Natural anthraquinone compound emodin as a novel inhibitor of aurora A kinase: A pilot study

Recent research on the physicochemical properties and biological activities of quinones and their practical applications: a comprehensive review

Quinones represent a class of crude organic compounds ubiquitously distributed in nature. Their distinctive quinone-type structure confers upon them unique properties and applications. Quinones demonstrate significant biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor properties. Additionally, they demonstrate noteworthy physicochemical characteristics, including excellent dyeing properties and stability. Given their diverse qualities, quinones hold significant promise for applications in industrial manufacturing, healthcare, and food production, thus garnering considerable attention in recent years. While there is a growing body of research on quinones, the existing literature falls short of providing a comprehensive review encompassing recent advancements in this field along with established knowledge. This paper offers a comprehensive review of research progress for quinones, encompassing structural classification, source synthesis, extraction methods, properties, functions, and specific applications. It serves as a reference and theoretical foundation for the further development and utilization of quinones.

Insights into the computer-aided drug design and discovery based on anthraquinone scaffold for cancer treatment: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

In the search for better anticancer drugs, computer-aided drug design (CADD) techniques play an indispensable role in facilitating the lengthy and costly drug discovery process especially when natural products are involved. Anthraquinone is one of the most widely-recognized natural products with anticancer properties. This review aimed to systematically assess and synthesize evidence on the utilization of CADD techniques centered on the anthraquinone scaffold for cancer treatment.

METHODS

The conduct and reporting of this review were done in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guideline. The protocol was registered in the "International prospective register of systematic reviews" database (PROSPERO: CRD42023432904) and also published recently. The search strategy was designed based on the combination of concept 1 "CADD or virtual screening", concept 2 "anthraquinone" and concept 3 "cancer". The search was executed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and MedRxiv on 30 June 2023.

RESULTS

Databases searching retrieved a total of 317 records. After deduplication and applying the eligibility criteria, the final review ended up with 32 articles in which 3 articles were found by citation searching. The CADD methods used in the studies were either structure-based alone (69%) or combined with ligand-based methods via parallel (9%) or sequential (22%) approaches. Molecular docking was performed in all studies, with Glide and AutoDock being the most popular commercial and public software used respectively. Protein data bank was used in most studies to retrieve the crystal structure of the targets of interest while the main ligand databases were PubChem and Zinc. The utilization of in-silico techniques has enabled a deeper dive into the structural, biological and pharmacological properties of anthraquinone derivatives, revealing their remarkable anticancer properties in an all-rounded fashion.

CONCLUSION

By harnessing the power of computational tools and leveraging the natural diversity of anthraquinone compounds, researchers can expedite the development of better drugs to address the unmet medical needs in cancer treatment by improving the treatment outcome for cancer patients.

Phyto-therapeutic potential of Withania somnifera: Molecular mechanism and health implications

Withania somnifera, the plant named Indian ginseng, Ashwagandha, or winter cherry, has been used since ancient times to cure various health ailments. Withania somnifera is rich in constituents belonging to chemical classes like alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and withanolides. Several chemotypes were identified based on their phytochemical composition and credited for their multiple bioactivities. Besides, exhibiting neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, adaptogenic, anti-stress, bone health, plant has shown promising anti-cancer properties. Several withanolides have been reported to play a crucial role in cancer; they target cancer cells by different mechanisms such as modulating the expression of tumor suppressor genes, apoptosis, telomerase expression, and regulating cell signaling pathway. Though, many treatments are available for cancer; however, to date, no assured reliable cure for cancer is made available. Additionally, synthetic drugs may lead to development of resistance in time; therefore, focus on new and natural drugs for cancer therapeutics may prove a longtime effective alternative. This current report is a comprehensive combined analysis upto 2023 with articles focused on bio-activities of plant Withania somnifera from various sources, including national and international government sources. This review focuses on understanding of various mechanisms and pathways to inhibit uncontrolled cell growth by W. somnifera bioactives, as reported in literature. This review provides a recent updated status of the W. somnifera on pharmacological properties in general and anti-cancer in particular and may provide a guiding resource for researchers associated with natural product-based cancer research and healthcare management.

