Epoxy clerodane diterpene inhibits MCF-7 human breast cancer cell growth by regulating the expression of the functional apoptotic genes Cdkn2A, Rb1, mdm2 and p53

Indian herb Tinospora cordifolia and Tinospora species: Phytochemical and therapeutic application

Clinical investigations are increasingly focusing on natural materials with medical benefits because, in contrast to medicines, they have extremely few adverse effects. Tinospora species of the Menispermaceae family has many bioactive principles for plant nutraceuticals. A thorough assessment of the existing literature revealed that Indian Tinospora species are an important group of medicinal herbs used for a variety of pharmacological activities. While, Tinospora cordifolia is widely recognized as a significant herb in the Indian System of Medicines (ISM) due to its bioactive components and has been used in the treatment of diabetes, cancer, urinary problems, fever, jaundice, helminthiasis, leprosy, dysentery, skin diseases, and many more. Using the search phrases "phytochemistry," "traditional uses," and "pharmacological evaluation of Indian Tinospora species," appropriate articles were carefully extracted from the MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and WOS databases. Around 180 articles, related to the India Tinospora species, were selected from a pool of 200 papers published between 1991 and 2023. T. cordifolia has received a lot of scientific attention because of its diverse therapeutic characteristics in treating various diseases. Our present study in this review encompasses 1.) Phytochemistry, traditional uses and pharmacological potential of T. cordifolia as well as other Indian Tinospora species. 2.) Safety and toxicity study and available marketed formulation of T. cordifolia for the treatment of various diseases. The chemical constitution and pharmacological characteristics of other Tinospora species must also be investigated, indicating a need for further scientific research.

Anti-Inflammatory and Cytotoxic Activities of Clerodane-Type Diterpenes

The secondary metabolites of clerodane diterpenoids have been found in several plant species from various families and in other organisms. In this review, we included articles on clerodanes and neo-clerodanes with cytotoxic or anti-inflammatory activity from 2015 to February 2023. A search was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct, using the keywords clerodanes or neo-clerodanes with cytotoxicity or anti-inflammatory activity. In this work, we present studies on these diterpenes with anti-inflammatory effects from 18 species belonging to 7 families and those with cytotoxic activity from 25 species belonging to 9 families. These plants are mostly from the Lamiaceae, Salicaceae, Menispermaceae and Euphorbiaceae families. In summary, clerodane diterpenes have activity against different cell cancer lines. Specific antiproliferative mechanisms related to the wide range of clerodanes known today have been described, since many of these compounds have been identified, some of which we barely know their properties. It is very possible that there are even more compounds than those described today, in such a way that makes it an open field to discover. Furthermore, some diterpenes presented in this review have already-known therapeutic targets, and therefore, their potential adverse effects can be predicted in some way.

Molecular Effects of Iodine-Biofortified Lettuce in Human Gastrointestinal Cancer Cells

Considering the growing number of cancer cases around the world, natural products from the diet that exhibit potential antitumor properties are of interest. Our previous research demonstrated that fortification with iodine compounds is an effective way to improve the antioxidant potential of lettuce. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of iodine-biofortified lettuce on antitumor properties in human gastrointestinal cancer cell lines, gastric AGS and colon HT-29. Our results showed that extracts from iodine-biofortified lettuce reduce the viability and proliferation of gastric and colon cancer cells. The extracts mediated cell cycle arrest which was accompanied by inactivation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and activation of caspases, as assessed by flow cytometry. However, extracts from lettuce fortified with organic forms of iodine acted more effectively than extracts from control and KIO3-enriched plants. Using quantitative PCR, we detected the increase in pro-apoptotic genes BAD, BAX and BID in AGS cells whereas up-regulation of cell cycle progression inhibitor CDKN2A and downregulation of pro-proliferative MDM2 in HT-29 cells. Interestingly, lettuce extracts led to down-regulation of pro-survival AKT1 and protooncogenic MDM2, which was consistent for extracts of lettuce fortified with organic form of iodine, 5-ISA, in both cell lines. MDM2 downregulation in HT-29 colon cancer cells was associated with RB1 upregulation upon 5-ISA-fortified lettuce extracts, which provides a link to the epigenetic regulation of tumor suppressor genes by RB/MDM2 pathway. Indeed, SEMA3A tumor suppressor gene was hypomethylated and upregulated in HT-29 cells treated with 5-ISA-fortified lettuce. Control lettuce exerted similar effects on RB/MDM2 pathway and SEMA3A epigenetic activation in HT-29 cells. Our findings suggest that lettuce as well as lettuce fortified with organic form of iodine, 5-ISA, may exert epigenetic anti-cancer effects that can be cancer type-specific.

