Anticancer and antimicrobial peptides from medicinal plants of Borneo island in Sarawak

Investigating the Anticancer Potential of Salvicine as a Modulator of Topoisomerase II and ROS Signaling Cascade

Salvicine is a new diterpenoid quinone substance from a natural source, specifically in a Chinese herb. It has powerful growth-controlling abilities against a broad range of human cancer cells in both in vitro and in vivo environments. A significant inhibitory effect of salvicine on multidrug-resistant (MDR) cells has also been discovered. Several research studies have examined the activities of salvicine on topoisomerase II (Topo II) by inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling. As opposed to the well-known Topo II toxin etoposide, salvicine mostly decreases the catalytic activity with a negligible DNA breakage effect, as revealed by several enzymatic experiments. Interestingly, salvicine dramatically reduces lung metastatic formation in the MDA-MB-435 orthotopic lung cancer cell line. Recent investigations have established that salvicine is a new non-intercalative Topo II toxin by interacting with the ATPase domains, increasing DNA-Topo II interaction, and suppressing DNA relegation and ATP hydrolysis. In addition, investigations have revealed that salvicine-induced ROS play a critical role in the anticancer-mediated signaling pathway, involving Topo II suppression, DNA damage, overcoming multidrug resistance, and tumor cell adhesion suppression, among other things. In the current study, we demonstrate the role of salvicine in regulating the ROS signaling pathway and the DNA damage response (DDR) in suppressing the progression of cancer cells. We depict the mechanism of action of salvicine in suppressing the DNA-Topo II complex through ROS induction along with a brief discussion of the anticancer perspective of salvicine.

Exhaustive Plant Profile of “Dimocarpus longan Lour” with Significant Phytomedicinal Properties: A Literature Based-Review

Background: “Dimocarpus longan Lour” is a tropical and subtropical evergreen tree species mainly found in China, India, and Thailand; this plant, found naturally in Bangladesh, even locally, is used as “kaviraj” medication for treating different diseases, such as gastrointestinal disorders, wounds, fever, snake bites, menstrual problem, chickenpox, bone fractures, neurological disorders, and reproductive health. Different parts of this plant, especially juice pulp, pericarp, seeds, leaves, and flowers, contain a diverse group of botanical phytocompounds, and nutrient components which are directly related to alleviating numerous diseases. This literature-based review provides the most up-to-date data on the ethnomedicinal usages, phytochemical profiling, and bio-pharmacological effects of D. longan Lour based on published scientific articles. Methodology: A literature-based review was conducted by collecting information from various published papers in reputable journals and cited organizations. ChemDraw, a commercial software package, used to draw the chemical structure of the phytochemicals. Results: Various phytochemicals such as flavonoids, tannins, and polyphenols were collected from the various sections of the plant, and other compounds like vitamins and minerals were also obtained from this plant. As a treating agent, this plant displayed many biologicals activities, such as anti-proliferative, antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-tyrosinase, radical scavenging activity, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-microbial, activation of osteoblast differentiation, anti-fungal, immunomodulatory, probiotic, anti-aging, anti-diabetic, obesity, neurological issues, and suppressive effect on macrophages cells. Different plant parts have displayed better activity in different disease conditions. Still, the compounds, such as gallic acid, ellagic acid, corilagin acid, quercetin, 4-O-methyl gallic acid, and (-)-epicatechin showed better activity in the biological system. Gallic acid, corilagin, and ellagic acid strongly exhibited anti-cancer activity in the HepG2, A549, and SGC 7901 cancer cell lines. Additionally, 4-O-methyl gallic acid and (-)-epicatechin have displayed outstanding antioxidant activity as well as anti-cancer activity. Conclusion: This plant species can be considered an alternative source of medication for some diseases as it contains a potential group of chemical constituents.

Analysis of SYK Gene as a Prognostic Biomarker and Suggested Potential Bioactive Phytochemicals as an Alternative Therapeutic Option for Colorectal Cancer: An In-Silico Pharmaco-Informatics Investigation

BACKGROUND

SYK gene regulates the expression of SYK kinase (Spleen tyrosine kinase), an important non-receptor protein-tyrosine kinase for immunological receptor-mediated signaling, which is also considered a tumor growth metastasis initiator. An onco-informatics analysis was adopted to evaluate the expression and prognostic value of the SYK gene in colorectal cancer (CRC), the third most fatal cancer type; of late, it may be a biomarker as another targeted site for CRC. In addition, identify the potential phytochemicals that may inhibit the overexpression of the SYK kinase protein and minimize the human CRC.

MATERIALS & METHODS

The differential expression of the SYK gene was analyzed using several transcriptomic databases, including Oncomine, UALCAN, GENT2, and GEPIA2. The server cBioPortal was used to analyze the mutations and copy number alterations, whereas GENT2, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), Onco-Lnc, and PrognoScan were used to examine the survival rate. The protein-protein interaction network of SYK kinase and its co-expressed genes was conducted via Gene-MANIA. Considering the SYK kinase may be the targeted site, the selected phytochemicals were assessed by molecular docking using PyRx 0.8 packages. Molecular interactions were also observed by following the Ligplot+ version 2.2. YASARA molecular dynamics simulator was applied for the post-validation of the selected phytochemicals.

RESULTS

Our result reveals an increased level of mRNA expression of the SYK gene in colorectal adenocarcinoma (COAD) samples compared to those in normal tissues. A significant methylation level and various genetic alterations recurrence of the SYK gene were analyzed where the fluctuation of the SYK alteration frequency was detected across different CRC studies. As a result, a lower level of SYK expression was related to higher chances of survival. This was evidenced by multiple bioinformatics platforms and web resources, which demonstrated that the SYK gene can be a potential biomarker for CRC. In this study, aromatic phytochemicals, such as kaempferol and glabridin that target the macromolecule (SYK kinase), showed higher stability than the controls, and we have estimated that these bioactive potential phytochemicals might be a useful option for CRC patients after the clinical trial.

CONCLUSIONS

Our onco-informatics investigation suggests that the SYK gene can be a potential prognostic biomarker of CRC. On the contrary, SYK kinase would be a major target, and all selected compounds were validated against the protein using in-silico drug design approaches. Here, more in vitro and in vivo analysis is required for targeting SYK protein in CRC.