Polysaccharides derived from Lycium barbarum suppress IGF-1-induced angiogenesis via PI3K/HIF-1α/VEGF signalling pathways in MCF-7 cells

Tobacco as bioenergy and medical plant for biofuels and bioproduction

Tobacco, a widely cultivated crop, has been extensively utilized by humans for an extended period. However, the tobacco industry generates a significant amount of organic waste, and the effective utilization of this tobacco waste has been limited. Currently, most tobacco waste is either recycled as reconstituted tobacco sheets or disposed of in landfills. However, tobacco possesses far more potential value than just these applications. This article provides an overview of the diverse uses of tobacco waste in agriculture, medicine, chemical engineering, and energy sectors. In the realm of agriculture, tobacco waste finds primary application as fertilizers and pesticides. In medical applications, the bioactive compounds present in tobacco are fully harnessed, resulting in the production of phenols, solanesol, polysaccharides, proteins, and even alkaloids. These bioactive compounds exhibit beneficial effects on human health. Additionally, the applications of tobacco waste in chemical engineering and energy sectors are centered around the utilization of lignocellulosic compounds and certain fuels. Chemical platform compounds derived from tobacco waste, as well as selected fuel sources, play a significant role in these areas. The rational utilization of tobacco waste represents a promising prospect, particularly in the present era when sustainable development is widely advocated. Moreover, this approach holds significant importance for enhancing energy utilization.

Neuroprotective Effects of Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract on Pink1B9Drosophila Melanogaster Genetic Model of Parkinson's Disease

Lycium barbarum (LB) is a famous traditional Chinese medicinal plant as well as food supplement possessing various pharmacological functions such as anti-aging and antioxidant effects. The Parkinson's disease (PD)-related kinase Pink1 plays vital role in maintaining the neuron cell homeostasis, having been recognized as a potential target for the development of anti-PD drugs. In this work, the neuroprotective effects of methanol extract of LB fruit (LBFE) were investigated using a Drosophila PD model (PINK1^B9) and a human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. We found that when LBFE was supplied to the PINK1^B9 flies at 6, 12, and 18 days of age, it raised the ATP and dopamine levels at all ages, extended life span, improved motor behavior, and rescued olfactory deficits of the PINK1^B9 flies. In addition, histopathological examinations indicated that muscle atrophy in thoraces of the mutant flies was significantly repaired. Finally, LBFE was able to rescue the SH-SY5Y cells against MPP⁺-induced neurotoxicity. This work reports for the first time the anti-PD potential of L. barbarum fruit extract in PINK1 mutant fruit flies, presenting a new viewpoint for studing the mechanism of action of LBFE.

Recent progress of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides on intestinal microbiota, microbial metabolites and health: a review

Intestinal microbiota is symbiotically associated with host health, learning about the characteristics of microbiota and the factors that modulate it could assist in developing strategies to promote human health and prevent diseases. Polysaccharides from Lycium barbarum (LBPs) are found beneficial for enhancing the activity of gut microbiota, as a potential prebiotic, which not only participates in improving body immunity, obesity, hyperlipidemia and systemic inflammation induced by oxidative stress, but also plays a magnificent role in regulating intestinal microenvironment and improving host health and target intestinal effects via its biological activities, as well as gut microbiota and metabolites. To highlight the internal relationship between intestinal microbiota and LBPs, this review focuses on the latest advances in LBPs on the intestinal microbiota, metabolites, immune regulation, intestinal barrier protection, microbiota-gut-brain axis and host health. Moreover, the preparation, structure, bioactivity and modification of LBPs were also discussed. This review may offer new perspective on LBPs improving health of gut and host via intestinal microbiota, and provide useful guidelines for the application of LBPs in the food industry.

