Isoliquiritigenin inhibits mouse S180 tumors with a new mechanism that regulates autophagy by GSK-3β/TNF-α pathway

Glycogen synthase kinase-3: A potential immunotherapeutic target in tumor microenvironment

Glycogen synthase kinase-3(GSK-3) is a protein kinase that can phosphorylate over a hundred substrates and regulate cell differentiation, proliferation, and death. Researchers have acknowledged the pivotal role of abnormal activation of GSK-3 in the progression of various diseases over the past few decades. Recent studies have mostly concentrated on investigating the function of GSK-3 in the tumor microenvironment, specifically examining the interaction between TAM, NK cells, B cells, and T cells. Furthermore, GSK-3 exhibits a strong association with immunological checkpoints, such as programmed cell death protein 1. Novel GSK-3 inhibitors have potential in tumor immunotherapy, exerting beneficial effects on hematologic diseases and solid tumors. Nevertheless, there is a lack of reviews about the correlation between tumor-associated immune cells and GSK-3. This study intends to analyze the function and mechanism of GSK-3 comprehensively and systematically in the tumor microenvironment, with a special focus on its influence on various immune cells. The objective is to present novel perspectives for GSK-3 immunotherapy.

Phytochemicals against Osteoarthritis by Inhibiting Apoptosis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease that causes pathological changes in articular cartilage, synovial membrane, or subchondral bone. Conventional treatments for OA include surgical and non-surgical methods. Surgical treatment is suitable for patients in the terminal stage of OA. It is often the last choice because of the associated risks and high cost. Medication of OA mainly includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, hyaluronic acid, and cortico-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. However, these drugs often have severe side effects and cannot meet the needs of patients. Therefore, safe and clinically appropriate long-term treatments for OA are urgently needed. Apoptosis is programmed cell death, which is a kind of physiologic cell suicide determined by heredity and conserved by evolution. Inhibition of apoptosis-related pathways has been found to prevent and treat a variety of diseases. Excessive apoptosis can destroy cartilage homeostasis and aggravate the pathological process of OA. Therefore, inhibition of apoptosis-related factors or signaling pathways has become an effective means to treat OA. Phytochemicals are active ingredients from plants, and it has been found that phytochemicals can play an important role in the prevention and treatment of OA by inhibiting apoptosis. We summarize preclinical and clinical studies of phytochemicals for the treatment of OA by inhibiting apoptosis. The results show that phytochemicals can treat OA by targeting apoptosis-related pathways. On the basis of improving some phytochemicals with low bioavailability, poor water solubility, and high toxicity by nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, and at the same time undergoing strict clinical and pharmacological tests, phytochemicals can be used as a potential therapeutic drug for OA and may be applied in clinical settings.

A four-compound remedy AGILe protected H9c2 cardiomyocytes against oxygen glucose deprivation via targeting the TNF-α/NF-κB pathway: Implications for the therapy of myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a highly prevalent and lethal disease worldwide. Prevention and timely recovery are critical for the control of the recurrence and heart failure in MI survivors. The present study was designed to investigate the cardioprotective activity of the herbal medicine formula Baoyuan Decoction (BYD) and identify the active compounds and molecular targets. The ethanolic BYD extract (BYDE) was prepared by water extraction and ethanol precipitation of four herbal medicines, Astragali Radix, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Cinnamomi Cortex, and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. Initially, BYDE was validated for the cardioprotective effectiveness in a mouse model of ischemia injury and rat cardiomyocyte H9C2 cells. As results, BYDE effectively reduced infarct size from 56% to 37% and preserved cardiac functions in mouse MI model while protected H9C2 cells against oxygen glucose deprivation. Subsequent network pharmacology analysis revealed that 122 bioactive ingredients, including flavonoids and saponins from the UPLC-MS/MS profile of BYDE, might target 37 MI-related proteins, including inflammatory and apoptotic mediators (e.g., TNF, NFKB1, CASPs, TNFRSF1A, CXCL12, BCL2A1). Pathway enrichment analysis suggested that BYDE might control the cardiac inflammation via targeting the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway while the selected targets were also implicated in IL-17 signaling pathway, lipid and atherosclerosis. Consequently, adenosine, ginsenoside Rh2, isoliquiritigenin, and licochalcone A were selected to generate the four-compound mixture AGILe and validated for the inhibitory effects on the TNF-α/NF-κB pathway. The results of the present study suggested that the mixture AGILe might be a potential cardioprotective remedy against MI.

