Genipin Enhances the Therapeutic Effects of Oxaliplatin by Upregulating BIM in Colorectal Cancer

Genipin promotes the apoptosis and autophagy of neuroblastoma cells by suppressing the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

This study investigated the underlying function and mechanism of genipin in neuroblastoma (NB). Using flow cytometry analysis and cytotoxicity tests, in vitro studies were conducted to assess the effects of genipin on the SK-N-SH cell line. The mechanism of action of genipin was explored through immunofluorescence staining, Western blotting, and caspase-3 activity assays. In addition, we also created a xenograft tumour model to investigate the effects of genipin in vivo. This research confirmed that genipin suppressed cell viability, induced apoptosis, and promoted autophagy, processes that are likely linked to the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway. Autophagy inhibition increases the sensitivity of SK-N-SH cells to genipin. Furthermore, combination treatment with a PI3K inhibitor enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of genipin. These results highlight the potential of genipin as a candidate drug for the treatment of NB.

Genipin inhibits proliferation of gastric cancer cells by inducing ferroptosis: an integrated study of network pharmacology and bioinformatics study

Ferroptosis has been demonstrated to suppress cancer development and is targeted for cancer therapy. Genipin, an iridoid constituent in Gardeniae Fructus, has been reported to exert anti-cancer abilities. However, whether genipin could induce ferroptosis remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore the anti-gastric cancer (GC) effects of genipin by inducing ferroptosis and to identify the potential targets. CCK-8 and colony formation assays were performed to evaluate the anti-GC effects of genipin. Flowcytometry and western blot were used to indicate ferroptosis-inducing ability of genipin. The potential targets of genipin were analyzed by network pharmacology, screened using UALCAN and KM-plotter database and evaluated by molecular docking. The results showed that genipin inhibited cell viability and proliferation of GC cells. Genipin treatment decreased levels of GPX4 and SLC7A11, induced accumulation of lipid peroxidation intracellularly and led to ferroptosis in GC cells. Network pharmacology analysis identified that lipid- and ROS-related pathways involved in ferroptosis ranked high among genipin-GC common targets. Data from UALCAN and KM-plotter database demonstrated that expression levels of ferroptosis-related targets, including AURKA, BCAT2, DHODH, and GPI, increased in GC tissues and the higher levels of the above four targets were related to tumor stage, tumor grade, and poor prognosis. Among these four targets, AURKA, BCAT2, and DHODH were confirmed by molecular docking with binding energies less than - 5. Taken together, our study demonstrates that genipin could exert anti-GC ability by inducing ferroptosis and provides evidence for the potential application of genipin in GC treatment.

Schizandrin A enhances killing effect of oxaliplatin on colorectal cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Schizandrin A (SchA) has anticancer and multidrug resistance-reversing effects in a variety of tumors, but its effect on oxaliplatin (L-OHP) in colorectal cancer cells is not clear.

AIM

To investigate whether SchA can enhance the killing effect of L-OHP on colorectal cancer cells, and to analyze the possible mechanism involved.

METHODS

Colorectal cancer cells were divided into control group, SchA treatment group, L-OHP treatment group, and SchA + L-OHP treatment group. Cell viability was detected by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells was detected using a ROS probe. Mitochondrial membrane potential was evaluated by using the 1,1',3,3'-tetraethyl-5,5',6,6'-tetrachloroimidacarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) probe. Western blot was used to detect the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax), cytochrome c (Cyt c), and cleaved cysteine proteinase-3 (caspase-3) in the cells.

RESULTS

Compared with the L-OHP treatment group, the viability of colorectal cancer cells in the SchA + L-OHP treatment group was significantly decreased, while apoptosis was significantly increased. SchA could enhance ROS accumulation, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 expression, and mitochondrial Cyt c release, and decrease Bcl-2 expression in colorectal cancer cells induced by L-OHP.

CONCLUSION

SchA enhances the killing effect of L-OHP on colorectal cancer cells, and the mechanism may be related to the enhancement of intracellular ROS accumulation and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins.

