Pre-clinical toxicity of a combination of berberine and 5-aminosalicylic acid in mice

Apoptosis Induction, a Sharp Edge of Berberine to Exert Anti-Cancer Effects, Focus on Breast, Lung, and Liver Cancer

Cancer is the leading cause of death and one of the greatest barriers to increased life expectancy worldwide. Currently, chemotherapy with synthetic drugs remains one of the predominant ways for cancer treatment, which may lead to drug resistance and normal organ damage. Increasing researches have suggested that apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, is a promising way for cancer therapy. Furthermore, natural products are important sources for finding new drugs with high availability, low cost and low toxicity. As a well-known isoquinoline alkaloid, accumulating evidence has revealed that berberine (BBR) exerts potential pro-apoptotic effects on multiple cancers, including breast, lung, liver, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers. The related potential signal pathways are AMP-activated protein kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and protein kinase B pathways. In this review, we provide a timely and comprehensive summary of the detailed molecular mechanisms of BBR in treating three types of cancer (breast, lung and liver cancer) by inducing apoptosis. Furthermore, we also discuss the existing challenges and strategies to improve BBR’s bioavailability. Hopefully, this review provides valuable information for the comprehension of BBR in treating three types of cancer and highlight the pro-apoptotic effects of BBR, which would be beneficial for the further development of this natural compound as an effective clinical drug for treating cancers.

Anti-inflammatory Efficacy of Combined Natural Alkaloid Berberine and S1PR Modulator Fingolimod at Low Doses in Ulcerative Colitis Preclinical Models

The natural alkaloid berberine is being studied as a drug candidate for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). Fingolimod is an immunomodulator approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Whether fingolimod use can be extended to UC and how it interacts with berberine remain unclear. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory efficacies of berberine, fingolimod, and a combination of half-doses of them was examined in mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. In mice with subchronic colitis, 14-day oral administration of fingolimod had greater efficacy than berberine in ameliorating the disease clinical severity and colon shortening. However, in mice with chronic colitis, 30-day oral administration of berberine was more effective than fingolimod except on splenic swelling. Notably, the combination of half-doses of each drug was equally effective as the superior single drugs for two models and resulted in reduced splenic swelling in the chronic colitis model. The inhibition of cytokine expression and STAT3 activation, as well as binding to the sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor by both drugs, contributed to the combination efficacy. Our findings suggest that fingolimod in combination with berberine at reduced doses represents a novel therapy for UC that attains satisfactory efficacy with reduced potentials for adverse effects.

Development of 13-Cys-BBR as an Agent Having Dual Action of Anti-Thrombosis and Anti-Inflammation

Background

There is a correlation between tumor and inflammation. The activity of 13-[CH₂CO-Cys(Bzl)-OBzl]-berberine (13-Cys-BBR) slowing tumor growth is higher than that of BBR. Whether the anti-inflammation activity of 13-Cys-BBR is higher than that of BBR remains unknown. There is a correlation between thrombosis and inflammation. Whether 13-Cys-BBR is an inhibitor of thrombosis remains unknown.

Purpose

The object of this investigation is to compare the activities of 13-Cys-BBR inhibiting thrombosis and inflammation to those of BBR.

Methods

In vivo anti-thrombosis assay was performed on rat model of arterial and venous thrombosis. In vivo anti-inflammation assay was performed on mouse model of xylene induced ear edema.

Results

At oral dose of 66.7 nmol/kg, 13-Cys-BBR, but not BBR, inhibited the rats to form both venous thrombus and arterial thrombus. At oral dose of 2 μmol/kg, 13-Cys-BBR, but not BBR, inhibited the ears of the mice to occur edema.

Conclusion

The anti-venous thrombosis activity, anti-arterial thrombosis activity and anti-inflammation activity of 13-Cys-BBR were significantly higher than those of BBR. 13-Cys-BBR is a promising preclinical candidate.

Berberine Induces Autophagic Cell Death in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia by Inactivating AKT/mTORC1 Signaling

Introduction

Berberine has been reported to inhibit cancer cell growth by apoptosis induction and exhibits a protective role against cancer progression. The current study aims to investigate the effects of berberine on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and the mechanism beyond apoptosis.

Methods

Cell viability was determined in ALL cell lines EU-6 and SKW-3 using trypan blue staining. Cell autophagy was determined by immunofluorescence and Western blot. ALL xenograft mice were established to investigate the anti-tumor effects of BBR. The molecular mechanism was explored in ALL cell lines using siRNA and signaling inhibitors.

Results

Herein, we show that berberine treatment significantly inhibits ALL cell viability and promotes cell death by inducing autophagy in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, berberine significantly alleviates the aggressive pathological condition in ALL xenograft mice. Mechanistic studies exhibit that berberine induces autophagic death in ALL cells by inactivating AKT/mTORC1 signaling. Chemically targeting AKT/mTORC1 signaling controls berberine-induced cell autophagy in vitro, and blockade of autophagic process blunts berberine-alleviated pathological condition in vivo.

Discussion

In conclusion, our study reveals that berberine could induce ALL cell autophagic death by inactivating AKT/mTORC1 signaling that could be used to develop small molecule drug for ALL treatment.

13-[CH2CO-Cys-(Bzl)-OBzl]-Berberine: Exploring The Correlation Of Anti-Tumor Efficacy With ROS And Apoptosis Protein

Background

The discovery of novel derivative of berberine (BBR) having higher anti-tumor activity in vivo is of clinical importance. In this profile, 13-[CH₂CO-Cys-(Bzl)-OBzl]-berberine (13-Cys-BBR) was prepared for related assays.

