HeLa cells treated with phytoglycoprotein (150 kDa) were killed by activation of caspase 3 via inhibitory activities of NF-kappaB and AP-1

Natural and synthetic drugs and formulations for intravaginal HPV clearance

BACKGROUND

Except for a few preventative Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, there is currently no cure for HPV infection. There are a number of cutting-edge strategies and potent medications or herbal formulations that can be applied topically for early clearance of HPV infection before HPV DNA gets integrated into host cell genome. This is facilitated due to cervical cancer having distinct and well-recognized long precancerous stages.

OBJECTIVES

This review aims to outline every possible medication and formulation, both natural and synthetic, that can be applied topically as intravaginal application to help remove HPV infection at an early precancerous stage.

RESULTS

Several anti-HPV/HPV clearance compounds and formulations for high-grade lesions are undergoing clinical trials. However, the majority of compounds are still in the early stages of development and require additional research to become viable HPV clearance candidates. Synthetic drugs may be more promising because they may have a more targeted effect; however, they may also have significant adverse effects. On the other hand, natural medications are safer to use. They are less specific, but have minimal to no adverse effects.

CONCLUSIONS

This article may serve as a valuable resource of information for managing and preventing precancerous carcinogenic HPV infections. Research could be directed toward developing candidate drugs to make evidence-based decisions about advancing them to clinical trials and, eventually, to the market for potential use in the prevention and control of cervical cancer, which is almost always preventable or even curable if detected early.

Isolation, structures and biological activities of medicinal glycoproteins from natural resources: A review

In recent years, natural resources have proven to be tremendous sources of glycoproteins. As biological macromolecules, glycoproteins are essential to the growth and development of organisms, and have attracted increasing attention around the world. This review summarized and discussed the development of glycoproteins from natural resources, including isolation methods, purification processes, structural features and biological activities. Generally, the vast majority of glycoproteins can be isolated by hot water extraction followed by purification through gel filtration chromatography. Combined with component analysis, the physicochemical properties of glycoproteins are studied by using several spectroscopic techniques such as ultraviolet-visible (UV-Visible), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Moreover, natural glycoproteins possess various remarkable biological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-coagulant and anti-microbial activities. The content of this review will provide a theoretical basis for the research on related glycoproteins and give a perspective on the use of these medical resources.

Basic research on curcumin in cervical cancer: Progress and perspectives

Curcumin is a polyphenolic substance extracted from plants such as Curcuma longa, Curcuma zedoaria, and radix curcumae, and it has attracted much attention because of the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, antibacterial and other multiple pharmacological effects. Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. With the application of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, the incidence of cervical cancer is expected to be reduced, but it remains difficult to promote the vaccine among low-income population. As a commonly used food additive, curcumin has recently been found to have a significant therapeutic effect in the treatment of cervical cancer. In recent years, numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have found that curcumin can have significant efficacy in anti-cervical cancer treatment by promoting apoptosis, inhibiting tumour cell proliferation, metastasis and invasion, inhibiting HPV and inducing autophagy in tumour cells. However, due to poor water solubility, rapid catabolism, and low bioavailability of curcumin, studies on curcumin derivatives and novel formulations are increasing. Curcumin has a wide range of mechanisms of action against cervical cancer and may become a novel antitumor drug in the future, opening up new ideas for the research of curcumin in the field of antitumor. There is a lack of systematic reviews on the mechanism of action of curcumin against cervical cancer. Therefore, this study is a review of the literature based on the mechanism of action of curcumin against cervical cancer, with a view to providing reference information for scientific and clinical practitioners.

Cedrol alleviates the apoptosis and inflammatory response of IL-1β-treated chondrocytes by promoting miR-542-5p expression

