Puerarin induces platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer cell apoptosis by targeting SIRT1

Preparation of Puerarin Long Circulating Liposomes and its Effect on Osteoporosis in Castrated Rats

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes low bone mass and deterioration of bone microarchitecture. Puerarin is a natural isoflavone compound that has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and ameliorative effects on osteoporosis with less adverse reactions. However, its fast metabolism and low oral bioavailability limit its application. This study aimed to prepare d-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS)- modified Puerarin Long Circulating Liposomes (TPGS-Puerarin-liposomes), in order to improve the oral bioavailability of puerarin, before evaluation of its pharmacological activity in vitro and in vivo. We employed film dispersion method to develop TPGS-Puerarin-liposomes before appropriate characterizations. Afterwards, we utilized in vivo imaging, pharmacokinetic analysis and in vitro drug release testing to further evaluate the in vivo and in vitro delivery efficiency. In addition, we established a castrated osteoporosis rat model to observe the changes in femur tissue structure and bone micromorphology via hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Micro Computed Tomography (Micro CT). Besides, levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory indicators, as well as expression of wnt/β-catenin pathway-related proteins were detected. In terms of physiochemical properties, the respective mean particle size (PS) and zeta potential (ZP) of TPGS-Puerarin-liposomes were 76.63±0.59 nm and -25.54±0.11 mV. The liposomal formulation exhibited encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 95.08±0.25% and drug loading (DL) of 7.84±0.07%, along with excellent storage stability. Compared with free drugs, the TPGS-Puerarin-liposomes demonstrated a sustained release effect and could increase blood concentration of puerarin in rats, thereby significantly improving its bioavailability. Also, in vivo studies have confirmed potential of the liposomes to promote bone tissue targeting and accumulation of puerarin, coupled with significant improvement of the osteoporotic status. Besides, the liposomes could also reduce levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory factors in serum and bone tissue. Additionally, we discovered that TPGS-Puerarin-liposomes increased Wnt, β-catenin and T-cell factor (TCF) expressions at protein level in the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This study has demonstrated the potential of TPGS-Puerarin-liposomes for treatment of osteoporosis.

Study on the mechanism of puerarin against osteoarthritis from ferroptosis based on network pharmacology and bioinformatics

Network pharmacology and bioinformatics were used to study puerarin's molecular mechanism in treating osteoarthritis from the perspective of ferroptosis, revealing a new treatment target. Ferroptosis-related targets were obtained from FerrDb. Puerarin action targets were retrieved from TCMSP, Pharmmappe, SwissTargetPrediction, and Targetnet databases, and supplemented with PubMed. The gene expression profiles of GSE12021, GSE55235, and GSE82107 were obtained using "Osteoarthritis" as the search term in the GEO database, and the differential expression gene screening analysis was performed for osteoarthritis. The intersection targets between puerarin, iron death, and osteoarthritis were obtained using Venn diagrams. GO and KEGG analyses were conducted with R software. Molecular docking and visualization of puerarin and core targets were performed using Autodock Vina and PyMol software. The effects of puerarin on the cell viability and the TNFα, IL6, and Ilβ levels of human inflammation articular chondrocytes were tested in vitro experiments. Puerarin, ferroptosis, and osteoarthritis share four targets: PLIN2, PTGS2, VEGFA, and IL6. GO enrichment analysis showed that puerarin maintained the blood-brain barrier, regulated peptide serine phosphorylation, and had anti-inflammatory effects. KEGG analysis showed that puerarin's anti-inflammatory effects were mainly through VEGF, IL-17, C-type lectin receptor, HIF-1, TNF, and other signaling pathways. Puerarin closely bound PLIN2, PTGS2, VEGFA, and IL6 targets in molecular docking. In vitro, puerarin prevented osteoarthritis. Network pharmacology and bioinformatics explained puerarin's multi-target and multi-pathway treatment of OA, which may be related to ferroptosis, and confirmed its anti-inflammatory effect.

Delivery of SIRT1 by cancer-associated adipocyte-derived extracellular vesicles regulates immune response and tumorigenesis of ovarian cancer cells

PURPOSE

This study intends to investigate the possible molecular mechanism of immune response and tumorigenesis in ovarian cancer cells, mediated by sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)-containing extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from cancer-associated adipocytes (CAAs) (CAA-EVs).