Advances on Natural Abietane, Labdane and Clerodane Diterpenes as Anti-Cancer Agents: Sources and Mechanisms of Action

Extensive research over the past decades has identified numerous phytochemicals that could represent an important source of anti-cancer compounds. There is an immediate need for less toxic and more effective preventive and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer. Natural compounds are considered suitable candidates for the development of new anti-cancer drugs due to their pleiotropic actions on target events with multiple manners. This comprehensive review highlighted the most relevant findings achieved in the screening of phytochemicals for anticancer drug development, particularly focused on a promising class of phytochemicals such as diterpenes with abietane, clerodane, and labdane skeleton. The chemical structure of these compounds, their main natural sources, and mechanisms of action were critically discussed.

Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers: Protection mechanisms and strategies against oxidative stress-related diseases

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers (Menispermaceae) is a Mediterranean herb, used in Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani, and folk medicines. The herb is also used in conventional medicine to treat oxidative stress-related diseases and conditions, including inflammation, pain, diarrhea, asthma, respiratory infections, cancer, diabetes, and gastrointestinal disorders.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

The taxonomy, botanical classification, geographical distribution, and ethnobotanical uses of T. cordifolia, as well as the phytochemical compounds found in the herb, the toxicology of and pharmacological and clinical studies on the effects of T. cordifolia are all covered in this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To gather information on T. cordifolia, we used a variety of scientific databases, including Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct. The information discussed focuses on biologically active compounds found in T. cordifolia, and common applications and pharmacological activity of the herb, as well as toxicological and clinical studies on its properties.

RESULTS

The findings of this study reveal a connection between the use of T. cordifolia in conventional medicine and its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, anticancer, immunomodulatory, and other biological effects. The entire plant, stem, leaves, root, and extracts of T. cordifolia have been shown to have a variety of biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective impact. Toxicological testing demonstrated that this plant may have medicinal applications. T. cordifolia contains a variety of biologically active compounds from various chemical classes, including alkaloids, terpenoids, sitosterols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. Based on the reports researched for this review, we believe that chemicals in T. cordifolia may activate Nrf2, which leads to the overexpression of antioxidant enzymes such as CAT, GPx, GST, and GR, and thereby induces the adaptive response to oxidative stress. T. cordifolia is also able to reduce NF-κB signalling by inhibiting PI3K/Akt, activating AMPK and sirtuins, and downregulating PI3K/Akt.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that the pharmacological properties displayed by T. cordifolia back up its conventional uses. Antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antidiabetic, nephroprotective, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective activities were all demonstrated in T. cordifolia stem extracts. To validate pharmacodynamic targets, further research is needed to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of the known compounds against gastrointestinal diseases, inflammatory processes, and microbial infections, as immunostimulants, and in chemotherapy. The T. cordifolia safety profile was confirmed in a toxicological analysis, which prompted pharmacokinetic assessment testing to confirm its bioavailability.

Quantification of Chlorogenic Acid and Vanillin from Coffee Peel Extract and its Effect on α-Amylase Activity, Immunoregulation, Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress, and Tumor Suppressor Gene Expression Levels in H2O2-Induced Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Background: Polyphenols and flavonoid-rich foods help in arresting reactive oxygen species development and protecting DNA from oxidative damage. Coffee peel (CP) preparations are consumed as beverages, and their total polyphenol or flavonoid content and their effect on oxidative stress-induced human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are poorly understood. Method: We prepared hot water extracts of CP (CPE) and quantified the amount of total polyphenol and flavonoid using HPLC analysis. In addition, CPE have been studied for their α-amylase inhibitory effect and beneficial effects in oxidative stress-induced hMSCs. Results: The obtained results show that the availability of chlorogenic acid, vanillin, and salicylic acid levels in CPE is more favorable for enhancing cell growth, nuclear integrity, and mitochondrial efficiency which is confirmed by propidium iodide staining and JC-1 staining. CPE treatment to hMSCs for 48 h reduced oxidative stress by decreasing mRNA expression levels of LPO and NOX-4 and in increasing antioxidant CYP1A, GSH, GSK-3β, and GPX mRNA expressions. Decreased pro-inflammatory (TNF-α, NF-κβ, IL-1β, TLR-4) and increased tumor suppressor genes (except Bcl-2) such as Cdkn2A, p53 expressions have been observed. Conclusions: The availability of CGA in CPs effectively reduced mitochondrial oxidative stress, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increased tumor suppressor genes.

Studies on apoptosis induced by B-norcholesteryl benzimidazole compounds in HeLa cells

Certain B-norcholesteryl benzimidazole compounds were found to mediate marked anti-tumor proliferative effects in vitro in our earlier study. Here, the mechanism of action of these anti-tumor effects was evaluated using HeLa human cervical cancer cells. Methods for detecting cell invasion and migration, Annexin V-PI double staining, cell cycle status, and mitochondrial membrane potential Δψm were employed. These compounds were confirmed to significantly inhibit the proliferation of HeLa cells in vitro. Compound 1 induced apoptosis in S phase, compound 2induced apoptosis in the G0/G1 phase and compound 3 induced late apoptosis in the G2/M phase. These compounds induced HeLa cell apoptosis through depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential Δψm in a dose-dependent manner. B-norcholesteryl benzimidazole compounds induced morphological changes in HeLa cells and inhibited proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Apoptosis was promoted by mechanisms involving p21 and p53 in this cervical cancer cell line.

Potential Metabolite Nymphayol Isolated from Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata) Flower Inhibits MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cell Growth via Upregulation of Cdkn2a, pRb2, p53 and Downregulation of PCNA mRNA Expressions

Controlled production of cyclin dependent kinases (CDK) and stabilization of tumor suppressor genes are the most important factors involved in preventing carcinogenesis. The present study aimed to explore the cyclin dependent apoptotic effect of nymphayol on breast cancer MCF-7 cells. In our previous study, we isolated the crystal from a chloroform extract of Nymphaea stellata flower petals and it was confirmed as nymphayol (17-(hexan-2-yl)-10,13-dimethylhexadecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol) using x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and mass spectroscopy (MS) methods. The cytotoxic effect of nymphayol on MCF-7 cells were analyzed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The cellular and nuclear damage was determined using propidium iodide (PI) and acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/ErBr) staining. Tumor suppressor and apoptosis related mRNA transcript levels were determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Nymphayol potentially inhibits MCF-7 cell viability up to 78%, and the IC₅₀ value was observed as 2.8 µM in 24 h and 1.4 µM in 48 h. Treatment with nymphayol significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and the tunnel assay confirmed DNA damage. We found characteristically 76% apoptotic cells and 9% necrotic cells in PI and AO/ErBr staining after 48 h treatment with 2.8 µM of nymphayol. Gene expression analysis confirmed significantly (p ≤ 0.001) increased mRNA levels of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (Cdkn2a), retinoblastoma protein 2 (pRb2), p53, nuclear factor erythroid 2-factor 2 (Nrf2), caspase-3, and decreased B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), murine double minute 2 (mdm2), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression after 48 h. Nymphayol effectively inhibited breast cancer cell viability, and is associated with early expression of Cdkn2a, pRb2, and activation of p53 and caspases.

(+)-Usnic Acid Induces ROS-dependent Apoptosis via Inhibition of Mitochondria Respiratory Chain Complexes and Nrf2 Expression in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) has a poor prognosis, in part due to poor therapeutic response and limited therapeutic alternatives. Lichens are symbiotic organisms, producing a variety of substances with multiple biological activities. (+)-Usnic acid, an important biologically active metabolite of lichens, has been shown to have high anti-cancer activity at low doses. However, there have been no reports regarding the effect of (+)-usnic acid on LUSC cells. This study found that (+)-usnic acid reduced viability and induced apoptosis in LUSC cells by reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. (+)-Usnic acid induced mitochondria-derived ROS production via inhibition of complex I and complex III of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC). Interestingly, the elimination of mitochondrial ROS by Mito-TEMPOL only partially reversed the effect of (+)-usnic acid on cellular ROS production. Further study showed that (+)-usnic acid also induced ROS production via reducing Nrf2 stability through disruption of the PI3K/Akt pathway. The in vitro and in vivo xenograft studies showed that combined treatment of (+)-usnic acid and paclitaxel synergistically suppressed LUSC cells. In conclusion, this study indicates that (+)-usnic acid induces apoptosis of LUSC cells through ROS accumulation, probably via disrupting the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) and the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 pathway. Therefore, although clinical use of (+)-usnic acid will be limited due to toxicity issues, derivatives thereof may turn out as promising anticancer candidates for adjuvant treatment of LUSC.

Restoration of miR-193a-5p and miR-146 a-5p Expression Induces G1 Arrest in Colorectal Cancer through Targeting of MDM2/p53

Purpose: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a universal and lethal cancer owing to metastatic and relapsing disease. Currently, the role of microRNAs has been checked in tumorigeneses. Numerous studies have revealed that between the tumor suppressor miRNAs, the reduced expression of miR-146a-5p and -193a-5p in several cancers including CRC tissues are related with tumor progression and poor prognosis of patients. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of miR-146 a-5p and -193 a-5p in CRC cell cycle progression.

Methods: The miR-193a-5p and -146 a-5p mimics were transfected into HT-29 CRC cells via jetPEI transfection reagent and their impact was assessed on p53, cyclin B, and NF-kB gene expression. The inhibitory effect of these miRNAs on cell cycle was assessed by flow cytometry. The consequence of miR-193a-5p and miR-146 a-5p on the protein expression level of Murine double minute 2 (MDM2) was assessed by western blotting.

Results: miR193a-5p and -146a-5p regulated the expression of MDM2 protein and p53, cyclin B, and NF-kB gene expression in CRC cells. Treatment of HT-29 cells with miRNA-146a-5p and -193a-5p induced G1 cell cycle arrest.

Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that miR146a-5p and -193a-5p may act as a potential tumor suppressor by their influence on cell cycle progression in CRC cells. Thus, miRNA-146a-5p and -193a-5p restoration may be recommended as a potential therapeutic goal in the treatment of CRC patients.

Peptide-Based Biosensing of Redox-Active Protein-Heme Complexes Indicates Novel Mechanism for Tumor Survival under Oxidative Stress

Signal response of several relevant protein-cofactor interactions, united in one bioassay, may greatly enhance the ability to study the intriguing molecular mechanisms of pathological process such as the tumor immunological process of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Here, a peptide-based multiplexed bioassay has been developed and applied in studying the interactions among ferritin, p53, and heme under oxidative stress. In a malignant breast cancer cell line, it can be observed that oxidative stress-triggered nuclear co-translocations of heme and ferritin may lead to direct molecular contact of ferritin with p53, to pass heme to p53, which subsequently sequestered into the cytoplasm, therefore forming a possible new route of tumor survival under oxidative stress, by using the stress to circumvent oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. The observed peroxidase-like activity of ferritin-heme and p53-heme complexes may also contribute to survival. Such activity is observed most prominently in triple negative or the most malignant breast cancer subtype. These results may suggest the possible future use of this bioassay in furthering the understanding of tumor molecular pathology, as well as the early detection, diagnosis, and prognosis of cancer.

Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Distribution Study of Ferruginol in Wistar Rat by High-performance Liquid Chromatography

Background:

Ferruginol (FRGN) exhibits a broad range of pharmacological properties which make it a promising candidate for chemoprevention. However, little is known about its absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties.

Methods:

A rapid, sensitive and specific HPLC-DAD method was established to quantify FRGN in the plasma and tissues of Wistar rats. After extraction of FRGN with ethyl acetate (EtOAc), chromatographic separation was performed on a YMC ODS C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm I.D., 5 µm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol-water (92:8, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.9 mL/min. Detection was conducted with a wavelength of 273 nm at 25 °C.

Results:

The calibration curves for FRGN were linear in the concentration range of 0.5-20 µg/mL for plasma, 0.5-10 µg/mL for heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, intestine, brain and muscle. After three cycles of freezing and thawing, the concentration variations were within ± 7% of nominal concentrations, indicating no significant substance loss during repeated thawing and freezing. The assay was applied to pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study in rats. Results suggested that lung, heart, liver, spleen and kidney were the major distribution tissues of FRGN in rats, and FRGN could permeate the blood-brain barrier to distribute in the brain of rats.

Conclusion:

The information provided by this research is very useful for gaining knowledge of the pharmacokinetic process and tissue distribution of FRGN.