Cedrol has been shown to exert anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative effects, but its role in osteoarthritis (OA) is unclear. This study aimed to explore the effect of cedrol in OA. Chondrocytes were isolated from newborn rats and cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM). Then, Alcian blue staining was used to identify the chondrocytes. IL-1β and cedrol were used to treat chondrocytes. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured by MTT and flow cytometry assays, respectively. The expressions of miR-542-5p, miR-26b-5p, miR-572, miR-138-5p, miR-328-3p, miR-1254, Bcl-2, Bax, iNOS, COX-2, and MMP-13 were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or western blot. NO and PGE2 levels were detected by ELISA. All the cells extracted from the newborn rats were dyed blue, indicating that the cells were chondrocytes. IL-1β could reduce the viability and promote apoptosis and inflammatory response of chondrocytes, while cedrol could reverse the effect of IL-1β. In addition, cedrol could significantly increase the expression of miR-542-5p in IL-1β-treated chondrocytes. Moreover, miR-542-5p inhibitor could partly reverse the effect of cedrol in the apoptosis and inflammation response of chondrocytes. Cedrol alleviated IL-1β-induced apoptosis and inflammatory response of chondrocytes by promoting miR-542-5p expression.

miR-200b-3p alleviates TNF-α-induced apoptosis and inflammation of intestinal epithelial cells and ulcerative colitis progression in rats via negatively regulating KHDRBS1

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is difficult to be treated. miRNAs are a group of gene regulators. Study demonstrated that miR-200b-3p is involved in the development of UC, but the specific molecular mechanism is still unclear. A UC model was established by injecting acetic acid into rectum of rats, which were then treated with miR-200b-3p antagonists and agonists. Weight change, fecal viscosity and fecal bleeding were measured to determine disease activity index. The ratio of colon length to weight was measured. Colon lesions were detected by H&E staining. ELISA was used to detect the expression of TGF-β in colon tissues and IL-10/CRP in serum. Intestinal epithelial cells (NCM460) were treated by TNF-α to create an inflammatory environment. MRNA and protein levels of miR-200b-3p, KHDRBS1, IL-10, IL-6, IL-1β, TGF-β, Bcl-2, Bax and C-capase-3 were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. TargetScan database and dual-luciferase reporter assay were conducted to predict the targeting relationship between miR-200b-3p and KHDRBS1. MTT and flow cytometry were respectively performed to detect cell proliferation and apoptosis. MiR-200b-3p expression was inhibited, leading to increased disease activity index and colonic length-weight ratio, and aggravation of lesions of the UC rat model. Up-regulation of miR-200b-3p can relieve inflammation and apoptosis of immune cells in UC rats. MiR-200b-3p targeted KHDRBS1 and inhibited its expression. Moreover, KHDRBS1 reversed the effects of miR-200b-3p on apoptosis, proliferation and inflammation of intestinal epithelial cells. MiR-200b-3p alleviates UC by negatively regulating KHDRBS1.

Extraction, purification, characterization, and rheological properties of a glycoprotein from Cynomorium songaricum Rupr

Cynomorium songaricum Rupr is widely known in China as a traditional herbal medicine. In this study, single-factor experiments and response surface methodology were used to optimize the extraction of Cynomorium songaricum Rupr glycoprotein (CSG). The results show that a maximum glycoprotein yield of 6.39 ± 0.32% was achieved at a ratio of solid to liquid 32:1 for 4.2 H at 52 °C. Then, the IR, monosaccharide composition, amino acid composition, type of glycopeptide linkage, and average molecular weight of CSG-1 purified from CSG were characterized. The results indicate that CSG-1 presented the characteristic absorption peak of polysaccharide and protein, including four monosaccharides and 17 amino acids, had O-linked glycopeptide bonds, M_w , W_n , M_w /M_n , M_p , and the z-average were 5.343 × 10⁶ , 3.203 × 10⁶ , 1.668, 8.911 × 10⁶ , and 6.948 × 10⁶ , respectively. Besides, CSG-1 solution was described by the Herschel-Bulkley model and it behaved as a shear-thinning fluid. Also, under a frequency sweep the moduli G' and G″ both increased with increasing CSG-1 concentration and the CSG-1 dispersions had weak thermal stability over the temperature sweep. These results provide a scientific basis for the further study of Cynomorium songaricum Rupr.

Steroidal glycoalkaloids from Solanum nigrum target cytoskeletal proteins: an in silico analysis

Background

Solanum nigrum (black nightshade; S. nigrum), a member of family Solanaceae, has been endowed with a heterogeneous array of secondary metabolites of which the steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) and steroidal saponins (SS) have vast potential to serve as anticancer agents. Since there has been much controversy regarding safety of use of glycoalkaloids as anticancer agents, this area has remained more or less unexplored. Cytoskeletal proteins like actin play an important role in maintaining cell shape, synchronizing cell division, cell motility, etc. and along with their accessory proteins may also serve as important therapeutic targets for potential anticancer candidates. In the present study, glycoalkaloids and saponins from S. nigrum were screened for their interaction and binding affinity to cytoskeletal proteins, using molecular docking.