Genipin, an Inhibitor of UCP2 as a Promising New Anticancer Agent: A Review of the Literature

Genipin is a protein cross-linking agent extracted from Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) fruits. This fruit has conventionally been used as a Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of inflammation and jaundice and as an edible colorant in oriental countries. Uncoupling protein (UCP)-2 is a member of the family of uncoupling proteins, which are anion transporters positioned in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Genipin has been shown to have hepatoprotective activity, acting as an effective antioxidant and inhibitor of mitochondrial UCP2, and is also reported to exert significant anticancer effects. In this review, the author presents the latest progress of genipin as an anticancer agent and concisely describes its various mechanisms of action. In brief, genipin inhibits UCP2 to attenuate generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to ROS/c-Jun N-terminal kinase-dependent apoptosis of cancer cells. Genipin also increases the tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases (MMP)-2, a kind of tumor promoter in a variety of cancers, as well as induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in in vitro and in vivo models. These findings suggest that genipin can serve as a promising novel antitumor agent that could be applicable for chemotherapy and/or chemoprevention for cancers.

Novel Findings regarding the Bioactivity of the Natural Blue Pigment Genipin in Human Diseases

Genipin is an important monoterpene iridoid compound isolated from Gardenia jasminoides J.Ellis fruits and from Genipa americana fruits, or genipap. It is a precursor of a blue pigment which may be attractive alternative to existing food dyes and it possesses various potential therapeutic properties such as anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and hepatoprotective activity. Biomedical studies also show that genipin may act as a neuroprotective drug. This review describes new aspects of the bioactivity of genipin against various diseases, as well as its toxicity and industrial applications, and presents its potential mechanism of action.

Natural products: potential treatments for cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity

Cisplatin is a clinically advanced and highly effective anticancer drug used in the treatment of a wide variety of malignancies, such as head and neck, lung, testis, ovary, breast cancer, etc. However, it has only a limited use in clinical practice due to its severe adverse effects, particularly nephrotoxicity; 20%–35% of patients develop acute kidney injury (AKI) after cisplatin administration. The nephrotoxic effect of cisplatin is cumulative and dose dependent and often necessitates dose reduction or withdrawal. Recurrent episodes of AKI result in impaired renal tubular function and acute renal failure, chronic kidney disease, uremia, and hypertensive nephropathy. The pathophysiology of cisplatin-induced AKI involves proximal tubular injury, apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and vascular injury in the kidneys. At present, there are no effective drugs or methods for cisplatin-induced kidney injury. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies show that numerous natural products (flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, polysaccharide, phenylpropanoids, etc.) have specific antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties that regulate the pathways associated with cisplatin-induced kidney damage. In this review we describe the molecular mechanisms of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and summarize recent findings in the field of natural products that undermine these mechanisms to protect against cisplatin-induced kidney damage and provide potential strategies for AKI treatment.

The Effects of Natural and Synthetic Blue Dyes on Human Health: A Review of Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Perspectives

Blue synthetic dyes are widely used in many industries. Although they are approved for use as food dyes and in cosmetics and some medicines, their impacts on consumer health remain unknown. Some studies indicate that 2 synthetic dyes, Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2, may have toxic effects. It has therefore been suggested that these should be replaced with natural dyes; however, despite being nontoxic and arguably healthier than synthetic dyes, these compounds are often unsuitable for use in food or drugs due to their instability. Nevertheless, among the natural blue pigments, anthocyanins and genipin offer particular health benefits, as they are associated with the prevention of cardiovascular disease and have anticancer, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic properties. This review summarizes the effects of blue food and drug colorings on health and proposes that synthetic colors should be replaced with natural ones.

Properties and molecular mechanisms underlying geniposide-mediated therapeutic effects in chronic inflammatory diseases

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Geniposide (GE) is ubiquitous in nearly 40 species of plants, among which Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis has the highest content, and has been used ethnopharmacologically to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. As a traditional Chinese medicine, Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis has a long history of usage in detumescence and sedation, liver protection and cholestasis, hypotension and hemostasis. It is commonly used in the treatment of diabetes, hypertension, jaundice hepatitis, sprain and contusion. As a type of iridoid glycosides extracted from Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis, GE has many pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenesic, anti-oxidative, etc. AIM OF THE REVIEW: In this article, we reviewed the sources, traditional usage, pharmacokinetics, toxicity and therapeutic effect of GE on chronic inflammatory diseases, and discussed its potential regulatory mechanisms and clinical application.

