Diterpenoids from Euphorbia helioscopia and their enhancement of NK cell-mediated killing of NSCLC cells

Two new jatrophane diterpenoids from Euphorbia helioscopia with activity towards autophagic flux

Nine jatrophane diterpenoids were isolated from the whole plant Euphorbia helioscopia, including two new ones, helioscopnins A (1) and B (2). Comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis and ECD calculations elucidated their structures, including absolute configurations. All compounds were evaluated for bioactivity towards autophagic flux by flow cytometry using HM mCherry-GFP-LC3 cells. Compounds 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9 significantly increased autophagic flux.

Terpenoids from Euphorbia helioscopia and Their Cytotoxic Activities against H1975 Cells

Three previously undescribed diterpenoids, helioscopnoids A-C, and eight known compounds were isolated from the whole plants of Euphorbia helioscopia. Their structures were established by extensive analysis of spectra and data comparison with previous literatures. Among them, compound 4 was identified as 24,24-dimethoxy-25,26,27-trinoreuphan-3β-ol with revised configurations of C-13, C-14, and C-17 (13R*, 14R*, 17R*). Cytotoxicity assays revealed that all compounds exhibited varying levels of cytotoxicity against H1975 cells, with compound 9 displaying the most potent activity, as indicated by cell viability rates of 18.13 % and 20.76 % at concentrations of 20 μM and 5 μM, respectively. This study expands the understanding of E. helioscopia terpenoids' structural diversity and biological activities, contributing to the exploration of potential therapeutic applications.

Ze-Qi decoction inhibits non-small cell lung cancer growth and metastasis by modulating the PI3K/Akt/p53 signaling pathway

Background

The Ze-Qi decoction (ZQD) is a traditional Chinese herbal formula commonly applied to treat lung cancer in China. This study aimed to assess the effective ingredients and molecular mechanisms of ZQD in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on network pharmacology combined with experimental validation.

Methods

Network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and molecular docking analyses were conducted to explore the mechanism of ZQD for treating NSCLC, which was further confirmed by animal experiments.

Results

In total, 117 bioactive ingredients and 499 target proteins of ZQD were identified. Network pharmacology revealed 7 core active ingredients and 74 core target proteins. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses indicated that the PI3K/Akt and p53 signaling pathways may be crucial in NSCLC treatment. Molecular docking analysis revealed that the seven crucial bioactive ingredients complexed with PI3K, Akt, and p53. The animal experiment results validated that ZQD treatment promoted cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, thereby inhibiting NSCLC growth and metastasis. Furthermore, ZQD treatment caused a significant increase in p53 and Bax, while leading to a distinct reduction in p-PI3K (Tyr317), p-Akt (Ser473), VEGFA, CD31, MMP2, MMP9, Bcl2, and CDK2.

Conclusions

ZQD inhibited the growth and metastasis of NSCLC subcutaneous tumors in C57BL/6J mice via the PI3K/Akt/p53 signaling pathway.

Network pharmacology and molecular docking combined with widely targeted metabolomics to elucidate the potential compounds and targets of Euphorbia helioscopia seeds for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND

The whole herb of Euphorbia helioscopia has been traditionally used for treating pulmonary tuberculosis, malaria, warts, lung cancer and bacillary dysentery for a long time in China. However, E. helioscopia seeds are often discarded and its medicinal value is often ignored, resulting in a waste of resources.

METHOD

In this work, widely targeted metabolomics based on UPLC-ESI-QTRAP-MS/MS methods and metware database (MWDB) were firstly used to identify the chemical compositions of EHS. Besides, network pharmacology, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation were performed for elucidating the potential compounds and targets of E. helioscopia seeds for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis via common database (like TCMSP, Genecards, DAVID, STRING) and common software (like Sybyl, Cytoscape, Pymol and Schrödinger).