Ellagic acid inhibits proinflammatory intermediary manufacture by suppressing NF-κB/Akt, VEGF and activating Nrf-2/Caspase-3 signaling pathways in rat testicular damage: a new way for testicular damage cure and in silico approach

Ellagic acid (EA) has protective effect on testicular damage and this natural compound decreases oxidative damage. The present study aims to examine the preventive effect of ellagic acid (EA) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced testicular tissue damage in rats. In testicular tissue, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf-2), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), cysteine aspartic proteases (caspase-3) and protein kinase B (Akt) synthesis levels were analyzed by western blot method, reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured by malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, Glutathione (GSH) level and catalase (CAT) by spectrophotometer. As a result, in comparison with the CCl₄ group, caspase-3 and Nrf-2 protein synthesis levels increased in EA + CCl₄ group, however, VEGF, Bcl-2, NF-κB, TNF-α and Akt protein synthesis levels decreased, EA application raised GSH levels and CAT activity, reduced MDA levels. In this study, in silico tools were applied to confirm the activity of EA against the cancer with macromolecules such as the above mentioned transcription factors. EA, turned out to show significant activity similarly to some cocrystal ligands, particularly against cancer. These results points out that EA can be used as a testicular damage cure drug in future.

Isoliquiritigenin attenuates acute renal injury through suppressing oxidative stress, fibrosis and JAK2/STAT3 pathway in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the protective effects and mechanisms of isoliquiritigenin (ISO) on acute renal injury. CCK-8 assays were applied to assess the effects of ISO at different doses (20, 40, and 80 μg/mL) on oxidative damage in human renal HK-2 cells incubated with high glucose. After the diabetic nephropathy (DN) rat model was established, the model animals were randomly assigned to saline-treated control, three model groups received the 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg ISO, respectively, using the healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats as normal control. The blood biochemical indexes, renal functions, oxidative stress, morphological changes, fibrosis- and JAK2/STAT3-related factors in DN model rats were all assessed. The cellular viability of the renal HK-2 cells with oxidative damages were all markedly ameliorated via the incubation of ISO between 10 and 80 μg/mL compared with negative control. In addition, the significantly down-regulated ROS content and up-regulated expression levels of GSH, SOD2, and GPX1 were all observed in ISO-treated groups. Long-term administration of ISO at different doses in DN rats effectively improved general diabetic characteristics and renal morphology. Furthermore, long-term administration of ISO could ameliorate excessive oxidation stress, down-regulate the expression levels of renal fibrosis- and inflammation-related factors, as well as inhibit the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. In conclusion, ISO at all three dosages could efficiently improve the renal injury induced by STZ via ameliorating renal fibrosis, oxidative stress, and inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways in the DN rats.

Physiological functions and therapeutic applications of neutral sphingomyelinase and acid sphingomyelinase

Sphingomyelin (SM) can be converted into ceramide (Cer) by neutral sphingomyelinase (NSM) and acid sphingomyelinase (ASM). Cer is a second messenger of lipids and can regulate cell growth and apoptosis. Increasing evidence shows that NSM and ASM play key roles in many processes, such as apoptosis, immune function and inflammation. Therefore, NSM and ASM have broad prospects in clinical treatments, especially in cancer, cardiovascular diseases (such as atherosclerosis), nervous system diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease), respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and the phenotype of dwarfisms in adolescents, playing a complex regulatory role. This review focuses on the physiological functions of NSM and ASM and summarizes their roles in certain diseases and their potential applications in therapy.

Perspectives on the Role of Isoliquiritigenin in Cancer

Isoliquiritigenin (2',4',4-trihydroxychalcone, ISL), one of the most important bioactive compounds with a chalcone structure, is derived from licorice root. Licorice is commonly known as Glycyrrhiza, including Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Glycyrrhiza radix, and Glycyrrhiza glabra, which are generally available in common foods and Chinese herbal medicines based on a wide variety of biological functions and pharmacological effects, and its derivative (ISL) is utilized as a food additive and adjunct disease treatment. In this review, we summarized the progress over the last 10 years in the targeted pathways and molecular mechanisms of ISL that are involved in the regulation of the onset and progression of different types of cancers.

Activity and Toxicity of Eleutherine palmifolia (L.) Merr. Extract on BALB/c Mice Colitis-Associated Colon Cancer Model

OBJECTIVE

Eleutherine palmifolia (L.) Merr. extract (EPE) containing isoliquiritigenin and oxyresveratrol is believed to be an anticancer agent. This study evaluates colon histopathology, TNF-α, TGF-β, and hepatotoxicity on BALB/c mice colitis-associated colon cancer (CAC) model treated with EPE.

