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Wu YY, Xu YM, Lau ATY. Epigenetic effects of herbal medicine. Clin Epigenetics 2023; 15:85. [PMID: 37179342 PMCID: PMC10183144 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-023-01481-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic memory is essential for life that governs the predefined functional features of cells. Recent evidence has indicated that the epigenetic modification provides a potential link to gene expression changes that may be involved in the development of various chronic diseases, and targeting the epigenome becomes a plausible method for treating diseases. Traditional herbal medicine has gradually entered the vision of researchers due to its low toxicity and its effectiveness in treating diseases. As a matter of fact, researchers found that the possessed epigenetic modification capacity of herbal medicine had the ability to combat the progression of the disease, such as various types of cancer, diabetes, inflammation, amnesia, liver fibrosis, asthma, and hypertension-induced renal injury. Studies on the epigenetic effects of herbal medicine will provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of human diseases, which may lead to new therapeutic approaches and diagnoses. Thus, this review summarized the impact of herbal medicine and its bioactive components on disease epigenome as examples of how utilization of epigenetic plasticity could be useful as the basis for the future development of targeted therapies in chronic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Yao Wu
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan-Ming Xu
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Andy T Y Lau
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
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How Should the Worldwide Knowledge of Traditional Cancer Healing Be Integrated with Herbs and Mushrooms into Modern Molecular Pharmacology? Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15070868. [PMID: 35890166 PMCID: PMC9320176 DOI: 10.3390/ph15070868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditional herbal medicine (THM) is a “core” from which modern medicine has evolved over time. Besides this, one third of people worldwide have no access to modern medicine and rely only on traditional medicine. To date, drugs of plant origin, or their derivates (paclitaxel, vinblastine, vincristine, vinorelbine, etoposide, camptothecin, topotecan, irinotecan, and omacetaxine), are very important in the therapy of malignancies and they are included in most chemotherapeutic regimes. To date, 391,000 plant and 14,000 mushroom species exist. Their medical and biochemical capabilities have not been studied in detail. In this review, we systematized the information about plants and mushrooms, as well as their active compounds with antitumor properties. Plants and mushrooms are divided based on the regions where they are used in ethnomedicine to treat malignancies. The majority of their active compounds with antineoplastic properties and mechanisms of action are described. Furthermore, on the basis of the available information, we divided them into two priority groups for research and for their potential of use in antitumor therapy. As there are many prerequisites and some examples how THM helps and strengthens modern medicine, finally, we discuss the positive points of THM and the management required to transform and integrate THM into the modern medicine practice.
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Xihuang Pill Induces Apoptosis of Human Glioblastoma U-87 MG Cells via Targeting ROS-Mediated Akt/mTOR/FOXO1 Pathway. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2018; 2018:6049498. [PMID: 30046342 PMCID: PMC6038446 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6049498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Xihuang pill (XHP), a traditional Chinese herbal formula, has long been used as an effective agent against multiple tumors. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of XHP on the growth inhibition and apoptosis in glioblastoma U-87 MG cells. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was performed for constituent analysis of XHP. Cell viability, cell cycle arrest, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and apoptosis were measured by CCK-8 assay, PI/RNase staining, DCFH-DA assay, TUNEL assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining, and JC-1 assay, respectively. The role of XHP in the regulation of Akt/mTOR/FOXO1 interaction was clarified by using Western Blotting (WB), immunofluorescence (IF), pharmacological inhibitor or antioxidant, and siRNA silencing. The results suggested that XHP could inhibit U-87 MG cells growth and arrest cells in S-phase cell cycle significantly and that the generation of ROS, collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, enhancement of Bax/Bcl-xL ratio, and reduction of the precursor forms of caspase-9 and caspase-3 caused by XHP prompted that a ROS-mediated mitochondria-dependent apoptosis was possibly involved. Furthermore, XHP affected the Akt/mTOR/FOXO1 pathway via inhibiting the phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR, and FOXO1 and increasing both prototype and nuclear translocation of FOXO1. Inhibition of Akt, mTOR, and FOXO1 by specific inhibitors or siRNA could interpose the apoptotic induction. In conclusion, we demonstrate for the first time that XHP may regulate glioblastoma U-87 MG cell apoptosis via ROS-mediated Akt/mTOR/FOXO1 pathway.
