Daphnoretin, a new protein kinase C activator isolated from Wikstroemia indica C.A. Mey

Natural Products Inhibition of Cytochrome P450 2B6 Activity and Methadone Metabolism

Methadone is cleared predominately by hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2B6-catalyzed metabolism to inactive metabolites. CYP2B6 also catalyzes the metabolism of several other drugs. Methadone and CYP2B6 are susceptible to pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions. Use of natural products such as herbals and other botanicals is substantial and growing, and concomitant use of prescription medicines and non-prescription herbals is common and may result in interactions, often precipitated by CYP inhibition. Little is known about herbal product effects on CYP2B6 activity, and CYP2B6-catalyzed methadone metabolism. We screened a family of natural product compounds used in traditional medicines, herbal teas, and synthetic analogs of compounds found in plants, including kavalactones, flavokavains, chalcones and gambogic acid, for inhibition of expressed CYP2B6 activity and specifically inhibition of CYP2B6-mediated methadone metabolism. An initial screen evaluated inhibition of CYP2B6-catalyzed 7-ethoxy-4-(trifluoromethyl) coumarin O-deethylation. Hits were further evaluated for inhibition of racemic methadone metabolism, including mechanism of inhibition and kinetic constants. In order of decreasing potency, the most effective inhibitors of methadone metabolism were dihydromethysticin (competitive, K i 0.074 µM), gambogic acid (noncompetitive, K i 6 µM), and 2,2'-dihydroxychalcone (noncompetitive, K i 16 µM). Molecular modeling of CYP2B6-methadone and inhibitor binding showed substrate and inhibitor binding position and orientation and their interactions with CYP2B6 residues. These results show that CYP2B6 and CYP2B6-catalyzed methadone metabolism are inhibited by certain natural products, at concentrations which may be clinically relevant. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This investigation identified several natural product constituents which inhibit in vitro human recombinant CYP2B6 and CYP2B6-catalyzed N-demethylation of the opioid methadone. The most potent inhibitors (K i) were dihydromethysticin (0.074 µM), gambogic acid (6 µM) and 2,2'-dihydroxychalcone (16 µM). Molecular modeling of ligand interactions with CYP2B6 found that dihydromethysticin and 2,2'-dihydroxychalcone bound at the active site, while gambogic acid interacted with an allosteric site on the CYP2B6 surface. Natural product constituents may inhibit CYP2B6 and methadone metabolism at clinically relevant concentrations.

Wikstroemia: A Review on its Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

BACKGROUND

Wikstroemia (the family Thymelaeaceae) consists of medicinal plants which established great value in traditional medicines for many years. For instance, W. indica is always recommended for treatments of syphilis, arthritis, whooping cough, and cancer. No systematic review of bioactive compounds from this genus has been recorded to date.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the current study is to review phytochemical investigations and pharmacological effects of Wikstroemia plant extracts and isolates.

METHODS

By searching on the internet, the relevant data about Wikstroemia medicinal plants were retrieved from internationally renowned scientific databases, such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, Sci-Finder, Pubmed, and so on.

RESULTS

More than 290 structurally diverse metabolites were separated and identified from this genus. They include terpenoids, lignans, flavonoids, coumarins, mono-phenols, diarylpentanoids, fatty acids, phytosterols, anthraquinones, and others. Pharmacological records indicated that Wikstroemia plant crude extracts and their isolated compounds bring out various beneficial effects, such as anticancer, antiinflammatory, anti-aging, anti-viral, antimicrobacterial, antimalarial, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective activities.

CONCLUSION

Wikstroemia has been regarded as a worthy genus with numerous phytochemicals and various pharmacological potentials. Modern pharmacological studies have successfully provided evidence for traditional uses. Nonetheless, their action mechanisms need to be further investigated. Although various secondary metabolites were identified from Wikstroemia plants, the current pharmacological research mainly concentrated on terpenoids, lignans, flavonoids, and coumarins.