METHODS

In vivo study was performed on BALB/c mice CAC model induced by 10 mg/kgBW AOM on the first day followed by administration that each cycle consisted of 5% DSS in water for seven days and regular water for seven days. The indicators of the formation of CAC were observed by a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and serum amyloid α (SAA) test. The treatment was conducted once a week started from the seventh week up to the twentieth week with six treatment groups: I was administrated by regular water only (negative control), II was administrated by AOM and DSS only (positive control), III was administrated by doxorubicin,  IV-VI were treated by EPE (0.25 mg/kg BW, 0.50 mg/kg BW, and 1.00 mg/kg BW) respectively. The colon and liver's histopathology was observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, TNF-α with immunohistochemistry (IHC), and level measurement of TGF-β colon with ELISA reader. The data were used one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc as statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The administration of EPE increased the expression of TNF-α, the total of goblet cells of the colon, and decreased the level of TGF-β. Administration of EPE 0.50 mg/20g BW decreased a liver histopathological score but induced a histopathological alteration of the liver at a dose of 1.00 mg/20g BW.

CONCLUSION

This study indicate that EPE could be recommended as a colon anticancer through increase the goblet cells, induce apoptosis through increase TNF-α, and decrease TGF-β.

ISL Induces Apoptosis and Autophagy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Downregulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway in vivo and in vitro

Aims

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a flavonoid from Glycyrrhiza glabra, has previously been reported to have anti-tumor effects in vivo and in vitro. However, the mechanisms whereby ISL exerts its anticancer effects remain poorly understood in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Purpose

In the present study, we investigated the anticancer efficacy and associated mechanisms of ISL in HCC MHCC97-H and SMMC7721 cells.

Results

We found that ISL inhibited cell viability and proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner in liver cancer lines. Furthermore, ISL could activate autophagy in HCC cells, and the autophagy inhibitor HCQ enhances ISL-induced apoptosis in HCC cells. Additionally, ISL induced apoptosis and autophagy through inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Most importantly, in a xenograft tumor model in nude mice, data showed that the administration of ISL decreased tumor growth and concurrently promoted the expression of LC3-II and cleaved-caspase-3. Interestingly, we found that ISL inhibits mTOR by docking onto the ATP-binding pocket of mTOR (ie, it competes with ATP). We thus suggest that mTOR is a potential target for ISL inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma development, which could be of interest for future investigations.

Conclusion

Taken together, the results reveal that ISL effectively inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in HCC through autophagy induction in vivo and in vitro, probably via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. ISL may be a potential therapeutic agent for hepatocellular carcinoma.

MicroRNA-31/184 is involved in transforming growth factor-β-induced apoptosis in A549 human alveolar adenocarcinoma cells

AIMS

TGF-β-induced alveolar epithelial cells apoptosis were involved in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This study aimed to explore potential targets and mechanisms of IPF.

MAIN METHODS

mRNA and microRNA arrays were used to analyze differentially expressed genes and miRNAs. Several essential targets of TGF-β-SMADs and TGF-β-PI3K-AKT pathways were detected.

KEY FINDINGS

miR-31 and miR-184 expression levels were positively correlated with smad6 and smad2/akt expression levels in IPF patients. TGF-β could induce miR-31 and suppress miR-184 levels in A549 cells. miR-31 was confirmed to bind to the smad6-3'UTR and functionally suppress its expression. Down-regulated SMAD6 enhanced SMAD2/SMAD4 dimer formation and translocation due to its failure to prevent SMAD2 phosphorylation. In contrast, anti-fibrotic functions of miR-184 were abolished due to TGF-β directly suppressing miR-184 levels in A549 cells. When A549 was stimulated by TGF-β combined with or without miR-31 inhibitor/miR-184 mimic, it was showed that depleted miR-31 and/or increased miR-184 significantly ameliorated TGF-β-induced viability of A549 cells, as well as inhibited the expression of profibrotic factors, MMP7 and RUNX2.

SIGNIFICANCE

Inhibiting miR-31 and/or promoting miR-184 protect against TGF-β-induced fibrogenesis by respectively repressing the TGF-β-SMAD2 and TGF-β-PI3K-AKT signaling pathways, implying that miR-31/184 are potential targets and suggesting a new management strategy for IPF.