Diversity and spatiotemporal dynamics of fungal communities in the rhizosphere soil of Lycium barbarum L.: a new insight into the mechanism of geoherb formation

Lycium barbarum L. is a well-known traditional geoherb in Ningxia, China. The fruits of L. barbarum contain several dietary constituents, and thus, they exert many beneficial effects on human health. However, a few studies have been conducted on the geoherb L. barbarum and its rhizosphere soil fungal community. In this study, we determined the physicochemical properties and fungal community structure of rhizosphere soil of L. barbarum from three regions of China, namely Ningxia (NX), Qinghai (QH), and Xinjiang (XJ), during three development stages of L. barbarum. Soil pH varied between 7.56 and 8.60 across the three regions, indicating that alkaline soil is conducive to the growth of L. barbarum. The majority of soil properties in NX, an authentic geoherb-producing area, were substantially inferior to those in XJ and QH during all three developmental stages. Total sugar, polysaccharide (LBP), and flavonoid contents were the highest in wolfberry fruits from NX. High-throughput sequencing showed that the abundance of the soil fungal population in NX was higher than that in QH and XJ during the flowering and fruiting stage and summer dormant stage. Moreover, the soil fungal diversity increased with the development of wolfberry. Ascomycota and Mortierellomycota were the predominant phyla in the rhizosphere fungal communities in all samples. Redundancy analysis showed a significant correlation of the soil-available phosphorus and LBP of wolfberry fruits with the fungal community composition. The characteristics of rhizosphere fungal communities determined in the present study provide insights into the mechanism of geoherb formation in NX wolfberry.

Bee Pollen Polysaccharide From Rosa rugosa Thunb. (Rosaceae) Promotes Pancreatic β-Cell Proliferation and Insulin Secretion

Insufficient pancreatic β-cell or insulin-producing β-cell are implicated in all types of diabetes mellitus. Our previous studies showed bee pollen polysaccharide RBPP-P improves insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic mice by inhibiting liver fat deposition. However, its potential of regulating β-cell function and integrity is not fully known. Herein, we observed that β-cell proliferation (n = 10), insulin synthesis (n = 5, p = 0.01684) and insulin incretion (n = 5, p = 0.02115) were intensely activated in MIN6 cells when treatment with RBPP-P. In alloxan-induced diabetic mice, oral administration of RBPP-P (n = 10) effectively decreased the blood glucose (p = 0.0326), drink intake (p < 0.001) and urine (p < 0.001). It directly stimulated phosphorylation of p38 (p = 0.00439), ERK (p = 0.02951) and AKT (p = 0.0072) to maintain the islet function and mass. Thus, our data suggest that RBPP-P is a natural compound to regulate β-cell proliferation and function, indicating it might have therapeutic potential against type 1 diabetes.

Polysaccharides with Antitumor Effect in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review of Non-Clinical Studies

Purpose: To review the effects of polysaccharides and their proposed mechanisms of action in breast cancer experimental models. Data sources, selection, and extraction: Articles were selected by using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Medline, assessed from 1 May 2019 to 1 July 2020. The systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (Prospero) under the number CRD42020169103. Results: Most of the studies explore algae polysaccharides (43.2%), followed by mushrooms (13.5%), plants (13.5%), fruits (10.8%), fungus (2.7%), bacteria, (2.7%), and sea animals (2.7%). A total of 8.1% investigated only in vitro models, 62.1% evaluated only in vivo models, and 29.7% evaluated in vitro and in vivo models. The mechanism of action involves apoptosis, inhibition of cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, and antimetastatic effects through multiple pathways. Conclusions: Findings included here support further investigations on the anti-tumor effect of polysaccharides. Some polysaccharides, such as fucoidan and β-glucans, deserve detailed and structured studies aiming at translational research on breast tumors, since they are already used in the clinical practice of other proposals of human health.

IGF-1C domain-modified chitosan hydrogel accelerates cutaneous wound healing by promoting angiogenesis

Background: Complete regeneration after skin injury remains a critical clinical challenge. Hydrogels, modified with growth factors or mimicking peptides, have been applied for functional tissue regeneration by increasing the bioactivity of engineered matrices. Methodology & results: We synthesized an injectable biological hydrogel, C domain of IGF-1 (IGF-1C)-modified chitosan (CS-IGF-1C) hydrogel. Mouse model of cutaneous wound healing was established to investigate whether this hydrogel could promote wound healing. Our results demonstrated that CS-IGF-1C hydrogel exhibited superior proangiogenic effects, resulting in accelerated wound closure and improved extracellular matrix remodeling. Bioluminescence imaging and histology analysis confirmed the proangiogenic role of CS-IGF-1C hydrogel. Conclusion: CS-IGF-1C hydrogel could accelerate cutaneous wound healing by stimulating angiogenesis.