Daphnoretin relieves IL-1β-mediated chondrocytes apoptosis via repressing endoplasmic reticulum stress and NLRP3 inflammasome

Background

Osteoarthritis (OA), mainly caused by severe joint degeneration, is often accompanied by joint pain and dysfunction syndrome. Inflammatory mediators and apoptosis play key roles in the evolution of OA. It is reported that daphnoretin has significant antiviral and anti-tumor values. The present study aims at investigating the role of daphnoretin in OA.

Methods

The OA mouse model was constructed by performing the destabilization of the medial meniscus through surgery, and the OA cell model was induced in ATDC5 chondrocytes with IL-1β (10 ng/mL) in vitro. Chondrocyte viability and apoptosis were measured by 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT), Caspase-3 activity, and flow cytometry. The levels of COX-2, iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6, Bax, Bcl2, cleaved-Caspase3, endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) proteins (GRP78, CHOP, ATF6, and Caspase-12), and NLRP3-ASC-Caspase1 inflammasome were determined by quantitative real-time PCR or western blot. The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, and PGE2 were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The content of nitrates was detected by the Griess method. In vivo, morphologic differences in knee joint sections and the thickness of the subchondral bone density plate in mice were observed by hematoxylin–eosin (H&E) staining and safranin O-fast green staining.

Results

Daphnoretin effectively choked IL-1β-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and facilitated cell viability. Daphnoretin dose-dependently abated ERS, inflammatory mediators, and the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes in IL-1β-induced chondrocytes. What’s more, in vivo experiments confirmed that daphnoretin alleviated OA progression in a murine OA model by mitigating inflammation and ERS.

Conclusion

Daphnoretin alleviated IL-1β-induced chondrocyte apoptosis by hindering ERS and NLRP3 inflammasome.

Graphical abstract

Naturally Occurring Bicoumarin Compound Daphnoretin Inhibits Growth and Induces Megakaryocytic Differentiation in Human Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells

Daphnoretin extracted from the stem and roots of Wikstroemia indica (L.) C.A. Mey has been shown to possess antiviral and antitumor activities. Herein, we hypothesized that daphnoretin might induce megakaryocytic differentiation, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of cells and serving as a differentiation therapy agent for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Daphnoretin-treated K562 and HEL cells were examined for growth inhibition, cell morphology, and megakaryocyte-specific markers. Potential mechanisms of megakaryocytic differentiation of daphnoretin-treated K562 cells were evaluated. The results showed that daphnoretin inhibited the growth of K562 and HEL cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analyses revealed that daphnoretin treatment slightly increased the proportion of sub-G1 and polyploid cells compared to that of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-treated control cells. Morphological examination showed that daphnoretin-treated K562 and HEL cells exhibited enlarged contours and multinucleation as megakaryocytic characteristics compared to DMSO-treated control cells. Daphnoretin treatment also dramatically enhanced the expression of megakaryocytic markers CD61 and CD41. Under optimal megakaryocytic differentiation conditions, daphnoretin increased the phosphorylation of STAT3 but not STAT5. In summary, daphnoretin inhibited cell growth and induced megakaryocytic differentiation in K562 and HEL cells. The efficacy of daphnoretin in vivo and in patients with CML may need further investigations for validation.

A new flavanol from the roots of Daphne genkwa

The phytochemical investigation of the roots of Daphne genkwa yielded six secondary metabolites, including a new flavanol derivative, (2R, 3S)-5,7,4'-trihydroxy-8-methoxycarbonylflavanol (1), and five known compounds (2-6). The molecular structures of the isolated constituents were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including UV, IR, NMR, and MS, and comparison with literature data. Furthermore, the cytotoxic activity of 1 and 2 against A549, HL-60, SMMC-7721, MCF-7, and SW480 cell lines was also described.

