CCM111, the water extract of Antrodia cinnamomea, regulates immune-related activity through STAT3 and NF-κB pathways

A Botanical Drug Extracted From Antrodia cinnamomea: A First-in-human Phase I Study in Healthy Volunteers

LEAC-102 is an emerging drug extracted from the medicinal fungus Antrodia cinnamomea (AC), which is traditionally used to ameliorate fatigue and liver disorders arising from excessive alcohol consumption. AC has been used as a health product with an immunomodulatory function, but its anticancer effect has not been applied in clinical therapy as a drug. This first-in-human study examined the safety and tolerability of LEAC-102 as a new drug in healthy adults.

This standard 3 + 3 dose-escalation study included 18 participants administered LEAC-102 at doses of 597.6, 1195.2, 1792.8, 2390.4, or 2988 mg/day for 1 month plus 7 days of safety follow-up. The maximum planned dose was 2988 mg. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was monitored from the start of LEAC-102 administration up to the final visit. The dose of LEAC-102 was escalated to the subsequent cohort as long as there was no DLT in the previous cohort. Tolerability, clinical status, safety (by laboratory parameters), and adverse event occurrence were documented weekly during the treatment and 1 week after the conclusion of the treatment.

All clinical biochemistry profiles were in the normal range, and no serious adverse effects were observed. The maximum tolerated dose of LEAC-102 was determined to be 2988 mg/day because one participant experienced urticaria. Additionally, our exploratory objectives revealed that LEAC-102 significantly elevated natural killer, natural killer T, and dendritic cells in a dose-dependent manner, activated effector T cells, and upregulated programmed cell death-1 expression.

The outcomes suggested that LEAC-102 was well tolerated and safe in healthy adults and exhibited potential immunomodulatory function.

Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2022.2032868 .

Effects of the Exposure of Human Non-Tumour Cells to Sera of Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has high metastatic potential. The “genometastasis” theory proposes that the blood of some cancer patients contains elements able to transform healthy cells by transferring oncogenes. Since findings on genometastasis in PDAC are still scarce, we sought supporting evidence by treating non-tumour HEK293T and hTERT-HPNE human cell lines with sera of PDAC patients. Here, we showed that HEK293T cells have undergone malignant transformation, increased the migration and invasion abilities, and acquired a partial chemoresistance, whereas hTERT-HPNE cells were almost refractory to transformation by patients’ sera. Next-generation sequencing showed that transformed HEK293T cells gained and lost several genomic regions, harbouring genes involved in many cancer-associated processes. Our results support the genometastasis theory, but further studies are needed for the identification of the circulating transforming elements. Such elements could also be useful biomarkers in liquid biopsy assays.

Review of Bioactivity, Isolation, and Identification of Active Compounds from Antrodia cinnamomea

Antrodia cinnamomea is a precious and popular edible and medicinal mushroom. It has attracted increasing attention due to its various and excellent bioactivities, such as hepatoprotection, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, antitumor, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, and gut microbiota regulation properties. To elucidate its bioactivities and develop novel functional foods or medicines, numerous studies have focused on the isolation and identification of the bioactive compounds of A. cinnamomea. In this review, the recent advances in bioactivity, isolation, purification, and identification methods of active compounds from A. cinnamomea were summarized. The present work is beneficial to the further isolation and discovery of new active compounds from A. cinnamomea.

Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-8 Regulate STAT3 Activation Migration/Invasion and EMT in Chrysophanol-Treated Oral Cancer Cell Lines

The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in the control of metastasis. The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is strongly associated with tumor metastasis, and consists of several protein markers, including E-cadherin and vimentin. We discovered that chrysophanol causes oral cancer cell apoptosis and the inhibition of migration/invasion and EMT. However, the detailed mechanisms of chrysophanol and its role in oral cancer with respect to the tumor microenvironment remain unknown. In the clinic, proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-8, exhibit a higher expression in patients with oral cancer. However, the effect of chrysophanol on the production of IL-6 and IL-8 is unknown. We evaluated the expression of IL-6 and IL-8 in human SAS and FaDu oral cancer cell lines in the presence or absence of chrysophanol. The migration and invasion abilities were also determined using a Boyden chamber assay. Our results showed that treatment with chrysophanol significantly decreased the expression of IL-6 and IL-8, as well as the invasion ability of oral cancer cells. Moreover, chrysophanol also attenuated the EMT by increasing the expression of E-cadherin and reducing the expression of vimentin. Mechanistically, chrysophanol inhibited IL-6- and IL-8-induced invasion and STAT3 phosphorylation. IL-6 and IL-8 promote EMT and cell invasion, which is potentially related to the STAT3 signaling pathway in oral cancer. These findings provide insight into new aspects of chrysophanol activity and may contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies for oral cancer.