Phenolic Amides with Immunomodulatory Activity from the Nonpolysaccharide Fraction of Lycium barbarum Fruits

The fruits of Lycium barbarum have a long history as an edible and medicinal food in Asian regions and have multiple consumption methods; the polysaccharides (LBPs) are commonly considered as their major immunological constituents. The current study revealed that the total phenolic amide moieties from L. barbarum fruits showed greater potential immunomodulatory activity in vivo than did LBPs. Through subsequent investigation on the immunological bioactive phenolic amides, three new phenolic amides, lyciumamides L-N (1-3), as well as 12 analogues, were obtained from the total phenolic amide fraction. Extensive spectroscopic methods were used to elucidate the new structures. Compounds 4-6 and 15 significantly promoted LPS-stimulated B splenocyte, while compounds 4-6 displayed accelerative effects on the proliferation of Con A-stimulated T lymphocytes at a concentration of 20.0 μg/mL. These data indicated that extracts from L. barbarum fruits enriched with phenolic amides could be developed as a nutritional dietary supplement for immunocompromised individuals.

Extraction Methods Affect the Structure of Goji (Lycium barbarum) Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides are considered to be the most important active substances in Goji. However, the structure of polysaccharides varies according to the extraction methods applied, and the solution used to prepare Goji polysaccharides (LBPs) were limited. Thus, it is important to clarify the connection between extraction methods and structure of Goji polysaccharide. In view of the complex composition of cell wall polysaccharides and the various forms of interaction, different extraction methods will release different parts of the cell wall. The present study compared the effects of different extraction methods, which have been used to prepare different types of plant cell wall polysaccharides based on various sources, on the structure of cell-wall polysaccharides from Goji, by the single separate use of hot water, hydrochloric acid (0.4%) and sodium hydroxide (0.6%), at both high and low temperatures. Meanwhile, in order to explore the limitations of single extraction, sequential extraction methods were applied. Structural analysis including monosaccharide analysis, GPC-MALLS, AFM and ¹H-NMR suggested the persistence of more extensively branched rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) domains in the procedures involving low-temperature-alkali, while procedures prepared by high-temperature-acid contains more homogalacturonan (HG) regions and results in the removal of a substantial part of the side chain, specifically the arabinan. A kind of acidic heteropolysaccharide was obtained by hot water extraction. SEC-MALLS and AFM confirmed large-size polymers with branched morphologies in alkali-extracted polysaccharides. Our results provide new insight into the extraction of Goji polysaccharides, which differ from the hot water extraction used by traditional Chinese medicine.

Goji Berry Fruit Extracts Suppress Proliferation of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells by Inhibiting EGFR-Mediated ERK/MAPK and PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathways

There are only a few scientifically robust mechanistic studies with Lycium fruits, also known as Goji berry, that have addressed preventive or therapeutic intervention of breast cancer. In the present study, we aim to investigate the antiproliferative effects of both Lycium barbarum fruit (Goji berry red fruit) and Lycium ruthenicum (Goji berry black fruit) extracts against triple-negative MDA-MB-231 cells and explore the possible mechanisms of their anticancer effects. IC50 values were 87.0 and 79.4 μg/mL for goji berry black fruit extract and goji berry red fruit extract, respectively. Pretreatment with both extracts inhibited phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/extracellular signal–regulated kinases (ERK) in epidermal growth factor-treated MDA-MB-231 cells. The present study also examined whether the phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway was involved in the regulation of Goji berry extract-induced cell death. Furthermore, treatment with Goji berry fruit extracts inhibited the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, but enhanced pro-apoptotic Bax expression at transcriptional levels and induced cancer cell apoptosis by activation of pro-apoptotic caspase-9 and caspase 3. Goji berry fruit extracts caused death of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells by inhibiting EGFR/ERK-mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. This study suggests that Goji berry fruit extracts might be beneficial for treating triple-negative breast cancer.