Exploring the Q-marker of "sweat soaking method" processed radix Wikstroemia indica: Based on the "effect-toxicity-chemicals" study

BACKGROUND

Radix Wikstroemia indica (RWI), named "Liao Ge Wang" in Chinese, is a kind of toxic Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) commonly used in Miao nationality of South China. "Sweat soaking method" processed RWI could effectively decrease its toxicity and preserve therapeutic effect. However, the underlying mechanism of processing is still not clear, and the Q-markers database for processed RWI has not been established.

PURPOSE

Our study is to investigate and establish the quality evaluation system and potential Q-markers based on "effect-toxicity-chemicals" relationship of RWI for quality/safety assessment of "sweat soaking method" processing.

METHODS

The variation of RWI in efficacy and toxicity before and after processing was investigated by pharmacological and toxicological studies. Cytotoxicity test was used to screen the cytotoxicity of components in RWI. The material basis in ethanol extract of raw and processed RWI was studied by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. And the potential Q-markers were analyzed and predicted according to "effect-toxicity-chemical" relationship.

RESULTS

RWI was processed by "sweat soaking method", which could preserve efficacy and reduce toxicity. Raw RWI and processed RWI did not show significant difference on the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effect, however, the injury of liver and kidney by processed RWI was much weaker than that by raw RWI. The 20 compounds were identified from the ethanol extract of raw product and processed product of RWI using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS, including daphnoretin, emodin, triumbelletin, dibutyl phthalate, Methyl Paraben, YH-10 + OH and matairesinol, arctigenin, kaempferol and physcion. Furthermore, 3 diterpenoids (YH-10, YH-12 and YH-15) were proved to possess the high toxicity and decreased by 48%, 44% and 65%, respectively, which could be regarded as the potential Q-markers for quality/safety assessment of "sweat soaking method" processed RWI.

CONCLUSION

A Q-marker database of processed RWI by "sweat soaking method" was established according to the results and relationship of "effect-toxicity-chemicals", which provided a scientific evidence for processing methods, mechanism and the clinical application of RWI, also provided experimental results to explore the application of Q-marker in CHM.

Protein kinase C as a target for new anti-cancer agents

Cancer joins the category of diseases involving abnormalities in the rate of proliferation of cells and is associated with uncontrolled cell division, where cells either generate their own growth-promoting stimuli or neighboring cells or do not respond to growth inhibitory signals. Protein kinase C (PKC) is one of the key elements in the tumor growth signal transduction pathways and is found to be overexpressed in several malignant cell types. A way to control cell proliferation and cell differentiation is by influencing signal transduction pathways by modulation of PKC. PKC encloses 12 different isoenzymes, and each isoenzyme is found to have a different functional property. Because specific PKC isoenzyme types are present in different (malignant) cell species, they may be an attractive target in the development of anti-cancer agents. Classification and identification of the available PKC isoenzymes in different tumor cells could be useful in targeting specific tumors. PKC also tends to be overexpressed in association with the multidrug resistance pheno-type. This concise review deals with the role of PKC isoenzymes in (tumor) cell biology and evaluates the antineoplastic agents interacting on PKC isoenzymes.

Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy based discovery of cytotoxic principles from Daphne tangutica Maxim

An ethyl acetate extract from the barks of the ethnic Chinese medicine Daphne tangutica Maxim. exhibited antihepatocellular carcinoma activity against HepG2 and Hep3B cell lines. By using high-performance liquid chromatography based activity profiling in combination with offline liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry and NMR analysis, we rapidly identified ten major components of the extract, including seven active principles, coumarins (1-4) and biscoumarins (7, 8, 10), along with three inactive flavonoids (5, 6, 9). This study demonstrated that our combined protocol can be used as an important strategy for chemical profiling, dereplication as well as the identification of bioactive compounds from herbal medicines.

