1
|
Chen Y, Yin S, Liu R, Yang Y, Wu Q, Lin W, Li W. β-Sitosterol activates autophagy to inhibit the development of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating the complement C5a receptor 1/alpha fetoprotein axis. Eur J Pharmacol 2023; 957:175983. [PMID: 37598926 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.175983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly refractory. β-Sitosterol has been reported to suppress proliferation and migration as well as interfere with cell metabolism in tumors. However, there is limited information on the effects of β-sitosterol on HCC. Herein, we used a xenograft mouse model to investigate the effects of β-sitosterol on HCC tumor growth. The molecular mechanism was elucidated using quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting, lentiviral transfection, CCK8, scratch, Transwell, and Ad-mCherry-GFP-LC3B assays. The results showed that HepG2 cells highly expressed complement C5a receptor 1. β-Sitosterol antagonized complement component 5a and exerted inhibitory effects on the proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells. The inhibitory effect of β-sitosterol was reversed by the knockdown of complement C5a receptor 1. Bioinformatics analysis suggested alpha fetoprotein (AFP) as a downstream factor of complement C5a receptor 1. β-Sitosterol inhibited AFP expression, which was reversed by complement C5a receptor 1 knockdown. The inhibitory effects of β-sitosterol on cell proliferation and migration were weakened by AFP overexpression. Furthermore, β-sitosterol induced autophagy in HepG2 cells, which was reversed by complement C5a receptor 1 knockdown and AFP overexpression. Blockade of autophagy by 3-MA attenuated β-sitosterol inhibition of proliferation and migration in HepG2 cells. Moreover, β-sitosterol inhibited HCC progression in vivo. Our findings demonstrate that β-sitosterol inhibits HCC advancement by activating autophagy through the complement C5a receptor 1/AFP axis. These findings recommend β-sitosterol as a promising therapy for HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuankun Chen
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 570100, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Health, Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 571199, China
| | - Song Yin
- Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui, Hefei 230001, China; Wannan Medical College, Anhui, Wuhu 241002, China
| | - Rui Liu
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 570100, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Health, Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 571199, China
| | - Yijun Yang
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 570100, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Health, Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 571199, China
| | - Qiuping Wu
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 570100, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Health, Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 571199, China
| | - Wenyu Lin
- Liver Center and Gastrointestinal Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
| | - Wenting Li
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 570100, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Health, Hainan Medical University, Hainan, Haikou 571199, China; Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui, Hefei 230022, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hou J, Kang N, Liu NN, Tan D, Zhang S, Liu J, Xie Y. Proscillaridin A induces mitochondrial damage and autophagy in pancreatic cancer and reduces the stability of SMAD4 in Panc-1 cells. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2022; 10:820. [PMID: 36034984 PMCID: PMC9403942 DOI: 10.21037/atm-22-1085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly metastatic and lethal cancer with a very low overall 5-year survival rate. There is an urgent need for identifying new therapeutic agents for this deadly disease. Cardiac glycosides (CGs) have been traditionally used for their potent cardiovascular activities and have also recently been reported to exhibit anti-tumor effects. Proscillaridin A (Pro A), a natural CG, has been shown to display anti-tumor effects on multiple cancer types. Methods The cytotoxic effect of Pro A on PC cells was determined using cell viability assay, colony formation assay and transwell assay in vitro. Cell apoptosis, cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, intracellular Ca2+ levels and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were assayed by flow cytometry. Panc-1-xenografted mice model was used to evaluate Pro A’s effect in tumor growth. Mitochondria morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy. LC3 aggregation was assessed by GFP-LC3 fluorescence microscopy. Gene expression was assayed by western blot or real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results Pro A inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of Panc-1, BxPC-3 and AsPC-1 PC cells in vitro, and Panc-1 cells display the highest sensitivity with an IC50 at the nano-molar level. In vivo, Pro A treatment inhibits tumor progression in Panc-1 xenograft nude mice. Pro A treatment promotes both cell apoptosis and autophagy, and Pro A-treated PC cells display characteristics of mitochondrial damage including increased ROS generation, intracellular Ca2+ levels and disruption of MMP. In addition, high sensitivity towards Pro A of Panc-1 cells compared to BxPC-3 and AsPC-1 cells could be partially attributed to the loss of endogenous SMAD4 expression in the latter. Conclusions Our findings suggest that Pro A constitutes a promising therapeutic candidate for certain types of PC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jia Hou