The Essential Oil from Oliveria decumbens Vent. (Apiaceae) as Inhibitor of Breast Cancer Cell (MCF-7) Growth

Oliveria decumbens Vent. is an aromatic and medicinal plant traditionally used in Iran for the treatment of infections, gastrointestinal diseases, cancer, and inflammation. This research was aimed at investigating the pharmacological potential of O. decumbens essential oil (OEO) and its main compounds, focusing on OEO's cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. OEO was obtained by hydro-distillation, and the chemical constituents were identified using GC-MS. Thymol, carvacrol, γ-terpinene, and p-cymene were the main OEO constituents. When MCF-7 cells were treated with OEO, the expressions of genes related to apoptosis (BIM and Bcl-2), tumor suppression (PTEN), and cell growth inhibition (AURKA), were evaluated using real-time PCR. Moreover, molecular docking was used for studying in silico the interaction of OEO principal compounds with PTEN and AURKA. The expression of AURKA was significantly reduced since the OEO treatment enhanced the expression of PTEN. Through in silico molecular docking, it was revealed that thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene, and γ-terpinene can activate PTEN and thus inhibit AURKA. Additionally, the DNA fragmentation assay, acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) double-staining assay, and real-time PCR highlighted the fact that the OEO treatment could activate apoptosis and inhibit cell proliferation. Therefore, OEO is a viable candidate to be employed in the pharmaceutical industry, specifically as a possible agent for cancer therapy.

Effect of Substituents on the Photodynamic Action of Anthraquinones: EPR, Computational and In Vitro Studies

Anthraquinone class of compounds possesses a broad spectrum of therapeutic applications. Cancer cell targeting ability, together with photogeneration of reactive oxygen species, renders anthraquinones an interesting class of photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Screening of newer compounds for better singlet oxygen generation is of current interest to improve the practical usability in PDT. In this study, we investigate the photodynamic activity of nine commercially available anthraquinones, using EPR spectroscopy and computational techniques, to identify the role of substituents on singlet oxygen yield. Three anthraquinone derivatives, 1,5-diaminoanthraquinone, 15-dihydroxyanthraquinone and 1,2,7-trihydroxyanthraquinone, showed highest singlet oxygen quantum yield (0.21, 0.18 and 0.15, respectively) relative to Rose Bengal. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations indicate the singlet oxygen quantum yield of anthraquinones inversely correlate well with the excited singlet-triplet (S1-T1) energy gap. Electron-donating substituents present at positions 1, 2 and 5 of anthraquinone seem to reduce the S1-T1 energy gap, facilitating inter-system crossing and the production of singlet oxygen. This would greatly aid in the design of newer anthraquinone-based photosensitizers. This study also highlights the suitability of 1,5-diaminoanthraquinone for PDT applications as demonstrated by in vitro experiments of photoinduced DNA cleavage and photocytotoxicity in Dalton's lymphoma ascites.

Plants as a Source of Anticancer Agents: From Bench to Bedside

Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. Conventional anticancer therapies are associated with lack of selectivity and serious side effects. Cancer hallmarks are biological capabilities acquired by cancer cells during neoplastic transformation. Targeting multiple cancer hallmarks is a promising strategy to treat cancer. The diversity in chemical structure and the relatively low toxicity make plant-derived natural products a promising source for the development of new and more effective anticancer therapies that have the capacity to target multiple hallmarks in cancer. In this review, we discussed the anticancer activities of ten natural products extracted from plants. The majority of these products inhibit cancer by targeting multiple cancer hallmarks, and many of these chemicals have reached clinical applications. Studies discussed in this review provide a solid ground for researchers and physicians to design more effective combination anticancer therapies using plant-derived natural products.