Methods

Bioactivity score and Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances (PASS) analysis were performed using softwares Molinspiration and Osiris Data Explorer respectively, to assess the feasibility of selected phytoconstituents as potential drug candidates. The results were compared with two standard reference drugs doxorubicin hydrochloride (anticancer) and tetracycline (antibiotic). Multivariate data obtained were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA).

Results

Docking analysis revealed that the binding affinities of the phytoconstituents towards the target cytoskeletal proteins decreased in the order coronin>villin>ezrin>vimentin>gelsolin>thymosin>cofilin. Glycoalkaloid solasonine displayed the greatest binding affinity towards the target proteins followed by alpha-solanine whereas amongst the saponins, nigrumnin-I showed maximum binding affinity. PASS Analysis of the selected phytoconstituents revealed 1 to 3 violations of Lipinski’s parameters indicating the need for modification of their structure-activity relationship (SAR) for improvement of their bioactivity and bioavailability. Glycoalkaloids and saponins all had bioactivity scores between −5.0 and 0.0 with respect to various receptor proteins and target enzymes. Solanidine, solasodine and solamargine had positive values of druglikeness which indicated that these compounds have the potential for development into future anticancer drugs. Toxicity potential evaluation revealed that glycoalkaloids and saponins had no toxicity, tumorigenicity or irritant effect(s). SAR analysis revealed that the number, type and location of sugar or the substitution of hydroxyl group on alkaloid backbone had an effect on the activity and that the presence of α-L-rhamnopyranose sugar at C-2 was critical for a compound to exhibit anticancer activity.

Conclusion

The present study revealed some cytoskeletal target(s) for S. nigrum phytoconstituents by docking analysis that have not been previously reported and thus warrant further investigations both in vitro and in vivo.

Securidaca-saponins are natural inhibitors of AKT, MCL-1, and BCL2L1 in cervical cancer cells

Introduction

Scientific research is beginning to prove the connection between claims by African traditional medicine and the natural chemical specifics contained in medicinal plant Securidaca longipedunculata. Our previous studies showed that two natural saponin fractions (4A3 and 4A4) identified in the plant as triterpenoid glycosides are capable of activating apoptosis on cervical tumor cell lines. Considering this and some critical roles of human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 oncogene on cervical cells, by promoting carcinogenesis and cell survival, it became necessary to investigate the possible pathways for apoptosis transmission.

Methods

Tests conducted on relevant cervical tumor cell lines such as Caski and Bu25TK included the following: MTT assay; scratch assay (to determine cell migration/invasion); fluorescence microscopy with Annexin V–fluorescein isothiocyanate, muscle progenitor cell) and propidium iodide staining; and finally reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) for gene analysis.

Results

Reduced cell proliferation was observed due to activities of 4A3 and 4A4 fractions, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 7.03 and 16.39 μg/mL, respectively, on Caski cell line. A significant reduction in cell migration occurred within 48 and 72 hours, respectively, for Caski and Bu25TK cell lines. Late apoptosis was activated by 4A3, staining both Annexin V and PI, in contrast to 4A4’s early apoptosis. RT-qPCR data revealed a fold change (FC) inhibition of antiapoptotic proteins such as MCL-1 and BCL2L1, with diminished level of AKT-3, VEGFA, MALAT1, etc. The expression of p53, proapoptotic BAD, and caspase-8 was nonsignificant.

Conclusion

The low expression of AKT-3 and antiapoptotic proteins (MCL-1 and BCL2L1), as well as VEGFA, could simply be an indication for possible suppression of cell survival mechanisms via multiple channels. We therefore conclude that 4A3 and 4A4 fractions mediate activity via the inhibition of phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI3K)-AKT/mTOR/NF-kB-dependent antiapoptotic stimuli. Further studies are ongoing to reveal the chemical structures and compositions of these two fractions.