RESULTS

GE is a common iridoid glycoside in medicinal plants, which has strong activity in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. A large number of in vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that GE has certain therapeutic value for a variety of chronic inflammation disease. Its mechanism of function is mainly based on its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, neuroprotective properties, as well as regulation of apoptotsis. GE plays a role in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases by regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis, realizing the dynamic balance of pro/anti-inflammatory factors, improving the state of oxidative stress, and restoring abnormally expressed inflammation-related pathways.

CONCLUSION

According to its extensive pharmacological effects, GE is a promising drug for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Impact of Digestive Inflammatory Environment and Genipin Crosslinking on Immunomodulatory Capacity of Injectable Musculoskeletal Tissue Scaffold

The paracrine and autocrine processes of the host response play an integral role in the success of scaffold-based tissue regeneration. Recently, the immunomodulatory scaffolds have received huge attention for modulating inflammation around the host tissue through releasing anti-inflammatory cytokine. However, controlling the inflammation and providing a sustained release of anti-inflammatory cytokine from the scaffold in the digestive inflammatory environment are predicated upon a comprehensive understanding of three fundamental questions. (1) How does the release rate of cytokine from the scaffold change in the digestive inflammatory environment? (2) Can we prevent the premature scaffold degradation and burst release of the loaded cytokine in the digestive inflammatory environment? (3) How does the scaffold degradation prevention technique affect the immunomodulatory capacity of the scaffold? This study investigated the impacts of the digestive inflammatory environment on scaffold degradation and how pre-mature degradation can be prevented using genipin crosslinking and how genipin crosslinking affects the interleukin-4 (IL-4) release from the scaffold and differentiation of naïve macrophages (M0). Our results demonstrated that the digestive inflammatory environment (DIE) attenuates protein retention within the scaffold. Over 14 days, the encapsulated protein released 46% more in DIE than in phosphate buffer saline (PBS), which was improved through genipin crosslinking. We have identified the 0.5 (w/v) genipin concentration as an optimal concentration for improved IL-4 released from the scaffold, cell viability, mechanical strength, and scaffold porosity, and immunomodulation studies. The IL-4 released from the injectable scaffold could differentiate naïve macrophages to an anti-inflammatory (M2) lineage; however, upon genipin crosslinking, the immunomodulatory capacity of the scaffold diminished significantly, and pro-inflammatory markers were expressed dominantly.

miR-200b-3p mitigates oxaliplatin resistance via targeting TUBB3 in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Numerous abnormally expressed miRs have been reported involved in oxaliplatin (L-OHP) resistance of colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study aimed to investigate whether miR-200b-3p could regulate L-OHP resistance via targeting TUBB3 in CRC cells.

METHODS

L-OHP resistant HT29 and HCT116 cells were exposed to escalating concentrations of L-OHP up to 30 μm. The effect of miR-200b-3p on L-OHP resistant CRC cells was then evaluated using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. CRC cell apoptosis was detected using Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. Bioinformatics algorithms and luciferase reporter assays were also performed to investigate whether TUBB3 was a direct target of miR-200b-3p.

RESULTS

miR-200b-3p declined in L-OHP resistant CRC tissues and cell lines, and the overexpression of miR-200b-3p elevated the L-OHP sensitivity in L-OHP resistant HT29 and HCT116 cells. In addition, we determined the potential mechanisms underlying miR-200b-3p-mediated reversal of L-OHP resistance by mediating its downstream target TUBB3, and the overexpression of miR-200b-3p could induce migration and growth inhibition and apoptosis in L-OHP resistant HT29 and HCT116 cells by silencing βIII-tubulin protein expression. However, the overexpression of TUBB3 reversed miR-200b-3p mimic-induced migration, as well as growth inhibition and apoptosis, in L-OHP resistant CRC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

miR-200b-3p improved L-OHP resistance and induced growth inhibition and cell apoptosis in L-OHP resistant CRC cells, and the underlying mechanism was mediated, at least partially, through the suppression of βIII-tubulin protein expression.

