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

A comprehensive review of phytochemicals targeting macrophages for the regulation of colorectal cancer progression

BACKGROUND

Phytochemicals are natural compounds derived from plants, and are now at the forefront of anti-cancer research. Macrophage immunotherapy plays a crucial role in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). In the context of colorectal cancer, which remains highly prevalent and difficult to treat, it is of research value to explore the potential mechanisms and efficacy of phytochemicals targeting macrophages for CRC treatment.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to gain insight into the role of phytochemical-macrophage interactions in regulating CRC and to provide a theoretical basis for the development of new therapeutic strategies in the future.

STUDY DESIGN

This review discusses the potential immune mechanisms of phytochemicals for the treatment of CRC by summarizing research of phytochemicals targeting macrophages.

METHODS

We reviewed the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and CNKI databases from their initial establishment to July 2023 to classify and summaries phytochemicals according to their mechanism of action in targeting macrophages.

RESULTS

The results of the literature review suggest that phytochemicals interfere with CRC development by affecting macrophages through four main mechanisms. Firstly, they modulate the production of cytotoxic substances, such as NO and ROS, by macrophages to exert anticancer effects. Secondly, phytochemicals polarize macrophages towards the M1 phenotype, inhibit M2 polarisation and enhance the anti-tumour immune responses. Thirdly, they enhance the secretion of macrophage-derived cytokines and alter the tumour microenvironment, thereby inhibiting tumor growth. Finally, they activate the immune response by targeting macrophages, triggering the recruitment of other immune cells, thereby enhancing the immune killing effect and exerting anti-tumor effects. These findings highlight phytochemicals as potential therapeutic strategies to intervene in colorectal cancer development by modulating macrophage activity, providing a strong theoretical basis for future clinical applications.

CONCLUSION

Phytochemicals exhibit potential anti-tumour effects by modulating macrophage activity and intervening in the colorectal cancer microenvironment by multiple mechanisms.

Exploring Quercetin Anti-Osteoporosis Pharmacological Mechanisms with In Silico and In Vivo Models

Since osteoporosis critically influences the lives of patients with a high incidence, effective therapeutic treatments are important. Quercetin has been well recognized as a bone-sparing agent and thus the underlying mechanisms warrant further investigation. In the current study, the network pharmacology strategy and zebrafish model were utilized to explain the potential pharmacological effects of quercetin on osteoporosis. The potential targets and related signaling pathways were explored through overlapping target prediction, protein–protein interaction network construction, and functional enrichment analysis. Furthermore, we performed docking studies to verify the specific interactions between quercetin and crucial targets. Consequently, 55 targets were related to osteoporosis disease among the 159 targets of quercetin obtained by three database sources. Thirty hub targets were filtered through the cytoNCA plugin. Additionally, the Gene Ontology functions in the top 10 respective biological processes, molecular functions, and cell components as well as the top 20 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were depicted. The most significance difference in the KEGG pathways was the TNF signaling pathway, consisting of the Nuclear Factor Kappa B Subunit (NF-κB), Extracellular Regulated Protein Kinases (ERK) 1/2, Activator Protein 1 (AP-1), Interleukin 6 (IL6), Transcription factor AP-1 (Jun), and Phosphatidylinositol 3 Kinase (PI3K), which were probably involved in the pharmacological effects. Moreover, molecular docking studies revealed that the top three entries were Interleukin 1 Beta (IL1B), the Nuclear Factor NF-Kappa-B p65 Subunit (RelA), and the Nuclear Factor Kappa B Subunit 1 (NFKB1), respectively. Finally, these results were verified by alizarin red-stained mineralized bone in zebrafish and related qPCR experiments. The findings probably facilitate the mechanism elucidation related to quercetin anti-osteoporosis action.

Lycium barbarum (Goji) as functional food: a review of its nutrition, phytochemical structure, biological features, and food industry prospects

Lycium genus (Goji berry) is recognized as a good source of homology of medicine and food, with various nutrients and phytochemicals. Lately, numerous studies have focused on the chemical constituents and biological functions of the L. barbarum L., covering phytochemical and pharmacological aspects. We aim to provide exclusive data on the nutrients of L. barbarum L. fruits and phytochemicals, including their structural characterization, the evolution of extraction, and purification processes of different phytochemicals of L. barbarum L. fruit while placing greater emphasis on their wide-ranging health effects. This review also profitably offers innovative approaches for the food industry and industrial applications of L. barbarum L. and addresses some current situations and problems in the development of L. barbarum L. in deep processing products, which can provide clues for the sustainable development of L. barbarum L. industry.

The Pharmacological Mechanism of the Effect of Plant Extract Compound Drugs on Cancer Pain Based on Network Pharmacology

Objective

We systematically analyzed the mechanism of plant-derived drugs alleviating cancer pain in our hospital through network pharmacology, so as to provide the possibility of further application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of cancer pain.

Methods

We used TCMSP, ETCM, and TCMID databases to mine the active ingredients of plant-derived drugs. We combined OMIM, GeneCards, and DrugBank databases to mine and match the common targets of plant-derived drugs for cancer pain. We used the STRING platform and Cytoscape software to analyze and screen out the core targets. We used GO and KEGG methods to analyze the biological processes, molecular functions, cellular composition, and signaling pathways involved in the reduction of cancer pain by plant-derived drugs.

