ROCK obviously attenuated ZJW-induced apoptosis as well as cofilin-1 mitochondrial translocation, while inhibition of PI3K had the opposite effects. In vivo, combination treatment of DDP and ZJW (2000 mg/kg) significantly reduced tumor growth compared with DDP alone. Moreover, the combined administration of ZJW and DDP increased the expression of cleaved ROCK and p-PTEN while it decreased p-PI3K and p-cofilin-1, which was consistent with our in vitro results. These findings indicated that ZJW could effectively inhibit DDP resistance in GC by regulating ROCK/PTEN/PI3K signaling and provide a promising treatment strategy for gastric cancer.

Network pharmacology-based strategy to investigate pharmacological mechanisms of Zuojinwan for treatment of gastritis

BACKGROUND

Zuojinwan (ZJW), a classic herbal formula, has been extensively used to treat gastric symptoms in clinical practice in China for centuries. However, the pharmacological mechanisms of ZJW still remain vague to date.

METHODS

In the present work, a network pharmacology-based strategy was proposed to elucidate its underlying multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway mode of action against gastritis. First we collected putative targets of ZJW based on TCMSP and STITCH databases, and a network containing the interactions between the putative targets of ZJW and known therapeutic targets of gastritis was built. Then four topological parameters, "degree", "betweenness", "closeness", and "coreness" were calculated to identify the major targets in the network. Furthermore, the major hubs were imported to the Metacore database to perform a pathway enrichment analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 118 nodes including 59 putative targets of ZJW were picked out as major hubs in terms of their topological importance. The results of pathway enrichment analysis indicated that putative targets of ZJW mostly participated in various pathways associated with anti-inflammation response, growth and development promotion and G-protein-coupled receptor signaling. More importantly, five putative targets of ZJW (EGFR, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and MCP-1) and two known therapeutic targets of gastritis (CCKBR and IL-12β) and a link target NF-κB were recognized as active factors involved in the main biological functions of treatment, implying the underlying mechanisms of ZJW acting on gastritis.

CONCLUSION

ZJW could alleviate gastritis through the molecular mechanisms predicted by network pharmacology, and this research demonstrates that the network pharmacology approach can be an effective tool to reveal the mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) from a holistic perspective.

Extracts of Zuo Jin Wan, a traditional Chinese medicine, phenocopies 5-HTR1D antagonist in attenuating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in colorectal cancer cells

Background

In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that Zuo Jin Wan (ZJW), a herbal formula of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), possessed anticancer properties. However, the underlying mechanism for the action of ZJW remains unclear. Various subtypes of 5-Hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HTR) have been shown to play a role in carcinogenesis and cancer metastasis. 5-HTR1D, among the subtypes, is highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines and tissues. The present study aimed at investigating effect of ZJW extracts on the biological function of CRC cells, the expression of 5-HTR1D, and molecules of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Methods

In this study, the effect of ZJW extracts on 5-HTR1D expression and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were investigated and contrasted with GR127935 (GR), a known 5-HTR1D antagonist, using the CRC cell line SW403. The cells were respectively treated with GR127935 and different doses of ZJW extracts. Proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of SW403 cells were compared between ZJW and GR127935 treatments. The expression of 5-HTR1D and signaling molecules involved in the canonic Wnt/β-catenin pathway were determined by Western blot analysis.

Results

After ZJW extracts treatment and GR127935 treatment, G1 arrest in cell cycle of SW403 was increased. Cell apoptosis was pronounced, and cell migration and invasion were suppressed. SW403 cells showed a dose-dependently decreased expression of 5-HTR1D, meanwhile, β-catenin level was significantly decreased in nucleus of cells cultured with GR127935. Treatment of ZJW extracts dose-dependently resulted in decreased 5-HTR1D and a concomitant reduction in the Wnt/β-catenin signal transduction, an effect indistinguishable from GR127935 treatment.

Conclusion

The anticancer activity of ZJW extracts may be partially achieved through attenuation of the 5-HTR1D-Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Exploration of anti-cancer effects and mechanisms of Zuo-Jin-Wan and its alkaloid components in vitro and in orthotopic HepG2 xenograft immunocompetent mice

BACKGROUND

Zuo-Jin-Wan (ZJW), a two-herb formula consisting of Coptis chinensis (CC) and Evodia rutaecarpa (ER), is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cancers. However, the efficacies and mechanisms of ZJW and its alkaloid components on cancers are still unclear.

METHODS

Here we investigated the anti-cancer effects and mechanisms of ZJW, CC, ER, berberine, and evodiamine in cells and in intrahepatic xenograft mice.