Separation of glycine-rich proteins from sea hare eggs and their anti-cancer activity against U937 leukemia cell line

The present study was designed to investigate the anti-cancer effects of Sea hare eggs (SE) in U937 cells and its major active components. The aqueous extract of SE (ASE), which contained the highest protein content, dose-dependently inhibited the cancer cell's growth (IC₅₀ value, 10.42 ± 0.5 µg/mL). Additionally, ASE markedly caused DNA damage by inducing apoptotic body formation, DNA fragmentation, and accumulation of sub-G₁ DNA contents. ASE induced apoptosis by activating caspase-3 and 9 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) by regulating the expression of Bcl-2/Bax. Moreover, among its molecular weight fractions, the > 30 kDa fraction showed the highest cell-growth-inhibitory effects, which was inhibited by heat treatment. Furthermore, the > 30 kDa fraction had markedly higher glycine content than the ASE. The presence of two protein bands at around 16 and 32 kDa was identified. In addition, two fractions, F1 and F2, were obtained using anion-exchange chromatography, with the F1 having an improved cell-growth-inhibitory effect than the > 30 kDa fraction. Taken together, these results suggest that the ASE contains glycine-rich proteins, including the active 16 and 32 kDa proteins, which account for its anti-cancer effects by inducing apoptosis via regulation of the mitochondrial pathway.

Integrated Treatment of Aqueous Extract of Solanum nigrum-Potentiated Cisplatin- and Doxorubicin-Induced Cytotoxicity in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Chemotherapy is the main approach for treating advanced and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the clinical performance of chemotherapy is limited by a relatively low response rate, drug resistance, and adverse effects that severely affect the quality of life of patients. The aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum (AE-SN) is a crucial ingredient in some traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas for treating cancer patients and exhibits antitumor effects in human HCC cells. Therefore, this study examined the tumor-suppression efficiency of AE-SN integrated with a standard chemotherapeutic drug, namely, cisplatin or doxorubicin, in human HCC cells, namely, Hep3B and HepJ5. The results suggested that the integrated treatment with AE-SN-potentiated cisplatin and doxorubicin induced cytotoxicity through the cleavage of caspase-7 and accumulation of microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain-3 A/1B II (LC-3 A/B II), which were associated with apoptotic and autophagic cell death, respectively, in both the Hep3B and HepJ5 cells. In conclusion, AE-SN can potentially be used in novel integrated chemotherapy with cisplatin or doxorubicin to treat HCC patients.

Human Papillomavirus: Current and Future RNAi Therapeutic Strategies for Cervical Cancer

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are small DNA viruses; some oncogenic ones can cause different types of cancer, in particular cervical cancer. HPV-associated carcinogenesis provides a classical model system for RNA interference (RNAi) based cancer therapies, because the viral oncogenes E6 and E7 that cause cervical cancer are expressed only in cancerous cells. Previous studies on the development of therapeutic RNAi facilitated the advancement of therapeutic siRNAs and demonstrated its versatility by siRNA-mediated depletion of single or multiple cellular/viral targets. Sequence-specific gene silencing using RNAi shows promise as a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of a variety of diseases that currently lack effective treatments. However, siRNA-based targeting requires further validation of its efficacy in vitro and in vivo, for its potential off-target effects, and of the design of conventional therapies to be used in combination with siRNAs and their drug delivery vehicles. In this review we discuss what is currently known about HPV-associated carcinogenesis and the potential for combining siRNA with other treatment strategies for the development of future therapies. Finally, we present our assessment of the most promising path to the development of RNAi therapeutic strategies for clinical settings.

Aqueous Extract of Solanum nigrum Leaves Induces Autophagy and Enhances Cytotoxicity of Cisplatin, Doxorubicin, Docetaxel, and 5-Fluorouracil in Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cells

Colorectal cancer is a common cancer worldwide, and chemotherapy is a mainstream approach for advanced and recurrent cases. Development of effective complementary drugs could help improve tumor suppression efficiency and control adverse effects from chemotherapy. The aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum leaves (AE-SN) is an essential component in many traditional Chinese medicine formulas for treating cancer, but there is a lack of evidence verifying its tumor suppression efficacy in colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the tumor suppression efficacy of AE-SN using DLD-1 and HT-29 human colorectal carcinoma cells and examine the combined drug effect when combined with the chemotherapeutic drugs cisplatin, doxorubicin, docetaxel, and 5-fluorouracil. The results indicated that AE-SN induced autophagy via microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 A/B II accumulation but not caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in both cell lines. The IC₅₀s after 48 hours of treatment were 0.541 and 0.948 mg/ml AE-SN in DLD-1 and HT-29, respectively. AE-SN also demonstrated a combined drug effect with all tested drugs by enhancing cytotoxicity in tumor cells. Our results suggest that AE-SN has potential in the development of complementary chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.