The Chemistry and Biological Activities of Natural Products from Northern African Plant Families: From Taccaceae to Zygophyllaceae

Traditional medicinal practices have a profound influence on the daily lives of people living in developing countries, particularly in Africa, since the populations cannot generally afford the cost of Western medicines. We have undertaken to investigate the correlation between the uses of plants in Traditional African medicine and the biological activities of the derived natural products, with the aim to validate the use of traditional medicine in Northern African communities. The literature is covered for the period 1959-2015 and part III of this review series focuses on plant families with names beginning with letters T to Z. The authors have focused on curating data from journals in natural products and phytomedicine. Within each journal home page, a query search based on country name was conducted. All articles "hits" were then verified, one at a time, that the species was harvested within the Northern African geographical regions. The current data partly constitutes the bases for the development of the Northern African natural compounds database. The review discusses 284 plant-based natural compounds from 34 species and 11 families. It was observed that the ethnobotanical uses of less than 40 % of the plant species surveyed correlated with the bioactivities of compounds identified.

Effect of daphnoretin on the proliferation and apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells in vitro

Daphnoretin is an active constituent of Wikstroemia indica C.A. Mey., which is widely distributed in the northwest and southwest regions of China. Previous studies have shown that daphnoretin has anticancer effects on leukemia, osteosarcoma and uterine cervix cancer cells. However, the effect of daphnoretin on human lung cancer cells has yet to be elucidated. In the present study, daphnoretin was observed to inhibit A549 lung cancer cell proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometric analysis showed that daphnoretin induced A549 cell apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Western blot analysis also revealed that daphnoretin induced apoptosis through the regulation of the B-cell lymphoma-2 gene family in A549 cells. These findings indicate that daphnoretin may have potential as a therapeutic agent for the management of lung cancer.

Daphnoretin-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells: a possible mitochondria-dependent pathway

Daphnoretin is a bicoumarin compound isolated from a natural product, Wikstroemia indica, which has been used to treat many diseases. It has strong antiviral and anti-tumor activities. Taking the anti-tumor activity of daphnoretin as a starting point, the present study aimed to test the pro-apoptotic effect of daphnoretin and its underlying mechanism in HeLa cells. The inhibitory effects of daphnoretin on viability and proliferation of HeLa cells were determined by the MTT assay. Daphnoretin-induced apoptotic morphological changes were analyzed by mitochondrial membrane potential and Hoechst staining. The number and stage of apoptotic HeLa cells were determined by flow cytometry. Gene expression was determined by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Protein expression was determined by western blot. The caspase activity of HeLa cells was detected by a caspase-3 and caspase-9 colorimetric assay kit. We found that daphnoretin significantly inhibited HeLa cells' viability by the MTT assay and flow cytometry. The nuclei of the apoptotic cells exhibited strong, blue fluorescence in Hoechst staining. Bax mRNA and protein levels were increased while bcl-2 mRNA levels were decreased after daphnoretin treatment. Daphnoretin also activated both caspase-3 and caspase-9. These findings suggest that daphnoretin promotes apoptosis of HeLa cells in a mitochondria-mediated way. Daphnoretin therefore has potential to be a promising drug to treat uterine cervix cancer.

Oleodaphnoic acid and coriaceol, two new natural products from the stem bark of Wikstroemia coriacea

Fractionation of the chloroform extract of Wikstroemia coriacea led to the isolation of two new compounds, oleodaphnoic acid (1), a guaiane-type sesquiterpenoid, and coriaceol (2), an 1,5-diphenyl-1-pentanone analogue, together with nine known compounds. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analysis. The known compounds were oleodaphnal (3), indicanone (4), (5R,8R,8aR)-3,8-dimethyl-4,5,6,7,8,8a-hexahydro-5-(1-methylethenyl)-2(1H)-azulenone, (5), 1,5 diphenyl-1-pentanone (6), (+)-3-hydroxy-1,5-diphenyl-1-pentanone (7), umbelliferone (8), daphnoretin (9), β-sitostenone (10) and (−)-hinokinin (11).