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Liu Q, Cao Y, Zhou P, Gui S, Wu X, Xia Y, Tu J. Panduratin A Inhibits Cell Proliferation by Inducing G0/G1 Phase Cell Cycle Arrest and Induces Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells. Biomol Ther (Seoul) 2018; 26:328-334. [PMID: 29301388 PMCID: PMC5933901 DOI: 10.4062/biomolther.2017.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Because of the unsatisfactory treatment options for breast cancer (BC), there is a need to develop novel therapeutic approaches for this malignancy. One such strategy is chemotherapy using non-toxic dietary substances and botanical products. Studies have shown that Panduratin A (PA) possesses many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant and anticancer activities. In the present study, we provide evidence that PA treatment of MCF-7 BC cells resulted in a time- and dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth with an IC50 of 15 μM and no to little effect on normal human MCF-10A breast cells. To define the mechanism of these anti-proliferative effects of PA, we determined its effect critical molecular events known to regulate the cell cycle and apoptotic machinery. Immunofluorescence and flow cytometric analysis of Annexin V-FITC staining provided evidence for the induction of apoptosis. PA treatment of BC cells resulted in increased activity/expression of mitochondrial cytochrome C, caspases 7, 8 and 9 with a significant increase in the Bax:Bcl-2 ratio, suggesting the involvement of a mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry showed that PA treatment of cells resulted in G0/G1 arrest in a dose-dependent manner. Immunoblot analysis data revealed that, in MCF-7 cell lines, PA treatment resulted in the dose-dependent (i) induction of p21WAF1/Cip1 and p27Kip1, (ii) downregulation of Cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) 4 and (iii) decrease in cyclin D1. These findings suggest that PA may be an effective therapeutic agent against BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuming Liu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Breast Cancer Institute, The Third Hospital of Nanchang, Nanchang 330009, China
| | - Yali Cao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Breast Cancer Institute, The Third Hospital of Nanchang, Nanchang 330009, China
| | - Ping Zhou
- Department of Breast Surgery, Breast Cancer Institute, The Third Hospital of Nanchang, Nanchang 330009, China
| | - Shimin Gui
- Department of Breast Surgery, Breast Cancer Institute, The Third Hospital of Nanchang, Nanchang 330009, China
| | - Xiaobo Wu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Breast Cancer Institute, The Third Hospital of Nanchang, Nanchang 330009, China
| | - Yong Xia
- Department of Breast Surgery, Breast Cancer Institute, The Third Hospital of Nanchang, Nanchang 330009, China
| | - Jianhong Tu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Breast Cancer Institute, The Third Hospital of Nanchang, Nanchang 330009, China
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Sui H, Duan P, Guo P, Hao L, Liu X, Zhang J, Zhu H, Zhao M, Wang H, Li Q, Wang S. Zhi Zhen Fang formula reverses Hedgehog pathway mediated multidrug resistance in colorectal cancer. Oncol Rep 2017; 38:2087-2095. [PMID: 28849164 PMCID: PMC5652964 DOI: 10.3892/or.2017.5917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Zhi-Zhen-Fang (ZZR), a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula, has been clinically used in China to treat drug-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) patients as an adjuvant. In this study, the efficacy of ZZR in suppressing multidrug resistance (MDR) on CRC was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. We observed that ZZR enhanced the sensitivity of chemotherapeutic drugs and induced apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent mannner in CRC MDR cells. Interestingly, signaling of Hedgehog pathway, particularly Gli1, was also inhibited by ZZR. This effect of ZZR in reversing drug resistance and suppressing Gli1 was attenuated by a Hedgehog activator (SAG). Furthermore, ZZR inhibited MDR CRC tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model as well as downregulated Gli1 levels. This study provided the first direct evidence demonstrating ZZR can attenuate MDR by repressing Hedgehog signaling in human CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Sui
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Peiwen Duan
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Piaoting Guo
- Department of General Practice, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310053, P.R. China
| | - Lishuang Hao
- Department of Gynecology, Shanghai TCM-Integrated Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200082, P.R. China
| | - Xuan Liu
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, P.R. China
| | - Jinhua Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China
| | - Huirong Zhu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China
| | - Miaomiao Zhao
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Hao Wang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Qi Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China
| | - Songpo Wang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
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