Antiproliferative Effect of Solanum nigrum on Human Leukemic Cell Lines

Solanum nigrum is used in various traditional medical systems for antiproliferative, antiinflammatory, antiseizure and hepatoprotective activities. We have evaluated organic solvent and aqueous extracts obtained from berries of Solanum nigrum for antiproliferative activity on leukemic cell lines, Jurkat and HL-60 (Human promyelocytic leukemia cells). The cell viability after the treatment with Solanum nigrum extract was measured by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. Results indicated increased cytotoxicity with increasing extract concentrations. Comparative analysis indicated that 50% inhibitory concentration value of methanol extract is the lowest on both cell lines.

Synergistic Induction of iNOS by IFN-γ and Glycoprotein Isolated from Dioscorea batatas

Dioscorea species continue to be used in traditional Chinese medicine, and represent a major source of steroid precursors for conventional medicine. In the previous study, We isolated glycoprotein (GDB) from Dioscorea batatas, characterized, and demonstrated immunostimulating activity in C57BL/6 mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism whereby GDB activates macrophages. Macrophages activation by GDB was investigated by analyzing the effects of GDB on nitric oxide (NO) production, iNOS expression, mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation, and transcription factor activation. In the presence of IFN-γ, GDB strongly stimulated macrophages to express iNOS and produce NO. Furthermore, the activation of p38 was synergistically induced by GDB plus IFN-γ , but SB203580 (a p38 inhibitor) inhibited GDB plus IFN-γ-induced p38 activation. This study indicates that GDB is an important activator of macrophages. Furthermore, due to the critical role that macrophage activation plays in innate immune response, the activation effects of GDB on macrophages suggest that GDB may be a useful immunopotentiating agent.

Selective cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells by a polyphenol-rich extract of Solanum nigrum

Progression of prostate cancer is associated with escape of tumor cells from cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Agents capable of selectively eliminating cancer cells by cell cycle arrest and/or induction of apoptosis offer a highly desirable approach. Here we demonstrate that a polyphenolic extract derived from ripe berries of Solanum nigrum (SN) differentially causes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in various human prostate cancer cells without affecting normal prostate epithelial cells. Virally transformed normal human prostate epithelial PZ-HPV-7 cells and their cancer counterpart CA-HPV-10 cells, were used to evaluate the growth-inhibitory effects of the SN extract. SN treatment (5-20 µg/ml) of PZ-HPV-7 cells resulted in growth inhibitory responses of low magnitude. In sharp contrast, SN treatment of CA-HPV-10 cells increased cytotoxicity, decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis. Similar results were noted in the human prostate cancer LNCaP, 22Rv1, DU145 and PC-3 cell lines, where significant reductions in cell viability and induction of apoptosis was observed in all these cells, an effect independent of disease stage and androgen association. Cell cycle analysis revealed that SN treatment (5-20 µg/ml) resulted in a dose-dependent G2/M phase arrest and subG1 accumulation in the CA-HPV-10 but not in the PZ-HPV-7 cell line. Our results, for the first time, demonstrate that the SN extract is capable of selectively inhibiting cellular proliferation and accelerating apoptotic events in prostate cancer cells. SN may be developed as a promising therapeutic and/or preventive agent against prostate cancer.