Anti-Vasculogenic Activity of a Polysaccharide Derived from Brittle Star via Inhibition of VEGF, Paxillin and MMP-9

Background: Bioactive compounds such as terpenoids, chondroitin sulfate, and polysaccharides with added value can be found in prestine marine creatures. These compounds often do have highly valuable therapeutic applications such as being antioxidant, antitumorogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic. For the latter, varieties of angiogenesis factors can suppress this issue within the bodily tissues. Objectives: The anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic capacity of a polysaccharide derived from brittle star was investigated. Material and Methods: The anti-proliferative effect of derived polysaccharide on umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was measured using MTT (dimethyl thiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. The anti-angiogenic effect of the isolated polysaccharide was examined by Chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. The transcriptional expression of VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) was evaluated by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). The anti-metastatic activity was investigated via scratch-wound healing assay. The levels of Paxillin and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression were analyzed by RT-PCR. Statistical analysis and mean comparisons (p< 0.05) were carried out by SPSS 16. Results: Our results elucidated that the brittle star isolated polysaccharide exerted a dose dependent cytotoxic effect on the HUVEC endothelial cells. The CAM assay exhibited potent anti-angiogenic activity in vivo. The RT-PCR analysis showed that the extracted polysaccharide (40, 60 µg.mL^-1) down-regulated the VEGF expression. Further, the diminished attachment of endothelial cells demonstrated that the anti-invasiveness of the derived polysaccharide (25, 50 µg.mL^-1) was administrated via down-regulation of paxillin and MMP-9 mRNA expression. Conclusions: Taken together, these results indicated that the polysaccharide extracted from brittle star was able to decrease the viability of the HUVEC cells, to suppress angiogenesis, and possibly act as a natural anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic marine organic compound against angiogenesis related pathologies.

Bidirectional regulation of angiogenesis by phytoestrogens through estrogen receptor-mediated signaling networks

Sex hormone estrogen is one of the most active intrinsic angiogenesis regulators; its therapeutic use has been limited due to its carcinogenic potential. Plant-derived phytoestrogens are attractive alternatives, but reports on their angiogenic activities often lack in-depth analysis and sometimes are controversial. Herein, we report a data-mining study with the existing literature, using IPA system to classify and characterize phytoestrogens based on their angiogenic properties and pharmacological consequences. We found that pro-angiogenic phytoestrogens functioned predominantly as cardiovascular protectors whereas anti-angiogenic phytoestrogens played a role in cancer prevention and therapy. This bidirectional regulation were shown to be target-selective and, for the most part, estrogen-receptor-dependent. The transactivation properties of ERα and ERβ by phytoestrogens were examined in the context of angiogenesis-related gene transcription. ERα and ERβ were shown to signal in opposite ways when complexed with the phytoestrogen for bidirectional regulation of angiogenesis. With ERα, phytoestrogen activated or inhibited transcription of some angiogenesis-related genes, resulting in the promotion of angiogenesis, whereas, with ERβ, phytoestrogen regulated transcription of angiogenesis-related genes, resulting in inhibition of angiogenesis. Therefore, the selectivity of phytoestrogen to ERα and ERβ may be critical in the balance of pro- or anti-angiogenesis process.

Extraction, Isolation, Structural Characterization and Anti-Tumor Properties of an Apigalacturonan-Rich Polysaccharide from the Sea Grass Zostera caespitosa Miki

An apigalacturonan (AGA)-rich polysaccharide, ZCMP, was isolated from the sea grass Zostera caespitosa Miki. The depolymerized fragments derived from ZCMP were obtained by either acidic degradation or pectinase degradation, and their structures were characterized by electrospray ionization collision-induced-dissociation mass spectrometry (ESI-CID-MS2) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The average molecular weight of ZCMP was 77.2 kD and it consisted of galacturonic acid (GalA), apiosefuranose (Api), galactose (Gal), rhamnose (Rha), arabinose (Ara), xylose (Xyl), and mannose (Man), at a molar ratio of 51.4꞉15.5꞉6.0꞉11.8꞉4.2꞉4.4꞉4.2. There were two regions of AGA (70%) and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-Ι, 30%) in ZCMP. AGA was composed of an α-1,4-D-galactopyranosyluronan backbone mainly substituted at the O-3 position by single Api residues. RG-Ι possessed a backbone of repeating disaccharide units of →4GalAα1,2Rhaα1→, with a few α-L-arabinose and β-D-galactose residues as side chains. The anti-angiogenesis assay showed that ZCMP inhibited the migratory activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVECs), with no influence on endothelial cells growth. ZCMP also promoted macrophage phagocytosis. These findings of the present study demonstrated the potential anti-tumor activity of ZCMP through anti-angiogenic and immunoregulatory pathways.