The determination of flavonoids in Wikstroemia indica C. A. Mey. by liquid chromatography with photo-diode array detection and negative electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

Flavonoids in the medicinal plant Wikstroemia indica C. A. Mey. are present in trace amounts and found in complex matrices. An efficient and sensitive method is necessary for the rapid identification of such biomolecules.

METHODS

Flavonoids were extracted with methanol via ultrasonic-assisted extraction and analyzed by liquid chromatography with photo-diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry. The extract was analyzed and compounds were identified using negative electrospray ionization data-dependent tandem mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

The results confirmed the presence of three flavonoid compounds, seven biflavonoid compounds, and one coumarin-like compound, daphnoretin, in the extracts of different plant parts of W. indica. The method detection limit was evaluated down to 5 µg/g using kaempfol as a reference standard.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed method offers a rapid and reliable analysis for the determination of flavonoids in medicinal plants.

Sikokianin D, a new C-3/C-3"-biflavanone from the roots of Wikstroemia indica

A new 3,3′′-biflavanone, sikokianin D (1), was isolated from the roots of Wikstroemia indica, together with two known compounds. Their structures were elucidated by chemical evidence and spectral analyses, including HR-ESI-MS, and 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques.

Isolation and identification of hydroxyl-platelet-activating factor from natural sources

Platelet-activating factor (PAF), a potent inflammatory mediator that has previously been detected in elevated levels in inflamed gingival tissues, in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and in saliva, is implicated in periodontal disease. The biologically active phospholipid detected in gingival crevicular fluid is a hydroxyl-PAF analogue. In a preliminary study this bioactive molecule was detected for the first time in human blood derived from volunteers with chronic periodontitis as well as from periodontally healthy volunteers. Compounds isolated from natural sources as well as synthetic ones have been reported as biologically active lipids with physiological importance based on the fact that they induce platelet aggregation with EC50 values ranging from 100 to 0.01 microM through interaction with G-protein-coupled receptors like the PAF receptor, leading to altered signal transduction. In this study, the existence of hydroxyl-PAF analogue in human blood was further studied as well as its distribution in plasma and in blood components. The existence of hydroxyl-PAF analogue was also investigated in samples from rabbit blood hen's egg yolk. The hydroxyl-PAF analogue was purified by high-performance liquid chromatography, detected by biological assays and identified by electrospray MS analysis. Quantitative determination of PAF and hydroxyl-PAF analogue (expressed as PAF-like activity) showed a statistically significant increase in the ratio of plasma hydroxyl-PAF analogue levels to plasma PAF levels in volunteers with periodontitis. Moreover, hydroxyl-PAF analogue was also detected in rabbit blood and hen's egg yolk samples. These data support that this bioactive lipid may play a role in oral inflammation and suggest PAF as a member of a lipid molecule family with different structures and from different sources which share the same or similar biological activities, apparently with different physiological roles in human and animals.

Measurement of daphnoretin in plasma of freely moving rat by liquid chromatography

Daphnoretin (7-hydroxyl-6-methoxy-3,7'-dicoumaryl ether), isolated from Wikstronemia indica C.A. Mey. (Thymelaceae), has been reported to induce rabbit platelet aggregation through protein kinase C activation and anticancer activity. In this study, we developed an automated blood sampling system coupled to a simple and sensitive HPLC system to determine plasma concentration of daphnoretin in rats. This method was applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics of daphnoretin in a freely moving rat. Separation of daphnoretin in the rat plasma was achieved using a reversed-phase C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with a mobile phase of methanol-10 mM NaH2PO4 (adjusted to pH 3.0 with H3PO4) (55:45, v/v), and the flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The UV detector was set at 345 nm. The automated blood sampling system (DR-II has been applied for blood sampling in a conscious and freely moving rat. The blood samples were centrifuged at 3000 x g for 10 min and the plasma samples were then deproteinized by acetonitrile containing an internal standard (khellin 1 microg/ml). After centrifugation (8000 x g for 10 min), the aliquot of supernatant was injected into the HPLC system for analysis. The concentration-response relationship from the present method indicated linearity over a concentration range of 0.05-1.00 and 1.00-100 microg/ml. Intra- and inter-assay precision and accuracy of daphnoretin fell well within the predefined limits of acceptability (< or = 15%). After daphnoretin (500 mg/kg) was given orally, the maximum concentration was 0.17 microg/ml at the time of 5 min. The oral bioavailability was about 0.15%.

