Auricularia auricula increases an apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells via a regulation of the peroxiredoxin1

PRDX1 exerts a photoprotection effect by inhibiting oxidative stress and regulating MAPK signaling on retinal pigment epithelium

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the photoprotection effect of peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) protein in ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation-induced damage of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and its possible molecular mechanism.

METHODS

ARPE-19 cell viability and apoptosis were assessed by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the PRDX1 expression. The corresponding kits were employed to measure the levels or activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD). Western blotting was applied to examine PRDX1 expression and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway-related proteins.

RESULTS

After exposure to 20 mJ/cm2 intensity of UVB irradiation for 24 h, ARPE-19 cells viability was decreased, the leakage degree of LDH and 8-OHdG were increased, and cell apoptosis was elevated. The expression of PRDX1 was significantly down-regulated in UVB-induced ARPE-19 cells. The low expression of PRDX1 was involved in high irradiation intensity. Overexpression of PRDX1 increased cell activity, decreased cell apoptosis, and LDH as well as 8-OHdG leakage in UVB-induced ARPE-19 cells. In addition to alleviating UVB-induced cell damage, PRDX1 overexpression also inhibited UVB-induced oxidative stress (down-regulation of ROS and MDA levels, up-regulation of GSH-Px and SOD activities) and the activation of MAPK signaling pathway in ARPE-19 cells.

CONCLUSION

PRDX1 exerts a photoprotection effect on RPE by attenuating UVB-induced cell damage and inhibiting oxidative stress, which can be attributed to the inhibition of MAPK signaling pathway activation.

Auricularia auricular Adsorbs Aflatoxin B1 and Ameliorates Aflatoxin B1-Induced Liver Damage in Sprague Dawley Rats

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), as a class I carcinogen, poses a substantial health risk to individuals. Contamination of food sources, particularly grains and nuts, with Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) contributes to the prevalence of AFB1. The impact of global warming has spurred research into the development of AFB1 prevention technologies. While edible fungi have shown potential in detoxifying AFB1, there is a scarcity of literature on the application of Auricularia auricular (A. auricular) in this context. This study aimed to investigate the ability and underlying mechanism of A. auricular mycelia to adsorb aflatoxin B1, as well as evaluate its protective effects on the AFB1-induced liver damage in SD rats. Additionally, the effects of temperature, time, pH, and reaction ratio on the adsorption rate were examined. Combining thermodynamic and kinetic data, the adsorption process was characterized as a complex mechanism primarily driven by chemical adsorption. In SD rats, the A. auricular mycelia exhibited alleviation of AFB1-induced liver damage. The protective effects on the liver attributed to A. auricular mycelia may involve a reduction in AFB1 adsorption in the intestine, mitigation of oxidative stress, and augmentation of second-phase detoxification enzyme activity. The adsorption method for AFB1 not only ensures safety and non-toxicity, but also represents a dietary regulation strategy for achieving effective defense against AFB1.

Current Advancements in Antitumor Properties and Mechanisms of Medicinal Components in Edible Mushrooms

Edible and medicinal fungi, a group of eukaryotic organisms with numerous varieties, including Coriolus versicolor, Ganoderma lucidum, Cordyceps sinensis, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Grifola frondosa, have been demonstrated to possess a board range of pharmaceutical properties, including anti-virus, anti-inflammation, and neuroprotection. Moreover, edible and medicinal fungi have been traditionally consumed as food to provide multiple nutrients and as drugs owing to having the activities of invigorating blood circulation, reinforcing the healthy qi, clearing away heat, and eliminating stasis for thousands of years in China. Malignant tumors, well-known as the second leading cause of death globally, accounted for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Thus, in-depth exploration of strategies to prevent and treat cancer is extremely urgent. A variety of studies have reported that the main bioactive components of edible and medicinal fungi, mainly polysaccharides and triterpenoids, exhibit diverse anticancer activities via multiple mechanisms, including inhibition of cell proliferation and metastasis, induction of apoptosis and autophagy, reversing multidrug resistance, and regulation of immune responses, thus suggesting their substantial potential in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Our review summarizes the research progress on the anticancer properties of edible and medicinal fungi and the underlying molecular mechanism, which may offer a better understanding of this field. Additionally, few studies have reported the safety and efficacy of extracts from edible and medicinal fungi, which may limit their clinical application. In summary, there is a need to continue to explore the use of those extracts and to further validate their safety and efficacy.