Effect of hypoxia on hypoxia inducible factor-1α, insulin-like growth factor I and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells

Hypoxic microenvironments and angiogenesis have been a focus of tumor research in previous years. The aim of the the present study was to create a hypoxic model and observe the effect of hypoxia on the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor expression. The hypoxia model was generated using cobalt chloride (CoCl₂) and an MTT assay was used to observe the influence of hypoxia on HepG2 cells. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, ELISA and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy were used to detect the expression of HIF-1α, IGF-1 and VEGF in HepG2 cells, in which hypoxia was induced by various concentrations of CoCl₂ and for various incubation times. The cell viability worsened with increasing concentrations of CoCl₂. The expression of HIF-1α and IGF-1R was observed in hypoxic HepG2 cells, with the exception of HIF-1α mRNA. The expression of IGF-1R and VEGF mRNA and protein was correlated with the concentration of CoCl₂ and the time that hypoxia was induced for. The expression of HIF-1α mRNA and protein was positively correlated with the expression of the VEGF mRNA and protein in a dose- and time-dependent manner under hypoxic conditions. Using immunofluorescence, it was observed that IGF-1R and HIF-1α were secreted from the hypoxic HepG2 cells. It was concluded that hypoxia induces the accumulation of IGF-1R and HIF-1α mRNA and protein, which regulates the expression of VEGF mRNA and protein in hypoxic HepG2 cells.

Effects of Hyriopsis cumingii polysaccharides on angiogenesis, macrophage chemotaxis, proliferation and phagocytosis

Hyriopsis cumingii polysaccharides (HCPS) showed anti-angiogenic activity and promoting effects on the chemotaxis, proliferation and phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophage.

The pretreatment effects on the antioxidant activity of jujube polysaccharides

Pretreatment is vital to keep the bioactivities of polysaccharides. In this paper, the effects of hot water, ultrasonic and microwave extraction, as well as the effects of protein and pigment removal steps, on the antioxidant activity of water soluble polysaccharides in jujube (WSPJ) were studied. Hydroxyl free radical (OH) scavenging activity was adopted to determine the antioxidant activity of WSPJ. The results showed that OH scavenging activity of WSPJ extracted by ultrasonic wave was higher than that extracted by hot water and by microwave. Furthermore, power parameter in both ultrasonic and microwave extraction affected the OH scavenging activity dramatically. On the other hand, Sevag reagent was better than trichloroacetic acid (TCA), TCA with 1-butanol (TCA-B) and hydrochloric acid for protein removal, and H2O2 was better than active carbon for pigment removal to keep the antioxidant activity of WSPJ.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide stimulates proliferation of MCF-7 cells by the ERK pathway

AIMS

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-proliferative effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on MCF-7 cells.

MAIN METHODS

MCF-7 cells were treated with 0, 10, 30, 100, and 300 μg/ml LBP for 24 h. The cell cycle distribution was analyzed by flow cytometry. MEK inhibitor, U1206 also was added in MCF-7 cells to deal with LBP (300 μg/ml) for different times (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 24 h). Western blotting was used to indicate changes in the levels of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase) and phosphorylation-ERK (p-ERK) to compare the relationship between ERK activity and LBP. The expressions of p53, p-p53 and p21 were observed by western blotting to analyze the relationship between p53 and ERK which was under the treatment of LBP.

KEY FINDINGS

The MCF-7 cell cycle was arrested in S phase with the treatment of LBP. The LBP can also activate ERK, which may be associated with p53 pathway. There was a dose-dependent increase in the relation between the degree of ERK activation and LBP.

SIGNIFICANCE

LBP induces the anti-proliferation of MCF-7 cells by activating ERK.