Primmorph extracts and mesohyls of marine sponges inhibit proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro

Acanthaster planci Inhibits PCSK9 and Lowers Cholesterol Levels in Rats

Atherosclerosis is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases which in turn, lead to the highest number of mortalities globally. This pathophysiological condition is developed due to a constant elevated level of plasma cholesterols. Statin is currently the widely used treatment in reducing the level of cholesterols, however, it may cause adverse side effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need to search for new alternative treatment. PCSK9 is an enzyme responsible in directing LDL-receptor (LDL-R)/LDL-cholesterols (LDL-C) complex to lysosomal degradation, preventing the receptor from recycling back to the surface of liver cells. Therefore, PCSK9 offers a potential target to search for small molecule inhibitors which inhibit the function of this enzyme. In this study, a marine invertebrate Acanthaster planci, was used to investigate its potential in inhibiting PCSK9 and lowering the levels of cholesterols. Cytotoxicity activity of A. planci on human liver HepG2 cells was carried out using the MTS assay. It was found that methanolic extract and fractions did not exhibit cytotoxicity effect on HepG2 cell line with IC50 values of more than 30 µg/mL. A compound deoxythymidine also did not exert any cytotoxicity activity with IC50 value of more than 4 µg/mL. Transient transfection and luciferase assay were conducted to determine the effects of A. planci on the transcriptional activity of PCSK9 promoter. Methanolic extract and Fraction 2 (EF2) produced the lowest reduction in PCSK9 promoter activity to 70 and 20% of control at 12.5 and 6.25 μg/mL, respectively. In addition, deoxythymidine also decreased PCSK9 promoter activity to the lowest level of 60% control at 3.13 μM. An in vivo study using Sprague Dawley rats demonstrated that 50 and 100 mg/kg of A. planci methanolic extract reduced the total cholesterols and LDL-C levels to almost similar levels of untreated controls. The level of serum glutamate oxalate transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) showed that the administration of the extract did not produce any toxicity effect and cause any damage to rat liver. The results strongly indicate that A. planci produced a significant inhibitory activity on PCSK9 gene expression in HepG2 cells which may be responsible for inducing the uptake of cholesterols by liver, thus, reducing the circulating levels of total cholesterols and LDL-C. Interestingly, A. planci also did show any adverse hepato-cytotoxicity and toxic effects on liver. Thus, this study strongly suggests that A. planci has a vast potential to be further developed as a new class of therapeutic agent in lowering the blood cholesterols and reducing the progression of atherosclerosis.

Cultivation of fractionated cells from a bioactive-alkaloid-bearing marine sponge Axinella sp

Sponges are among the most primitive multicellular organisms and well-known as a major source of marine natural products. Cultivation of sponge cells has long been an attractive topic due to the prominent evolutionary and cytological significance of sponges and as a potential approach to supply sponge-derived compounds. Sponge cell culture is carried out through culturing organized cell aggregates called 'primmorphs.' Most research culturing sponge cells has used unfractionated cells to develop primmorphs. In the current study, a tropical marine sponge Axinella sp., which contains the bioactive alkaloids, debromohymenialdisine (DBH), and hymenialdisine (HD), was used to obtain fractionated cells and the corresponding primmorphs. These alkaloids, DBH and HD, reportedly show pharmacological activities for treating osteoarthritis and Alzheimer's disease. Three different cell fractions were obtained, including enriched spherulous cells, large mesohyl cells, and small epithelial cells. These cell fractions were cultivated separately, forming aggregates that later developed into different kinds of primmorphs. The three kinds of primmorphs obtained were compared as regards to appearance, morphogenesis, and cellular composition. Additionally, the amount of alkaloid in the primmorphs-culture system was examined over a 30-d culturing period. During the culturing of enriched spherulous cells and developed primmorphs, the total amount of alkaloid declined notably. In addition, the speculation of alkaloid secretion and some phenomena that occurred during cell culturing are discussed.

Identification of E2F transcription factor 7 as a novel potential biomarker for oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

As a tumor-accelerating transcriptional factor, E2F transcription factor 7 (E2F7) was up-regulated in many forms of cancers. Nevertheless, little has been reported about the impacts of E2F7 on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Here, we aimed to probe whether E2F7 had influences on OSCC and its potential mechanism.

METHODS

The expression of E2F7 in OSCC tissues was analyzed using the data acquired from TCGA and ONCOMINE databases. E2F7 prognostic value in OSCC patients was analyzed utilizing TCGA database. The expression of E2F7 in OSCC cell lines was detected by qRT-PCR. Gain-and loss-function of E2F7 assays in TCA-83 and CAL27 cells were performed respectively to inquire the function of E2F7. Western blotting was applied to test the alternations of EMT-related markers.

RESULTS

In OSCC tissues, E2F7 was highly expressed. Besides, high expression of E2F7 predicted worse prognosis in OSCC patients. Moreover, E2F7 was over-expressed in TCA-83, HSC-4 and CAL27 (all OSCC cell lines) cells relative to that in HNOK (a normal cell line) cells. Gain-and loss-function assays displayed that deficiency of E2F7 suppresses CAL27 cell growth, migration, invasion and E2F7 high-expression resulted in inverse outcomes in TCA-83 cells. Finally, we found that silencing of E2F7 facilitated E-cadherin protein expression level and reduced N-cadherin, Vimentin and Snail protein levels in CAL27 cells, whilst E2F7 high-expression exhibited the opposite effects in TCA-83 cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These outcomes indicated that E2F7 performs a carcinogenic role in OSCC, which provides a theoretical basis for the therapeutic strategies of OSCC.