Transcriptome analysis of Auricularia fibrillifera fruit-body responses to drought stress and rehydration

BACKGROUND

Drought stress severely restricts edible fungus production. The genus Auricularia has a rare drought tolerance, a rehydration capability, and is nutrient rich.

RESULTS

The key genes and metabolic pathways involved in drought-stress and rehydration were investigated using a transcriptome analysis to clarify the relevant molecular mechanisms. In total, 173.93 Mb clean reads, 26.09 Gb of data bulk, and 52,954 unigenes were obtained. Under drought-stress and rehydration conditions, 14,235 and 8539 differentially expressed genes, respectively, were detected. 'Tyrosine metabolic', 'caffeine metabolism', 'ribosome', 'phagosome', and 'proline and arginine metabolism', as well as 'peroxisome' and 'mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling' pathways, had major roles in A. fibrillifera responses to drought stress. 'Tyrosine' and 'caffeine metabolism' might reveal unknown mechanisms for the antioxidation of A. fibrillifera under drought-stress conditions. During the rehydration process, 'diterpenoid biosynthesis', 'butanoate metabolism', 'C5-branched dibasic acid', and 'aflatoxin biosynthesis' pathways were significantly enriched. Gibberellins and γ-aminobutyric acid were important in the recovery of A. fibrillifera growth after rehydration. Many genes related to antibiotics, vitamins, and other health-related ingredients were found in A. fibrillifera.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggested that the candidate genes and metabolites involved in crucial biological pathways might regulate the drought tolerance or rehydration of Auricularia, shedding light on the corresponding mechanisms and providing new potential targets for the breeding and cultivation of drought-tolerant fungi.

Proteomic Research on the Antitumor Properties of Medicinal Mushrooms

Medicinal mushrooms are increasingly being recognized as an important therapeutic modality in complementary oncology. Until now, more than 800 mushroom species have been known to possess significant pharmacological properties, of which antitumor and immunomodulatory properties have been the most researched. Besides a number of medicinal mushroom preparations being used as dietary supplements and nutraceuticals, several isolates from mushrooms have been used as official antitumor drugs in clinical settings for several decades. Various proteomic approaches allow for the identification of a large number of differentially regulated proteins serendipitously, thereby providing an important platform for a discovery of new potential therapeutic targets and approaches as well as biomarkers of malignant disease. This review is focused on the current state of proteomic research into antitumor mechanisms of some of the most researched medicinal mushroom species, including Phellinus linteus, Ganoderma lucidum, Auricularia auricula, Agrocybe aegerita, Grifola frondosa, and Lentinus edodes, as whole body extracts or various isolates, as well as of complex extract mixtures.

Knockout of Hepatocyte Growth Factor by CRISPR/Cas9 System Induces Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Background: CRISPR/Cas9 system is a prokaryotic adaptive immune response system that uses noncoding RNAs to guide the Cas9 nuclease to induce site-specific DNA cleavage. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a well-known growth factor that plays a crucial role in cell growth and organ development. According to recent studies, it has been reported that HGF promoted growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Here, we investigated the apoptotic effects in HCC cells. Methods: Crispr-HGF plasmid was constructed using GeneArt CRISPR Nuclease Vector. pMex-HGF plasmid that targets HGF overexpressing gene were designed with pMex-neo plasmid. We performed real time-polymerase chain reaction to measure the expression of HGF mRNA. We performed cell counting assay and colony formation assay to evaluate cell proliferation. We also carried out migration assay and invasion assay to reveal the inhibitory effects of Crispr-HGF in HCC cells. Furthermore, we performed cell cycle analysis to detect transfection of Crispr-HGF induced cell cycle arrest. Collectively, we performed annexin V/PI staining assay and Western blot assay. Results: In Crispr-HGF-transfected group, the mRNA expression levels of HGF were markedly downregulated compared to pMex-HGF-transfected group. Moreover, Crispr-HGF inhibited cell viability in HCC cells. We detected that wound area and invaded cells were suppressed in Crispr-HGF-transfected cells. The results showed that transfection of Crispr-HGF induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HCC cells. Expression of the phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinases and c-Met protein was regulated in Crispr-HGF-transfected group. Interestingly, we found that the expression of HGF protein in conditioned media significantly decreased in Crispr-HGF-transfected group. Conclusions: Taken together, we found that inhibition of HGF through transfection of Crispr-HGF suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptotic effects in HCC Huh7 and Hep3B cells.