Purpose

The object of preparation and evaluation is to show the advantages of 13-Cys-BBR over BBR in both in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor actions, furthermore to correlate the proliferation of cancer cells with ROS formation and anti-apoptosis protein (XIAP) expression inside cancer cells.

Methods

Transwell chamber was used to simulate the intestinal and cell wall for bioavailability evaluation; MTT assay was used to evaluate the in vitro anti-proliferation activity; fluorescein isothiocyanate content was used to represent ROS level in HCT-8 cells; Western blot assay was used to quantify the expression of XIAP, caspase-3, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase in HCT-8 cells; and S180 mouse model was used to evaluate the in vivo anti-tumor activity.

Results

In vitro the IC₅₀ values (~15–40 μM) of 13-Cys-BBR against the proliferation of eight cancer cell lines were significantly lower than those of BBR (~25–140 μM); the content of ROS formed inside HCT-8 cells treated by 13-Cys-BBR was ~3.44-folds higher than that inside HCT-8 cells treated by BBR; the expression of XIAP in HCT-8 cells treated by 13-Cys-BBR was ~1.21-folds lower than that in HCT-8 cells treated by BBR; the tumor weight of S180 mice orally treated by 2 μmol/kg/day of 13-Cys-BBR (~1.5 g) was significantly lower than that of S180 mice orally treated by 2 μmol/kg/day of BBR (~2.5 g); and the active pocket of XIAP was more suitable for 13-Cys-BBR than for BBR.

Conclusion

The anti-tumor action correlates with ROS and apoptosis protein, which suggests 13-Cys-BBR is a promising candidate for preclinical study.

Metabolomics of Aurantio-Obtusin-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats for Discovery of Potential Biomarkers

Aurantio-obtusin is an anthraquinone derived from Cassia obtusifolia (cassiae semen). It is also used as a tool and a detection index for the identification of cassiae semen, as stipulated by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Anthraquinones, the main components in cassiae semen, have been reported to show hepatotoxicity. This study investigates the hepatotoxicity of aurantio-obtusin in male Sprague–Dawley rats. We randomly divided the animals into a blank control group and treated three test groups with different doses of aurantio-obtusin: Low dose (4 mg/kg), medium dose (40 mg/kg), and high dose (200 mg/kg). Each group was treated with aurantio-obtusin for 28 days, whereas the control group was administered an equal volume of 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (CMC-Na) aqueous solution. Subsequently, we conducted biochemical, hematological, and pathological investigations and determined the weight of different organs. We used serum metabolomics to identify possible biomarkers related to hepatotoxicity. The low-dose group showed no significant liver injury, whereas the medium- and high-dose groups manifested obvious liver injury. Compared with the control group, the test groups showed an increase in alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase levels. The liver organ coefficient also significantly increased. Additionally, we found significant changes in the hematological indices. Metabolomics analysis showed that aurantio-obtusin induced 28 endogenous markers related to liver injury. Our data indicate that aurantio-obtusin induces hepatotoxicity in rat liver in a dose-dependent manner and is mediated by pathways involving bile acids, fatty acids, amino acids, and energy metabolism. In particular, changes in bile acid content during treatment with therapeutic agents containing aurantio-obtusin deserve increased attention.

iTRAQ-based pharmacoproteomics reveals potential targets of berberine, a promising therapy for ulcerative colitis

Previous studies by us and others have indicated that berberine is a promising therapy for ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the mechanisms of UC and the therapeutic targets of berberine are poorly understood. iTRAQ-based proteomics was utilized to characterize the proteins and pathways associated with the development of colitis and its improvement after berberine treatment. By using a modified dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) colitis as the UC model, confirmed that berberine significantly attenuated clinical symptoms and colon shorting of the colitis mice. Proteomics identified 140 and 391 proteins that were differentially expressed in the colons of DSS- or DSS plus berberine-treated mice, respectively. Subsequent verification of 15 selected differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) by multiple reaction monitoring confirmed the reliability of the iTRAQ data. Further comparisons and bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that among the identified DEPs, 26, including Hist2h2be, Tubb3, and five immunoglobulins, were oppositely regulated by DSS and DSS plus berberine treatments. In addition, five commonly dysregulated pathways, including natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity and RRAR signaling were identified. Network analysis revealed that proteins involved in 7 and 11 pathways in DSS and DSS plus berberine treated mice, respectively, engaged in protein-protein interactions. Our study provides the first pharmacoproteomics profiling of colitis and its recovery after berberine treatment. The proteins, pathways and networks identified provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of colitis and the action mechanism of berberine, demonstrating their values for validation in human UC which could serve as targets for the development of novel therapies for UC.

Progress in active compounds effective on ulcerative colitis from Chinese medicines

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the colon, has a rising incidence worldwide. The known pathogenesis is multifactorial and involves genetic predisposition, epithelial barrier defects, dysregulated immune responses, and environmental factors. Nowadays, the drugs for UC include 5-aminosalicylic acid, steroids, and immunosuppressants. Long-term use of these drugs, however, may cause several side effects, such as hepatic and renal toxicity, drug resistance and allergic reactions. Moreover, the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of UC shows significantly positive effects, low recurrence rate, few side effects and other obvious advantages. This paper summarizes several kinds of active compounds used in the experimental research of anti-UC effects extracted from TCM, mainly including flavonoids, acids, terpenoids, phenols, alkaloids, quinones, and bile acids from some animal medicines. It is found that the anti-UC activities are mainly focused on targeting inflammation or oxidative stress, which is associated with increasing the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4, IL-10, SOD), suppressing the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-23, NF-κB, NO), reducing the activity of MPO, MDA, IFN-γ, and iNOS. This review may offer valuable reference for UC-related studies on the compounds from natural medicines.