Protein kinase C activation by iridal type triterpenoids

Eleven iridal type triterpenoids from Iris tectorum and Belamcanda chinensis were examined for protein kinase C (PKC) activation and binding activity to PKC. Among the tested compounds, nine iridals showed dose-dependent activities, and a mutual relation between the two activities was also observed. 28-Deacetylbelamcandal, which has been found to be a new class 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate type tumor promoter, showed the most potent activity in both tests. The structural requirements of the iridals inducing these activities were as follows: 1) a hydrophobic side-chain, 2) an E-methylidene aldehyde group at the C-1 position, and 3) a hydroxyl group at the C-26 position.

Identification of a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, daphnoretin, that suppresses hepatitis B virus gene expression in human hepatoma cells

We examined the antiviral activity of a crude extract prepared from a Chinese medicinal herb Wikstroemia indica C.A. Mey. One active component, daphnoretin (7-hydroxyl-6-methoxy-3,7'-dicoumarylether), was identified, which showed strong suppressive effects on the expression of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in human hepatoma Hep3B cells. To examine the signaling pathway of daphnoretin on the Hep3B cells, we pretreated Hep3B cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-O-acetate (200 nM) for 24 hr to down-regulate intracellular protein kinase C (PKC) levels and found that the PKC-down-regulated Hep3B cells did not respond at all to daphnoretin. Furthermore, daphnoretin induced translocation of PKC from the cytosol to the membrane and down-regulated intracellular PKC levels in the Hep3B cells, indicating that it may directly activate PKC. This hypothesis was supported by the observation that daphnoretin directly competed with [3H]phorbol dibutyrate for the binding of PKC in the whole cell and activated purified PKC activity in vitro. Our results demonstrated that daphnoretin, with a structure distinct from phorbol ester, is a PKC activator and has suppressive effects on HBsAg gene expression in human hepatoma cells.

Daphnoretin-induced respiratory burst in rat neutrophils is, probably, mainly through protein kinase C activation

Daphnoretin, a dicoumarin isolated from Wikstroemia indica C.A. Mey. (Thymelaceae), induced superoxide anion (O2-) formation in rat neutrophils in a concentration-dependent manner. Addition of staurosporine reduced daphnoretin-induced respiratory burst. Removal of extracellular free Ca2+ by EGTA did not affect the respiratory burst of neutrophils in response to daphnoretin. Prior exposure of neutrophils to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or daphnoretin reduced the O2- formation caused by a subsequent challenge with PMA and daphnoretin, but potentiated the response caused by a subsequent addition of formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP). Like PMA, daphnoretin did not increase the [Ca2+]i during cell activation. In neutrophil suspension, daphnoretin increased the membrane associated protein kinase C activity. In the presence of Ca2+ and phosphatidyl-serine, daphnoretin also activated protein kinase C isolated from cytosolic fraction of resting neutrophils. Staurosporine inhibited the direct activation of protein kinase C caused by daphnoretin as well as by PMA. Daphnoretin reduced the [3H]Phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate ([3H]PDB) binding to the neutrophil cytosolic protein kinase C in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 1.77 +/- 0.37 microM. These results indicate that daphnoretin, like PMA, may direct activation of protein kinase C which in turn activated NADPH oxidase and elicited respiratory burst.