METHODS

Differentially expressed genes in EVs from CAAs were screened by RNA transcriptome sequencing, and the downstream pathway was predicted in silico. The binding between SIRT1 and CD24 was investigated by luciferase activity and ChIP-PCR assays. EVs were extracted from human ovarian cancer tissue-isolated CAAs, and the internalization of CCA-EVs by ovarian cancer cells was characterized. The ovarian cancer cell line was injected into mice to establish an animal model. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the proportions of M1 and M2 macrophages, CD8+ T, T-reg, and CD4+ T cells. TUNEL staining was used to detect cell apoptosis in the mouse tumor tissues. ELISA detection was performed on immune-related factors in the serum of mice.

RESULTS

CAA-EVs could deliver SIRT1 to ovarian cancer cells, thereby affecting the immune response of ovarian cancer cells in vitro and promoting tumorigenesis in vivo. SIRT1 could transcriptionally activate the expression of CD24, and CD24 could up-regulate Siglec-10 expression. CAA-EVs-SIRT1 activated the CD24/Siglec-10 axis and promoted CD8+ T cell apoptosis, thereby promoting tumorigenesis in mice.

CONCLUSION

CAA-EVs-mediated transfer of SIRT1 regulates the CD24/Siglec-10 axis to curb immune response and promote tumorigenesis of ovarian cancer cells.

Regulation of SIRT1 in Ovarian Function: PCOS Treatment

The sirtuin family, a group of NAD+-dependent class 3 histone deacetylases (HDACs), was extensively studied initially as a group of longevity genes that are activated in caloric restriction and act in concert with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides to extend the lifespan. Subsequent studies have found that sirtuins are involved in various physiological processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, and insulin signaling, and they have been extensively studied as cancer genes. In recent years, it has been found that caloric restriction increases ovarian reserves, suggesting that sirtuins may play a regulatory role in reproductive capacity, and interest in the sirtuin family has continued to increase. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the existing studies and analyze the role and mechanism of SIRT1, a member of the sirtuin family, in regulating ovarian function. Research and review on the positive regulation of SIRT1 in ovarian function and its therapeutic effect on PCOS syndrome.

Anticancer Effect of Puerarin on Ovarian Cancer Progression Contributes to the Tumor Suppressor Gene Expression and Gut Microbiota Modulation

Ovarian cancer (OC) causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system due to its late presentation and malignant nature. Although significant progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of OC over the last decade, chemotherapeutic drug resistance and cancer recurrence remain serious challenges in OC management. In the field of cancer therapy, traditional Chinese herbal medicines and their active compounds have been widely reported to have favorable therapeutic effects on cancer. Recent studies have also revealed the protective effect of puerarin in cancer, but the exact role and underlying mechanism of puerarin in OC remain unclear. Here, we established in vivo and in vitro OC models to evaluate the anticancer effect of puerarin. It was found that puerarin significantly inhibited OC cell viability and proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. In OC model mice, puerarin treatment suppressed tumor formation and modulated the gut microbiome. In addition, the expression of tumor suppressor genes was activated by puerarin in vitro and in vivo. These findings add to the existing knowledge on the usefulness of herbal active ingredients for the prevention and treatment of OC and provide a new perspective regarding the therapeutic potential of puerarin in cancer.

Puerarin Induces Molecular Details of Ferroptosis-Associated Anti-Inflammatory on RAW264.7 Macrophages

Puerarin is a natural flavonoid with significant anti-inflammatory effects. Recent studies have suggested that ferroptosis may involve puerarin countering inflammation. However, the mechanism of ferroptosis mediated by the anti-inflammatory process of puerarin has not been widely explored. Herein, puerarin at a concentration of 40 μM showed an anti-inflammatory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages RAW264.7. The analysis of network pharmacology indicated that 51 common targets were enriched in 136 pathways, and most of the pathways were associated with ferroptosis. Subsequently, the analysis of metabolomics obtained 61 differential metabolites that were enriched in 30 metabolic pathways. Furthermore, integrated network pharmacology and metabolomics revealed that puerarin exerted an excellent effect on anti-inflammatory in RAW264.7 via regulating ferroptosis-related arachidonic acid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, and glutathione metabolism pathways, and metabolites such as 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), serotonin, kynurenine, oxidized glutathione (GSSG), gamma-glutamylcysteine and cysteinylglycine were involved. In addition, the possible active binding sites of the potential targeted proteins such as acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) with puerarin were further revealed by molecular docking. Thus, we suggested that ferroptosis mediated the anti-inflammatory effects of puerarin in macrophages RAW264.7 induced by LPS.