Results

We found 153 active ingredients from botanical drugs by TCMSP (Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform, TCMSP), ETCM (The Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine), and TCMID (Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database) databases, covering 341 protein targets in human body. Combined with OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man), GeneCards, and DrugBank databases, we excavated and matched 141 targets of plant-derived drugs and cancerous pain diseases. Through the analysis of the STRING platform and Cytoscape software, 19 core targets including TNF, MAPK1, JUN, and IL-6 were screened out. Go and KEGG enrichment showed that plant-derived drugs alleviated cancer pain processes involving 193 biological processes, 47 molecular functions, 22 cell components, and 118 signaling pathways. By screening genes involved in KEGG signaling pathway, it was found that plant-derived drugs were mainly associated with PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and HIF-1 signaling pathway in alleviating cancer pain.

Conclusion

These results indicate that botanical drugs can positively affect the expression of inflammatory factors and apoptotic factors in the process of treatment and relief of cancer pain, which is expected to have a potential therapeutic effect on the relief of cancer pain.

Cross-Cultural Ethnobotanical Assembly as a New Tool for Understanding Medicinal and Culinary Values-The Genus Lycium as A Case Study

Ethnobotanical knowledge is indispensable for the conservation of global biological integrity, and could provide irreplaceable clues for bioprospecting aiming at new food crops and medicines. This biocultural diversity requires a comprehensive documentation of such intellectual knowledge at local levels. However, without systematically capturing the data, those regional records are fragmented and can hardly be used. In this study, we develop a framework to assemble the cross-cultural ethnobotanical knowledge at a genus level, including capturing the species’ diversity and their cultural importance, integrating their traditional uses, and revealing the intercultural relationship of ethnobotanical data quantitatively. Using such a cross-cultural ethnobotanical assembly, the medicinal and culinary values of the genus Lycium are evaluated. Simultaneously, the analysis highlights the problems and options for a systematic cross-cultural ethnobotanical knowledge assembly. The framework used here could generate baseline data relevant for conservation and sustainable use of plant diversity as well as for bioprospecting within targeting taxa.

Bioconversion variation of ginsenoside CK mediated by human gut microbiota from healthy volunteers and colorectal cancer patients

Background

Ginsenoside CK (GCK) serves as the potential anti-colorectal cancer (CRC) protopanaxadiol (PPD)-type saponin, which could be mainly bio-converted to yield PPD by gut microbiota. Meanwhile, the anti-CRC effects of GCK could be altered by gut microbiota due to their different diversity in CRC patients. We aimed to investigate the bioconversion variation of GCK mediated by gut microbiota from CRC patients by comparing with healthy subjects.

Methods

Gut microbiota profiled by 16S rRNA gene sequencing were collected from healthy volunteers and CRC patients. GCK was incubated with gut microbiota in vitro. A LC-MS/MS method was validated to quantify GCK and PPD after incubation at different time points.

Results

The bioconversion of GCK in healthy subjects group was much faster than CRC group, as well as the yield of PPD. Moreover, significant differences of PPD concentration between healthy subjects group and CRC group could be observed at 12 h, 48 h and 72 h check points. According to 16S rRNA sequencing, the profiles of gut microbiota derived from healthy volunteers and CRC patients significantly varied, in which 12 differentially abundant taxon were found, such as Bifidobacterium, Roseburia, Bacteroides and Collinsella. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed bacteria enriched in healthy subjects group were positively associated with the biotransformation of GCK, while bacteria enriched in CRC group displayed non correlation character. Among them, Roseburia which could secrete β-glycosidase showed the strongest positive association with the bioconversion of GCK.

Conclusions

The bioconversion of GCK in healthy subjects was much faster than CRC patients mediated by gut microbiota, which might alter the anti-CRC effects of GCK.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13020-021-00436-z.

Nujiangexanthone A Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis via Down Regulation of Cofilin 1

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the malignant tumors with poor prognosis. High expression level of cofilin 1 (CFL1) has been found in many types of cancers. However, the role of CFL1 in HCC hasn’t been known clearly. Here, we found that CFL1 was up regulated in human HCC and significantly associated with both overall survival and disease-free survival in HCC patients. Nujiangexanthone A (NJXA), the caged xanthones, isolated from gamboge plants decreased the expression of CFL1, which also inhibited the migration, invasion and metastasis of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Down regulation of CFL1 inhibited aggressiveness of HCC cells, which mimicked the effect of NJXA. Mechanism study indicated that, knockdown of CFL1 or treatment with NJXA increased the level of F-actin and disturbed the balance between F-actin and G-actin. In conclusion, our findings reveal the role of CFL1 in HCC metastasis through the CFL1/F-actin axis, and suggest that CFL1 may be a potential prognostic marker and a new therapeutic target. NJXA can effectively inhibit the metastasis of HCC cells by down regulating the expression of CFL1, which indicates the potential of NJXA for preventing metastasis in HCC.