Characterization and immunopotentiating effects of the glycoprotein isolated from dioscorea batatas

We demonstrate that glycoprotein isolated from Dioscorea batatas (GDB) has immunostimulatory effects including macrophage activation. Analysis of infiltration of inflammatory cells into peritoneal cavity showed GDB treatment significantly increased the recruitment of macrophages, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes into the peritoneal cavity. Treatment of spleen cells isolated from C57BL/6 mice with GDB significantly increased the proliferation of B cells and T cells induced by LPS and ConA, respectively. Treatment with GDB significantly increased the cytolytic capacity of NK cells and macrophages against YAC-1 and B16 cells, respectively. In order to further confirm and investigate the mechanism of GDB on macrophage activation, we analyzed the effects of GDB on the cytokine expression including iNOS, IL-1β, and TNF-α in mouse macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7 cells. RT-PCR and ELISA showed that GDB increased the expression of IL-1β, and TNF-α, whereas iNOS was not induced by GDB. Collectively, this series of experiments indicates that GDB stimulates immune system including macrophage activation.

Polyphenol-rich extracts from Solanum nigrum attenuated PKC alpha-mediated migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Solanum nigrum L. (SN) has exhibited multiple biological effects such as anti-inflammation and antiproliferation. Protein kinase C (PKC) regulates cellular functions including proliferation, migration, and invasion. In the present investigation, we demonstrated that 12-o-tetradecanoylphobor-13-acetate (TPA) and constitutively activated PKC alpha significantly increased migration and invasion of HepG2 cells, while treatment with water or polyphenol extracts of SN (SNWE or SNPE) attenuated TPA-induced migration and invasion. SNWE and SNPE reduced TPA-elicited PKC alpha expression in a dose-dependent manner and obviously inhibited TPA-induced phosphorylation of p38 and ERK, respectively. Constitutively activated PKC alpha (caPKC alpha) significantly reversed the inhibitory effects of SNWE and SNPE on ERK and p38 activation. However, the antimigration effect of SNWE and SNPE could not be abrogated by caPKC alpha. Our results revealed the antimigration and anti-invasion effects of both extracts derived from SN, which may act as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Inhibitory effect of phytoglycoprotein (24kDa) on allergy-related factors in compound 48/80-induced mast cells in vivo and in vitro

Mast cells are involved in immediate allergic reactions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. Allergic reactions caused by extracellular allergens such as xenobiotics may become a critical problem in living circumstances. Recently, we isolated and purified glycoprotein from Zanthoxylum piperitum DC fruit (ZPDC), and demonstrated that ZPDC glycoprotein (5-20mg/kg, 25-100mug/ml) has an inhibitory effect on allergy-related mediators in the compound 48/80-treated BALB/c and human mast cells (HMC-1 cells). Our results obtained from this study showed that ZPDC glycoprotein (10mg/kg) inhibited interleukin-4 (IL-4), immunoglobulin E (IgE), and histamine are released in mouse serum. Also, ZPDC glycoprotein (50mug/ml) attenuated the degranulation of mast cells, intracellular Ca(2+) levels, and the activities of phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB (p50 and p65), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the HMC-1 cells. Taken together, we speculate that the ZPDC glycoprotein might be one component found in natural products that has the ability to prevent dysfunction in the immune system caused by several different allergens.

Yam storage protein dioscorins from Dioscorea alata and Dioscorea japonica exhibit distinct immunomodulatory activities in mice

The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of the major storage protein dioscorin isolated from two different yam species, Tainong No. 1 (TN1-dioscorins) and Japanese yam (Dj-dioscorins), on the immune activities of mice. Dj-dioscorins, like TN1-dioscorins, could induce expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and stimulate phagocytosis of RAW 264.7. Intraperitoneal injection of the TN1-dioscorins into mice stimulated phagocytosis of bone marrow, spleen, and thymic cells. In contrast, the T and B cells in bone marrow, spleen, and thymus isolated from mice injected with Dj-dioscorins had higher proliferative responses to mitogens. Furthermore, Dj-dioscorins enhanced proliferation of CD4(+), CD8(+), and Tim3(+) (Th1) cells in spleen and CD19(+) cells in both spleen and thymus. Supplement of Dj-dioscorins in the lymphoid cells isolated from Dj-dioscorins primed mice induced cell proliferation of both spleen and thymic cells. These findings indicated that TN1-dioscorins have a higher ability to stimulate the phagocytic activity of the lymphoid cells than Dj-dioscorins, whereas Dj-dioscorins possess more abilities than TN1-dioscorins to enhance the proliferation of the lymphoid cells.