Gardenia jasminoides Enhances CDDP-Induced Apoptosis of Glioblastoma Cells via AKT/mTOR Pathway While Protecting Death of Astrocytes

Gliomas are the most observed primary brain tumor, of which glioblastoma multiform (GBM) shows the highest incidence. Radiotherapy with temozolomide is the standard therapeutic method, but because of side effects, search for alternative therapies is required. Gardenia jasminoides (GJ) is flavonoid abundant with beneficial effects on inflammation, metabolic diseases, and cancers. In this study, we investigated the synergistic combination of GJ and cisplatin (CDDP) in U87MG and U373MG GBM cells. GJ and CDDP both showed cytotoxicity in U87MG cells, however GJ did not affect viability of normal astrocytes while CDDP displayed high toxicity. Cytotoxic effect of GJ and CDDP was related in apoptosis when confirmed by Western blot assays on cleaved caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP. Moreover, GJ and CDDP showed synergistic combination in cell death of GBM cells, which was further confirmed by Western blot assays of apoptosis factors and also flow cytometry of Annexin V. Analysis on autophagy factors showed that GJ/CDDP combination induced autophagy, and through inhibition of autophagy, we could confirm autophagy is crucial to cytotoxicity of GJ/CDDP in GBM cell lines. The autophagy-mediated apoptosis of GJ/CDDP was dependent on the AKT/mTOR pathway. Overall, our results suggest GJ/CDDP combination as an effective yet safe therapeutic approach to GBMs.

Genipin increases oxaliplatin-induced cell death through autophagy in gastric cancer

Oxaliplatin is used for treatment in combination with many drugs. However, the survival rate is still low due to side effects and drug resistance. Therefore, the combination with natural products was required for increasing efficacy and reducing side effects. Genipin, a natural product derived from the Gardenia jasminoides, associated with anti-angiogenic, anti-proliferative, hypertension, inflammatory, and the Hedgehog pathway. It is not known that genipin increases the therapeutic effect of oxaliplatin in gastric cancer. In this study, we found that genipin sensitizes oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis for the first time using colony forming assay, FACS analysis, and western blotting in gastric cancer. Additionally, genipin induced p53 expression in AGS, MKN45, and MKN28 cells. Also, genipin induced autophagy and LC3 expression. Knockdown of LC3 decreased cell death enhanced by the combination of oxaliplatin and genipin. In summary, we showed that genipin increases the oxaliplatin-induced cell death via p53-DRAM autophagy. Based on this, we suggest that genipin is a sensitizer of oxaliplatin.

Cannabidiol Overcomes Oxaliplatin Resistance by Enhancing NOS3- and SOD2-Induced Autophagy in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells

Although oxaliplatin is an effective chemotherapeutic drug for colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment, patients often develop resistance to it. Therefore, a new strategy for CRC treatment is needed. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cannabidiol (CBD), one of the components of the cannabis plant, in overcoming oxaliplatin resistance in CRC cells. We established oxaliplatin-resistant cell lines, DLD-1 R and colo205 R, in CRC DLD-1 and colo205 cells. Autophagic cell death was induced when oxaliplatin-resistant cells were treated with both oxaliplatin and CBD. Additionally, phosphorylation of nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) was increased in oxaliplatin-resistant cells compared to that in parent cells. Combined treatment with oxaliplatin and CBD reduced phospho-NOS3 levels and nitric oxide (NO) production and resulted in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by reducing the levels of superoxide dismutase 2, an antioxidant present in the mitochondria, causing mitochondrial dysfunction. Taken together, these results suggest that elevated phosphorylation of NOS3 is essential for oxaliplatin resistance. The combination of oxaliplatin and CBD decreased NOS3 phosphorylation, which resulted in autophagy, by inducing the overproduction of ROS through mitochondrial dysfunction, thus overcoming oxaliplatin resistance.