RESULT

The results of widely targeted metabolomics showed 231 compounds including 12 categories were identified. The highest content compositions are lipids (33.89%) followed by amino acids and derivatives (21.78%), nucleotides and derivatives (15.73%), as well as the content of functional ingredients like phenolic acids (7.33%), alkaloids (7.03%) and flavonoids (4.51%) are relatively high. Besides, the results of network pharmacology and molecular docking showed that EHS presented anti-pulmonary fibrosis medicinal value through multi-ingredients, multi-targets and multi-pathways approach. Key ingredients including 9-Hydroxy-12-oxo-15(Z)-octadecenoic acid, Nordihydrocapsiate, 1-O-Salicyl-d-glucose, 9-(Arabinosyl)hypoxanthine, Xanthosine and Galangin-7-O-glucoside. Key targets including SRC, HSP90AA1, AKT1, EGFR, JUN, EP300 and VEGFA, and key signaling pathways mainly related to AGE-RAGE, EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance, VEGF and HIF-1 signaling pathway. Molecular dynamics simulation showed that HSP90AA1 and 9-Hydroxy-12-oxo-15(Z)-octadecenoic complex (with the highest docking score) have a stable combination effect.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this study revealed the chemical compositions of EHS and its anti-pulmonary fibrosis medicinal effect for the first time, it will provide scientific insight for the development of EHS as medicinal resource.

Euphohelides A-C, ent-Abietane-Type Norditerpene Lactones from Euphorbia helioscopia and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities

Three unreported ent-abietane-type norditerpene lactones, euphohelides A-C (1-3), and 11 known analogs (4-14) were isolated from the whole plants of Euphorbia helioscopia L. Euphohelide A (1) is an unprecedented 2-nor-ent-abietane lactone bearing a unique 5/6/6/5 tetracyclic system. Euphohelides B (2) and C (3) possess 2-nor-6/6/6/5 and 2,3-dinor-5/6/6/5 dilactone tetracyclic moieties, respectively. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods, computational ECD, and X-ray crystallographic analyses. A biomimetic synthesis of 1 was achieved from precursor 4 based on the speculative biogenetic pathway. Compounds 1 and 5 significantly alleviated the release of LPS-induced NO with IC₅₀ values of 32.98 ± 1.13 and 33.82 ± 3.25 μM, which might be related to the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Jatrophane diterpenoids with cytotoxic activity from the whole plant of Euphorbia heliosocpia L

Eight undescribed jatrophane diterpenoids, euphohelinoids A-H, along with 11 known analogues were isolated from the whole plant of Euphorbia heliosocpia L. Among them, euphohelinoids A and B contain a rare type of jatrophane diterpenoid skeleton with a 7,8-seco scaffold. To the best of our knowledge, only two such jatrophane diterpenoids have been reported. In addition, euphohelinoids G and H belong to a rare class of jatrophane diterpene possessing a β-hydroxy group at C-11. Structure elucidation of these undescribed diterpenoids was performed by spectroscopic analysis, including NMR, HRESIMS, IR, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and DP4+ analysis. The cytotoxicity of 17 abundant jatrophane diterpenes was evaluated against HepG2, HeLa, HL-60, and SMMC-7721 cell lines. Seven compounds presented potent cytotoxicity against the four tested cell lines with IC₅₀ values from 8.1 to 29.7 μM. Moreover, preliminary structure-activity relationships for these jatrophane diterpenoids were discussed.

Euphorbia diterpenoids: isolation, structure, bioactivity, biosynthesis, and synthesis (2013-2021)

Covering: 2013 to 2021As the characteristic metabolites of Euphorbia plants, Euphorbia diterpenoids have always been a hot topic in related science communities due to their intriguing structures and broad bioactivities. In this review, we intent to provide an in-depth and extensive coverage of Euphorbia diterpenoids reported from 2013 to the end of 2021, including 997 new Euphorbia diterpenoids and 78 known ones with latest progress. Multiple aspects will be summarized, including their occurrences, chemical structures, bioactivities, and syntheses, in which the structure-activity relationship and biosynthesis of this class will be discussed for the first time.

Azaphilone derivatives with anti-inflammatory activity from the mangrove endophytic fungus Penicillium sclerotiorum ZJHJJ-18

Nine undescribed azaphilone derivatives, sclerazaphilones A-H (1-9), and three known analogues (10-12), were obtained and identified from the fermented rice cultures of a mangrove endophytic fungus Penicillium sclerotiorum ZJHJJ-18. 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS and spectral data indicated the chemical structures of 1-9, and their absolute configurations were assigned by experimental and computational analyses of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, and application of the chemical transformations. Compounds 1-4 were the first reported N-containing azaphilone derivatives with 5/6 dicyclic core. The bioassay results showed that compounds 3-5 exhibited effective inhibitory effects on the nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells with IC₅₀ values in the range of 6.30-9.45 μM. Moreover, a molecular docking study was conducted to investigate the probable binding interaction of 3-5 with inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS).