Standardized Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract (PLME) inhibits cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis: The anti-cancer study with various microscopy methods

Exploring MiR-484 Regulation by Polyalthia longifolia: A Promising Biomarker and Therapeutic Target in Cervical Cancer through Integrated Bioinformatics and an In Vitro Analysis

BACKGROUND

MiR-484, implicated in various carcinomas, holds promise as a prognostic marker, yet its relevance to cervical cancer (CC) remains unclear. Our prior study demonstrated the Polyalthia longifolia downregulation of miR-484, inhibiting HeLa cells. This study investigates miR-484's potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target in CC through integrated bioinformatics and an in vitro analysis.

METHODS

MiR-484 levels were analyzed across cancers, including CC, from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The limma R package identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between high- and low-miR-484 CC cohorts. We assessed biological functions, tumor microenvironment (TME), immunotherapy, stemness, hypoxia, RNA methylation, and chemosensitivity differences. Prognostic genes relevant to miR-484 were identified through Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses, and a prognostic model was captured via multivariate Cox regression. Single-cell RNA sequencing determined cell populations related to prognostic genes. qRT-PCR validated key genes, and the miR-484 effect on CC proliferation was assessed via an MTT assay.

RESULTS

MiR-484 was upregulated in most tumors, including CC, with DEGs enriched in skin development, PI3K signaling, and immune processes. High miR-484 expression correlated with specific immune cell infiltration, hypoxia, and drug sensitivity. Prognostic genes identified were predominantly epidermal and stratified patients with CC into risk groups, with the low-risk group showing enhanced survival and immunotherapeutic responses. qRT-PCR confirmed FGFR3 upregulation in CC cells, and an miR-484 mimic reversed the P. longifolia inhibitory effect on HeLa proliferation.

CONCLUSION

MiR-484 plays a crucial role in the CC progression and prognosis, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for targeted therapy.

Standardized Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract induces the apoptotic HeLa cells death via microRNA regulation: identification, validation, and therapeutic potential

Polyalthia longifolia var. angustifolia Thw. (Annonaceae), is a famous traditional medicinal plant in Asia. Ample data specifies that the medicinal plant P. longifolia has anticancer activity; however, the detailed mechanisms of action still need to be well studied. Recent studies have revealed the cytotoxicity potential of P. longifolia leaf against HeLa cells. Therefore, the current study was conducted to examine the regulation of miRNAs in HeLa cancer cells treated with the standardized P. longifolia methanolic leaf extract (PLME). The regulation of miRNAs in HeLa cancer cells treated with the standardized PLME extract was studied through Illumina, Hi-Seq. 2000 platform of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and various in silico bioinformatics tools. The PLME treatment regulated a subset of miRNAs in HeLa cells. Interestingly, the PLME treatment against HeLa cancer cells identified 10 upregulated and 43 downregulated (p < 0.05) miRNAs associated with apoptosis induction. Gene ontology (GO) term analysis indicated that PLME induces cell death in HeLa cells by inducing the pro-apoptotic genes. Moreover, the downregulated oncomiRs modulated by PLME treatment in HeLa cells were identified, targeting apoptosis-related genes through gene ontology and pathway analysis. The LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis identified the presence of Vidarabine and Anandamide compounds that were previously reported to exhibit anticancer activity. The findings of this study obviously linked the cell cytotoxicity effect of PLME treatment against the HeLa cells with regulating various miRNAs expression related to apoptosis induction in the HeLa cells. PLME treatment induced apoptotic HeLa cell death mechanism by regulating multiple miRNAs. The identified miRNAs regulated by PLME may provide further insight into the mechanisms that play a critical role in cervical cancer, as well as novel ideas regarding gene therapeutic strategies.

Mechanisms of the In Vivo Antitumor Activity of Polyalthia longifolia Leaf Extract Against HeLa Cell Xenograft Tumor: A Microscopic-Based Histological and Immunohistochemical Microanalyses

The present study investigated the effects of Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract against the growth of HeLa cell xenograft tumor in nude mice and its underlying mechanism. The nude mice xenografted with HeLa cells were treated with 5% DMSO (vehicle control), 20 mg/kg/body weight of etoposide (positive control), and 500 and 1000 mg/kg/body weight of leaf extract, respectively. Antitumor activity was evaluated with apoptosis, proliferation, and angiogenesis using microscopic-based histological and immunohistochemical microanalyses. The tumor tissue histological and immunohistochemical analyses showed that the HeLa tumor cell death was associated with apoptosis and decreased (p < 0.05) expression of Ki-67 in tumor tissues. The extract also inhibits tumor angiogenesis by downregulating (p < 0.05) the expression of VEGF and CD31 in tumor tissues after treatment for 35 days. Conclusively, the P. longifolia leaf extract effectively inhibited HeLa cell xenograft growth in nude mice. The possible mechanism was related to induction of apoptosis, inhibition of tumor HeLa cell proliferation by decreasing the Ki-67 protein expression, and prevention of tumor angiogenesis by reducing VEGF and CD31 protein expression in HeLa cells.

Ultrastructural and Morphological Effects in T-Lymphoblastic Leukemia CEM-SS Cells Following Treatment with Nordamnacanthal and Damnacanthal from Roots of Morinda elliptica

Background: Morinda elliptica (family Rubiaceae), locally known as ‘mengkudu kecil’, has been used by the Malays for medicinal purposes. Anthraquinones isolated from the roots of Morinda elliptica, namely nordamnacanthal and damnacanthal, have been widely reported to exhibit anticancer and antioxidant properties in various cancer models in vitro and in vivo. Aim: This study analyzed the morphological and ultrastructural effects of damnacanthal and nordamnacanthal on T-lymphoblastic leukemia CEM-SS cells. Method: Light microscopy, Giemsa staining, Wright’s staining, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were carried out to determine apoptosis, necrosis, and ultrastructural changes that occurred within the cells. Results: The outcomes showed that these compounds induced cell death by apoptosis and necrosis, specifically at higher doses of 10 and 30 μg/mL. Condensation and fragmentation of the nuclear chromatin, which further separated into small, membrane-bound vesicles known as apoptotic bodies, were observed in the nuclei and cytoplasm. The plasma membranes and cytoskeletons also showed marked morphological changes upon treatment with damnacanthal and nordamnacanthal, indicating apoptosis. Conclusion: Therefore, we report that damnacanthal and nordamnacanthal exhibit anticancer properties by inducing apoptosis and necrosis in CEM-SS cells, and they have potential as a drug for the treatment of T-lymphoblastic leukemia.

In vitro antiaging activity of polyphenol rich Polyalthia longifolia (Annonaceae) leaf extract in Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY611 yeast cells

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Polyalthia longifolia var. angustifolia Thw. (Annonaceae) is commonly used in traditional medicine as a tonic for rejuvenation and exhibiting good antioxidant activities.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To evaluate P. longifolia methanolic leaf extract (PLME) antiaging activity at 1 mg/mL in Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY611 yeast.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The antiaging effect of PLME was studied via replicative lifespan assay, antioxidative stress assays, reactive oxygen species (ROS) determination, reduced glutathione (GSH) determination, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) genes regulation studies and SOD and SIRT1 proteins activities.

RESULTS

The PLME treatment increased the growth and prolonged the lifespan of the yeast significantly (p < 0.05) compared to the untreated yeast group. Besides, the PLME also protected the yeast from oxidative stress induced by 4-mM-H₂O₂ via decreasing (p < 0.05) the ROS from 143.207 to 127.223. The antioxidative action of PLME was proved by spot assay. Phloxine B staining was further confirmed the PLME antioxidative action of PLME, where more whitish-pink live yeast cells were observed. In addition, the PLME also enhanced GSH content significantly (p < 0.05) in yeast treated with PLME from 16.81 to 25.31 μmol. Furthermore, PLME increased the SOD and SIRT1 genes expression significantly (p < 0.05) with ΔCt values of 1.11 and 1.15, respectively. The significantly (p < 0.05) elevated SOD and SIRT1 protein activities were recorded as 51.54 U/mg Prot and 1716 ng/mL, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

PLME exhibited good antiaging activities in S. cerevisiae, by modulating oxidative stress, enhancing GSH content, and increasing SOD and SIRT1 genes expression.

The Evolution of Pharmacological Activities Bouea macrophylla Griffith In Vivo and In Vitro Study: A Review

Bouea macrophylla Griffith (B. macrophylla) is one of the many herbal plants found in Asia, and its fruit is plum mango. This plant is rich in secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, tannins, polyphenolic compounds, and many others. Due to its bioactive components, plum mango has powerful antioxidants that have therapeutic benefits for many common ailments, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. This review describes the evolution of plum mango’s phytochemical properties and pharmacological activities including in vitro and in vivo studies. The pharmacological activities of B. macrophylla Griffith reviewed in this article are antioxidant, anticancer, antihyperglycemic, antimicrobial, and antiphotoaging. Each of these pharmacological activities described and studied the possible cellular and molecular mechanisms of action. Interestingly, plum mango seeds show good pharmacological activity where the seed is the part of the plant that is a waste product. This can be an advantage because of its economic value as a herbal medicine. Overall, the findings described in this review aim to allow this plant to be explored and utilized more widely, especially as a new drug discovery.

Phytochemicals from Polyalthia Species: Potential and Implication on Anti-Oxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Cancer, and Chemoprevention Activities

Polyalthia belong to the Annonaceae family and are a type of evergreen tree distributed across many tropical and subtropical regions. Polyalthia species have been used long term as indigenous medicine to treat certain diseases, including fever, diabetes, infection, digestive disease, etc. Recent studies have demonstrated that not only crude extracts but also the isolated pure compounds exhibit various pharmacological activities, such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-tumor, anti-cancer, etc. It is known that the initiation of cancer usually takes several years and is related to unhealthy lifestyle, as well as dietary and environmental factors, such as stress, toxins and smoking. In fact, natural or synthetic substances have been used as cancer chemoprevention to delay, impede, or even stop cancer growing. This review is an attempt to collect current available phytochemicals from Polyalthia species, which exhibit anti-cancer potentials for chemoprevention purposes, providing directions for further research on the interesting agents and possible clinical applications.

Therapeutic Potential of Natural Products in Treatment of Cervical Cancer: A Review

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. Though several natural products have been reported regarding their efficacies against cervical cancer, there has been no review article that categorized them according to their anti-cancer mechanisms. In this study, anti-cancerous natural products against cervical cancer were collected using Pubmed (including Medline) and google scholar, published within three years. Their mechanisms were categorized as induction of apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis, inhibition of metastasis, reduction of resistance, and regulation of miRNAs. A total of 64 natural products suppressed cervical cancer. Among them, Penicillium sclerotiorum extracts from Cassia fistula L., ethanol extracts from Bauhinia variegate candida, thymoquinone obtained from Nigella sativa, lipid-soluble extracts of Pinellia pedatisecta Schott., and 1'S-1'-acetoxychavicol extracted from Alpinia conchigera have been shown to have multi-effects against cervical cancer. In conclusion, natural products could be attractive candidates for novel anti-cancer drugs.

Validation of target proteins of down-regulated miR-221-5p in HeLa cells treated with Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract using label-free quantitative proteomics approaches

The current study was conducted to validate the target proteins of down-regulated miR-221-5p in HeLa cells treated with P. longifolia leaf extract. The validation was done by label-free quantitative proteomics approaches, Gene Ontology (GO) and protein-protein interaction analyses after the cells transfected with miRNA mimics or miRNA inhibitor. The LC-ESI-MS/MS identified a total of 1061, 668, 564 and 940 proteins from untransfected and untreated HeLa cells, untransfected P. longifolia leaf extract-treated HeLa cells, miR-221-5p mimic-transfected P. longifolia leaf extract-treated HeLa cells and anti-miR-221-5p-transfected P. longifolia leaf extract-treated HeLa cells, respectively. The proteomic, GO and protein-protein interaction analyses showed that P. longifolia treatment regulated various protein expressions in HeLa cells, namely tropomyosin, PRKC apoptosis WT1 regulator protein (PAWR), alpha-enolase and beta-enolase, which induced apoptotic cell death after the down-regulation of miR-221-5p. Conclusively, this study showed P. longifolia leaf extract's vital contribution in regulating various protein expressions in HeLa cervical cancer cells to induce apoptotic cell death after downregulation miR-221-5p.

Digital Holographic Imaging as a Method for Quantitative, Live Cell Imaging of Drug Response to Novel Targeted Cancer Therapies

Digital holographic imaging (DHI) is a noninvasive, live cell imaging technique that enables long-term quantitative visualization of cells in culture. DHI uses phase-shift imaging to monitor and quantify cellular events such as cell division, cell death, cell migration, and drug responses. In recent years, the application of DHI has expanded from its use in the laboratory to the clinical setting, and currently it is being developed for use in theranostics. Here, we describe the use of the DHI platform HoloMonitorM4 to evaluate the effects of novel, targeted cancer therapies on cell viability and proliferation using the HeLa cancer cell line as a model. We present single cell tracking and population-wide analysis of multiple cell morphology parameters.

Nanomorphological and mechanical reconstruction of mesenchymal stem cells during early apoptosis detected by atomic force microscopy

Stem cell apoptosis exists widely in embryonic development, tissue regeneration, repair, aging and pathophysiology of disease. The molecular mechanism of stem cell apoptosis has been extensively investigated. However, alterations in biomechanics and nanomorphology have rarely been studied. Therefore, an apoptosis model was established for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and the reconstruction of the mechanical properties and nanomorphology of the cells were investigated in detail. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), flow cytometry and Cell Counting Kit-8 analysis were applied to assess the cellular elasticity modulus, geometry, nanomorphology, cell surface ultrastructure, biological viability and early apoptotic signals (phosphatidylserine, PS). The results indicated that the cellular elastic modulus and volume significantly decreased, whereas the cell surface roughness obviously increased during the first 3 h of cytochalasin B (CB) treatment. Moreover, these alterations preceded the exposure of biological apoptotic signal PS. These findings suggested that cellular mechanical damage is connected with the apoptosis of BMSCs, and the alterations in mechanics and nanomorphology may be a sensitive index to detect alterations in cell viability during apoptosis. The results contribute to further understanding of apoptosis from the perspective of cell mechanics.

Functional Validation of DownRegulated MicroRNAs in HeLa Cells Treated with Polyalthia longifolia Leaf Extract Using Different Microscopic Approaches: A Morphological Alteration-Based Validation

Several microscopy methods have been developed to assess the morphological changes in cells in the investigations of the mode of cell death in response to a stimulus. Our recent finding on the treatment of the IC50 concentration (26.67 μg/mL) of Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract indicated the induction of apoptotic cell death via the regulation of miRNA in HeLa cells. Hence, the current study was conducted to validate the function of these downregulated microRNAs in P. longifolia-treated HeLa cells using microscopic approaches. These include scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI)-based fluorescent microscopy techniques by observing the morphological alterations to cells after transfection with mimic miRNA. Interestingly, the morphological changes observed in this study demonstrated the apoptotic hallmarks, for instance, cell blebbing, cell shrinkage, cytoplasmic and nuclear condensation, vacuolization, cytoplasmic extrusion, and the formation of apoptotic bodies, which proved the role of dysregulated miRNAs in apoptotic HeLa cell death after treatment with the P. longifolia leaf extract. Conclusively, the current study proved the crucial role of downregulated miR-484 and miR-221-5p in the induction of apoptotic cell death in P. longifolia-treated HeLa cells using three approaches-SEM, TEM, and AO/PI-based fluorescent microscope.

Mechanical, nanomorphological and biological reconstruction of early‑stage apoptosis in HeLa cells induced by cytochalasin B

There is a growing interest in the fact that mechanical signals may be as important as biological signals in evaluating cell viability. To investigate the alterations in biomechanics, nanomorphology and biological apoptotic signals during early apoptosis, an apoptosis model was established for cervical cancer HeLa cells induced by cytochalasin B (CB). The cellular mechanical properties, geometry, morphology and expression of key apoptotic proteins were systematically analyzed. The findings indicated a marked decline in cellular elastic modulus and volume and a considerable increase in surface roughness occurring prior to the activation of biological apoptosis signals (such as phosphatidylserine exposure or activation of CD95/Fas). Moreover, the depolymerization of filamentous actin aggravated the intracellular crowding degree, which induced the redistribution of different-sized protein molecules and protrusions across the cell membrane arising from excluded volume interactions. Statistical analysis revealed that the disassembly of the actin cytoskeleton was negatively correlated with the cellular elastic modulus and volume, but was positively correlated with surface roughness and CD95/Fas activation. The results of the present study suggest that compared with biological signals, mechanical and geometrical reconstruction is more sensitive during apoptosis and the increase in cell surface roughness arises from the redistribution of biophysical molecules. These results contribute to our in-depth understanding of the apoptosis mechanisms of cancer cells mediated by cytochalasin B.

Autophagy precedes apoptosis among at risk cerebellar Purkinje cells in the shaker mutant rat: an ultrastructural study

Cerebellar Purkinje cell (PC) death has been shown to occur in essential tremor, ataxia, and many other neurodegenerative diseases in humans. Shaker mutant rats have an X-linked recessive mutation that causes hereditary degeneration of "at risk" cerebellar PCs. This defect can occur in the restricted anterior (ADC) and posterior (PDC) vermal degeneration compartments postnatally within 7 to 14 weeks of age as a natural phenotype in the shaker mutant rat. "Secure" PCs persist in a flocculonodular survival compartment (FNSC). Because we have previously shown that "at risk" PCs die due to apoptosis in the shaker mutant rat, we hypothesized that the PC death observed in the hereditary shaker mutant rat may be due to the activation of more than one type of death pathway. This ultrastructural investigation suggests that "at risk" PCs die due to apoptosis as a result of autophagic activation. Moreover, our data suggest that both apoptosis and autophagy must be simultaneously inhibited to rescue "at risk" PCs from death.