RESULTS

Treatment of HepG2 cells with ZJW, CC, ER, berberine, and evodiamine significantly displayed cytotoxic effects in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Hierarchical cluster analysis of gene expression profiles showed that CC and ZJW shared a similar mechanism for the cytotoxic effects, suggesting that CC was the active ingredient of ZJW for anti-cancer activity. Network analysis further showed that c-myc was the likely key molecule involved in the regulation of ZJW-affected gene expression. A human hepatoma xenograft model was established by intrahepatic injection of HepG2 cells containing nuclear factor-κB-driven luciferase genes in immunocompetent mice. In vivo bioluminescence imaging showed that cells had been successfully transplanted in mouse liver. Oral administration of ZJW for 28 consecutive days led to a significant decrease in the accumulation of ascites, the ratio of tumor-to-liver, and the number of transplanted cells in livers.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, our findings suggested for the first time that ZJW significantly suppressed human cancer cell growth in orthotopic HepG2 xenograft-bearing immunocompetent mice. Moreover, c-myc might play a potent role in the cytotoxic mechanisms of ZJW, CC, ER, berberine, and evodiamine.

The Zuo Jin Wan Formula Induces Mitochondrial Apoptosis of Cisplatin-Resistant Gastric Cancer Cells via Cofilin-1

Despite the status of cisplatin (DDP) as a classical chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of cancer, the development of multidrug resistance often leads to a failure of DDP therapy. Here we found that phosphorylated cofilin-1 (p-cofilin-1) was overexpressed in the DDP-resistant human gastric cancer cell lines SGC7901/DDP and BGC823/DDP, relative to the respective parent cell lines (SGC7901 and BGC823), and that DDP induced the dephosphorylation of p-cofilin-1 in both parent lines but not in the DDP-resistant lines. However, we noted that the traditional Chinese medicine formula Zuo Jin Wan (ZJW) could induce the dephosphorylation of p-cofilin-1 and promote cofilin-1 translocation from the cytoplasm into the mitochondria in both SGC7901/DDP and BGC823/DDP cells. This mitochondrial translocation of cofilin-1 was found to induce the conversion of filamentous actin to globular-actin, activate mitochondrial damage and calcium overloading, and induce the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. We further observed that these effects of ZJW on DDP-resistant human gastric cancer cell lines could be reversed via transfection with cofilin-1-specific siRNA, or treatment with a PP1 and PP2A inhibitor. These results suggest that ZJW is an effective drug therapy for patients with DDP-resistant gastric cancer.

Antiproliferative Activity and Cellular Uptake of Evodiamine and Rutaecarpine Based on 3D Tumor Models

Evodiamine (EVO) and rutaecarpine (RUT) are promising anti-tumor drug candidates. The evaluation of the anti-proliferative activity and cellular uptake of EVO and RUT in 3D multicellular spheroids of cancer cells would better recapitulate the native situation and thus better reflect an in vivo response to the treatment. Herein, we employed the 3D culture of MCF-7 and SMMC-7721 cells based on hanging drop method and evaluated the anti-proliferative activity and cellular uptake of EVO and RUT in 3D multicellular spheroids, and compared the results with those obtained from 2D monolayers. The drugs’ IC₅₀ values were significantly increased from the range of 6.4–44.1 μM in 2D monolayers to 21.8–138.0 μM in 3D multicellular spheroids, which may be due to enhanced mass barrier and reduced drug penetration in 3D models. The fluorescence of EVO and RUT was measured via fluorescence spectroscopy and the cellular uptake of both drugs was characterized in 2D tumor models. The results showed that the cellular uptake concentrations of RUT increased with increasing drug concentrations. However, the EVO concentrations uptaken by the cells showed only a small change with increasing drug concentrations, which may be due to the different solubility of EVO and Rut in solvents. Overall, this study provided a new vision of the anti-tumor activity of EVO and RUT via 3D multicellular spheroids and cellular uptake through the fluorescence of compounds.

Establishment of an Experimental Breast Cancer ZHENG Model and Curative Effect Evaluation of Zuo-Jin Wan

Herbal formulas based on the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome (ZHENG) have been used as alternative treatments for breast cancer. However, there is a lack of the experimental animal ZHENG model for the evaluation of the herbal formulas. In this study, we have established 4T1 mouse breast cancer with Liver Fire Invading Stomach Syndrome model (4T1 LFISS mice) and investigated the effects of the herbal formula, Zuo-Jin Wan (ZJW). Our results showed that 4T1 LFISS mice have the features of LFISS including irritability, loss of appetite, yellow urine, chow, and a tail hot. Compared to untreated 4T1 LFISS mice, ZJW significantly reduced tumor weight and volume (P < 0.05), although it was weaker than Cisplatin. However, ZJW significantly increased the body weight and food intake of 4T1 LFISS mice and decreased serum ALT, AST, Cr, and BUN levels and ZHENG score (P < 0.05), while Cisplatin reduced the food intake, and body weight and increased serum ALT, AST, Cr, and BUN levels in 4T1 LFISS mice. Our study has provided a mouse breast cancer ZHENG model and showed that ZJW suppresses tumor growth and improves LFISS and kidney and liver functions in the 4T1 LFISS mice.