4-Acetylantrocamol LT3 Inhibits Glioblastoma Cell Growth and Downregulates DNA Repair Enzyme O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a deadly malignant brain tumor that is resistant to most clinical treatments. Novel therapeutic agents that are effective against GBM are required. Antrodia cinnamomea has shown antiproliferative effects in GBM cells. However, the exact mechanisms and bioactive components remain unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of 4-acetylantrocamol LT3 (4AALT3), a new ubiquinone from Antrodia cinnamomeamycelium, in vitro. U87 and U251 cell lines were treated with the indicated concentration of 4AALT3. Cell viability, cell colony-forming ability, migration, and the expression of proteins in well-known signaling pathways involved in the malignant properties of glioblastoma were then analyzed by CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing, and western blotting assays, respectively. We found that 4AALT3 significantly decreased cell viability, colony formation, and cell migration in both in vitro models. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), Hippo/yes-associated protein (YAP), and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) pathways were suppressed by 4AALT3. Moreover, 4AALT3 decreased the level of DNA repair enzyme O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase and showed a synergistic effect with temozolomide. Our findings provide the basis for exploring the beneficial effect of 4AALT3 on GBM in vivo.

Effect of ethanol extracts of Antrodia cinnamomea on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell line

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. Ethanol extract of Antrodia cinnamomea (EEA) has been widely studied for its health benefits including anticancer effects. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of EEA on HNSCC. Cell proliferation, transwell, and wound healing assays were performed. The impact of EEA on tumor growth was investigated using a xenograft model. Expressions of migration-related proteins (MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2) and apoptosis-related proteins (cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved PARP) were determined using western blot analysis. The results indicated that EEA significantly inhibited the capacities of proliferation, invasion, and migration of HNSCC cells in a dose-dependent manner. Cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved PARP expressions were increased in cells treated with an increasing concentration of EEA, which suggested that EEA induced apoptosis of HNSCC. MMP-2 and MMP-9 were downregulated when cells were administered EEA, while TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were not affected, which uncovered the mechanisms mediating the EEA-induced inhibition on cell invasion and migration. The animal experiment also suggested that EEA inhibited tumor growth. Our study confirmed the inhibitive effects of EEA on cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of HNSCC in vitro and in vivo, providing the basis for further study of the application of EEA as an effective candidate for cancer treatment.

Schisandrin A protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced mastitis through activating Nrf2 signaling pathway and inducing autophagy

Schisandrin A (Sch A), a dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan extracted from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but the effect on masitits has not been studied. Therefore, we investigated the effect of Sch A in cell and mouse models of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mastitis. Studies in vivo showed that Sch A reduced LPS-induced mammary injury and the production of pro-inflammatory mediators. Sch A also decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and activated nuclear factor-E2 associated factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway in mouse mammary epithelial cells (mMECs). The Nrf2 inhibitor partially abrogated the downregulation of Sch A on LPS-induced inflammatory response. In addition, LPS stimulation suppressed autophagy, while both Sch A and the autophagy inducer rapamycin activated autophagy in mMECs, which down-regulated inflammatory response. Sch A also restrained LPS-induced phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and unc-51 like kinase 1 (ULK1). In summary, these results suggest that Sch A exerts protective effects in LPS-induced mastitis models by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway and inducing autophagy and the autophagy is initiated by suppressing mTOR signaling pathway and activating AMPK-ULK1 signaling pathway.

Anti-neuroinflammatory effects of 20C from Gastrodia elata via regulating autophagy in LPS-activated BV-2 cells through MAPKs and TLR4/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways

20C, a novel bibenzyl compound, is isolated from Gastrodia elata. In our previous study, 20C showed protective effects on tunicamycin-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress, rotenone-induced apoptosis and rotenone-induced oxidative damage. However, the anti-neuroinflammatory effect of 20C is still with limited acquaintance. The objective of this study was to confirm the anti-neuroinflammatory effect of 20C on Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated BV-2 cells and further elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, 20C significantly attenuated the protein levels of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and interleukin (IL)-1β, and secretion of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α induced by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in BV-2 cells. Moreover, 20C up-regulated the levels of autophagy-related proteins in LPS-activated BV-2 cells. The requirement of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) has been well documented for regulating the process of autophagy. Both 20C and rapamycin enhanced autophagy by suppressing the phosphorylation of MAPKs signaling pathway. Furthermore, 20C treatment significantly inhibited the levels of toll like receptor 4 (TLR4), phosphorylated-protein kinase B (Akt) and phosphorylated-mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), indicating blocking TLR4/Akt/mTOR might be an underlying basis for the anti-inflammatory effect of 20C. These findings suggest that 20C has therapeutic potential for treating neurodegenerative diseases in the future.