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (NHC & MOE & CAMS), Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, NHC Key Laboratory of Glycoconjugates Research, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ning Kang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (NHC & MOE & CAMS), Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nan-Nan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (NHC & MOE & CAMS), Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dan Tan
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (NHC & MOE & CAMS), Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Si Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, NHC Key Laboratory of Glycoconjugates Research, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (NHC & MOE & CAMS), Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Youhua Xie
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (NHC & MOE & CAMS), Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Children's Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cardiac Glycosides as Autophagy Modulators. Cells 2021; 10:cells10123341. [PMID: 34943848 PMCID: PMC8699753 DOI: 10.3390/cells10123341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug repositioning is one of the leading strategies in modern therapeutic research. Instead of searching for completely novel substances and demanding studies of their biological effects, much attention has been paid to the evaluation of commonly used drugs, which could be utilized for more distinct indications than they have been approved for. Since treatment approaches for cancer, one of the most extensively studied diseases, have still been very limited, great effort has been made to find or repurpose novel anticancer therapeutics. One of these are cardiac glycosides, substances commonly used to treat congestive heart failure or various arrhythmias. Recently, the antitumor properties of cardiac glycosides have been discovered and, therefore, these compounds are being considered for anticancer therapy. Their mechanism of antitumor action seems to be rather complex and not fully uncovered yet, however, autophagy has been confirmed to play a key role in this process. In this review article, we report on the up-to-date knowledge of the anticancer activity of cardiac glycosides with special attention paid to autophagy induction, the molecular mechanisms of this process, and the potential employment of this phenomenon in clinical practice.
Collapse
|
4
|
Ma X, Liu L. Knockdown of FAM225B inhibits the progression of the hypertrophic scar following glaucoma surgery by inhibiting autophagy. Mol Med Rep 2021; 23:204. [PMID: 33495826 PMCID: PMC7821338 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2021.11843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of a hypertrophic scar (HS) may lead to failure of glaucoma surgery. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the formation of HSs. Moreover, family with sequence similarity 225 member B (FAM225B) is upregulated in HS. However, the role of the lncRNA FAM225B in HS remains unknown. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the function of FAM225B in HS. Scar fibroblasts were isolated from patients who had undergone glaucoma surgery. Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase 3, p62, ATG7 and Beclin 1, and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were conducted to determine the level of FAM225B in scar fibroblasts. Microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 α staining was performed to examine autophagosomes in scar fibroblasts. Furthermore, cell proliferation was evaluated via 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine staining. Flow cytometry was conducted to determine cell apoptosis and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in scar fibroblasts. The cell migratory ability was assessed using a Transwell assay. The results demonstrated that FAM225B knockdown significantly attenuated scar fibroblast proliferation and induced apoptosis. Additionally, transfection of scar fibroblasts with FAM225B small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly increased the ROS levels and significantly decreased the migration of scar fibroblasts. The FAM225B overexpression-induced increase of scar fibroblast proliferation and migration was significantly reversed by 3-methyladenine administration. The results suggested that knockdown of FAM225B significantly inhibited the proliferation of scar fibroblasts by inhibiting autophagy. Therefore, knockdown of FAM225B could inhibit scar fibroblast proliferation after glaucoma surgery by inhibiting autophagy. These findings may provide a novel perspective of developing treatment strategy for the patients with HSs after glaucoma surgery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xianpeng Ma
- Department of Dermatology, Affiliated Hospital of Beihua University, Jilin, Jilin 132001, P.R. China
| | - Lili Liu
- Department of Dermatology, Affiliated Hospital of Beihua University, Jilin, Jilin 132001, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|