Oridonin Dose-Dependently Modulates the Cell Senescence and Apoptosis of Gastric Cancer Cells

Synthesis and Application of a pH-Responsive Functional Metal-Organic Framework: In Vitro Investigation for Delivery of Oridonin in Cancer Therapy

Oridonin (Ori) is a naturally existing diterpenoid substance that mainly exists in the Chinese medicinal plant Rabdosia rubescens. It was previously found to possess intriguing biological properties; however, the quick clearance from plasma and limited solubility in water restricts its use as a drug. Several metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), having big surfaces and large pores, have recently been considered promising drug transporters. The zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), a form of MOF consisting of 2-methylimidazole with zinc ions, is structurally stable under physiologically neutral conditions, while it can degrade at low pH values such as in tumor cells. Herein, a nanosized drug delivery system, Ori@ZIF-8, was successfully designed for encapsulating and transporting oridonin to the tumor site. The drug loading of the prepared Ori@ZIF-8 was 26.78%, and the particles' mean size was 240.5 nm. In vitro, the release of Ori@ZIF-8 exhibited acid sensitivity, with a slow release under neutral conditions and rapid release of the drug under weakly acidic conditions. According to the in vitro anti-tumor experiments, Ori@ZIF-8 produced higher cytotoxicity than free Ori and induced apoptosis in A549 cancer cells. In conclusion, Ori@ZIF-8 could be a potential pH-responsive carrier to accurately release more oridonins at the tumor site.

Oridonin from Rabdosia rubescens: An emerging potential in cancer therapy - A comprehensive review

Cancer incidences are rising each year. In 2020, approximately 20 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer-related deaths were recorded. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that by 2024 the incidence of cancer will increase to 30.2 million individuals annually. Considering the invasive characteristics of its diagnostic procedures and therapeutic methods side effects, scientists are searching for different solutions, including using plant-derived bioactive compounds, that could reduce the probability of cancer occurrence and make its treatment more comfortable. In this regard, oridonin (ORI), an ent-kaurane diterpenoid, naturally found in the leaves of Rabdosia rubescens species, has been found to have antitumor, antiangiogenesis, antiasthmatic, antiinflammatory, and apoptosis induction properties. Extensive research has been performed on ORI to find various mechanisms involved in its anticancer activities. This review article provides an overview of ORI's effectiveness on murine and human cancer populations from 1976 to 2022 and provides insight into the future application of ORI in different cancer therapies.

Oridonin suppresses the growth of glioblastoma cells via inhibiting Hippo/YAP axis

Glioma is a brain tumor that originates from brain or spine glial cells. Despite alternative treatments, the overall survival rate remains low. Oridonin (ORI) is purified from the Chinese herb Rabdosia rubescens, which has exhibited positive effects on tumors. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ORI on U87MG glioblastoma cells and whether the Hippo/YAP-related signaling pathway was involved. Malignant glioblastoma U87MG cells and male athymic nude mice (BALB/cnu/nu) were used as the experimental models. The YAP inhibitor Verteporfin (VP) and the overexpression of YAP were used to investigate its potential relation with glioma. Here, we found that ORI inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in U87MG cells. Moreover, ORI inhibited Bcl-2, YAP, and c-Myc protein expression but increased Bax, caspase-3, and p-YAP protein expression. Furthermore, the effect of ORI was also confirmed in a mouse model bearing glioma. ORI reversed the effect of overexpression of YAP. Collectively, oridonin suppressed glioblastoma oncogenesis via the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway and could be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of glioblastoma.

Oridonin suppresses gastric cancer SGC-7901 cell proliferation by targeting the TNF-alpha/androgen receptor/TGF-beta signalling pathway axis

Statistics provided by GLOBOCAN list gastric cancer as the sixth most common, with a mortality ranking of third highest for the year 2020. In China, a herb called Rabdosia rubescens (Hemsl.) H.Hara, has been used by local residents for the treatment of digestive tract cancer for hundreds of years. Oridonin, the main ingredient of the herb, has a curative effect for gastric cancer, but the mechanism has not been previously clarified. This study mainly aimed to investigate the role of TNF-alpha/Androgen receptor/TGF-beta signalling pathway axis in mediating the proliferation inhibition of oridonin on gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells. MTT assay, cell morphology observation assay and fluorescence assay were adopted to study the efficacy of oridonin on cell proliferation. The network pharmacology was used to predict the pathway axis regulated by oridonin. Western blot assay was adopted to verify the TNF-α/Androgen receptor/TGF-β signalling pathway axis regulation on gastric cancer by oridonin. The results showed Oridonin could inhibit the proliferation of gastric cancer cells, change cell morphology and cause cell nuclear fragmentation. A total of 11signaling pathways were annotated by the network pharmacology, among them, Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) signalling pathway, androgen receptor (AR) signalling pathway and transforming growth factor (TGF-β) signalling pathway account for the largest proportion. Oridonin can regulate the protein expression of the three signalling pathways, which is consistent with the results predicted by network pharmacology. These findings indicated that oridonin can inhibit the proliferation of gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells by regulating the TNF-α /AR /TGF-β signalling pathway axis.

Anticancer mechanisms on pyroptosis induced by Oridonin: New potential targeted therapeutic strategies

Pyroptosis is a type of inflammatory cell death that is triggered by the formation of pores on the cell membrane by gasdermin (GSDM) family proteins. This process activates inflammasomes and leads to the maturation and release of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-18 (IL-18). Pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death, has been found to be associated with various biomolecules such as caspases, granzymes, non-coding RNA (lncRNA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3). These biomolecules have been shown to play a dual role in cancer by affecting cell proliferation, metastasis, and the tumor microenvironment (TME), resulting in both tumor promotion and anti-tumor effects. Recent studies have found that Oridonin (Ori) has anti-tumor effects by regulating pyroptosis through various pathways. Ori can inhibit pyroptosis by inhibiting caspase-1, which is responsible for activating pyroptosis of the canonical pathway. Additionally, Ori can inhibit pyroptosis by inhibiting NLRP3, which is responsible for activating pyroptosis of the noncanonical pathway. Interestingly, Ori can also activate pyroptosis by activating caspase-3 and caspase-8, which are responsible for activating pyroptosis of the emerging pathway; Ori has been found to be effective in inhibiting pyroptosis by blocking the action of perforin, which is responsible for facilitating the entry of granzyme into cells and activating pyroptosis. Additionally, Ori plays a crucial role in regulating pyroptosis by promoting the accumulation of ROS while inhibiting the ncRNA and NLRP3 pathways. It is worth noting that all of these pathways ultimately regulate pyroptosis by influencing the cleavage of GSDM, which is a key factor in the process. These studies concludes that Ori has extensive anti-cancer effects that are related to its potential regulatory function on pyroptosis. The paper summarizes several potential ways in which Ori participates in the regulation of pyroptosis, providing a reference for further study on the relationship between Ori, pyroptosis, and cancer.