Lobetyolin inhibits the proliferation of breast cancer cells via ASCT2 down-regulation-induced apoptosis

Tumor Metabolism: A New Field for the Treatment of Glioma

The clinical treatment of glioma remains relatively immature. Commonly used clinical treatments for gliomas are surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but there is a problem of drug resistance. In addition, immunotherapy and targeted therapies also suffer from the problem of immune evasion. The advent of metabolic therapy holds immense potential for advancing more efficacious and tolerable therapies against this aggressive disease. Metabolic therapy alters the metabolic processes of tumor cells at the molecular level to inhibit tumor growth and spread, and lead to better outcomes for patients with glioma that are insensitive to conventional treatments. Moreover, compared with conventional therapy, it has less impact on normal cells, less toxicity and side effects, and higher safety. The objective of this review is to examine the changes in metabolic characteristics throughout the development of glioma, enumerate the current methodologies employed for studying tumor metabolism, and highlight the metabolic reprogramming pathways of glioma along with their potential molecular mechanisms. Importantly, it seeks to elucidate potential metabolic targets for glioblastoma (GBM) therapy and summarize effective combination treatment strategies based on various studies.

A systematic review of the mechanism of action and potential medicinal value of codonopsis pilosula in diseases

As a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with a long history, Codonopsis pilosula (CP) has attracted much attention from the medical community in recent years. This review summarizes the research progress of CP in the medical field in the past 5 years. By searching and analyzing the literature, and combining with Cytoscape software, we comprehensively examined the role and mechanism of action of CP in individual application, combination drug application, and the role and mechanism of action of codonopsis pilosula's active ingredients in a variety of diseases. It also analyzes the medicinal use of CP and its application value in medicine. This review found that CP mainly manifests important roles in several diseases, such as cardiovascular system, nervous system, digestive system, immune system, etc., and regulates the development of many diseases mainly through the mechanisms of inflammation regulation, oxidative stress, immunomodulation and apoptosis. Its rich pharmacological activities and diverse medicinal effects endow CP with broad prospects and application values. This review provides valuable reference and guidance for the further development of CP in traditional Chinese medicine.

Lobetyolin protects mice against LPS-induced sepsis by downregulating the production of inflammatory cytokines in macrophage

Introduction: Sepsis is a clinical syndrome characterized by dysregulation of the host immune response due to infection, resulting in life-threatening organ damage. Despite active promotion and implementation of early preventative measures and bundle treatments, sepsis continues to exhibit high morbidity and mortality rates with no optimal pharmacological intervention available. Lobetyolin (LBT), the crucial component of polyacetylenes found in Codonopsis pilosula, has been scientifically proven to possess potent antioxidant and antitumor properties. However, its therapeutic potential for sepsis remains unknown. Methods: The mice received pretreatment with intraperitoneal injections of LBT, followed by injection with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce sepsis. Peripheral blood samples were collected to detect TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels. The survival status of different groups was recorded at various time intervals. RNA-Seq was utilized for the analysis of gene expression in peritoneal macrophages treated with LBT or LPS. Results: In this study, we observed a significant increase in the survival rate of mice pretreated with LBT in LPS induced sepsis mouse model. LBT demonstrated a remarkable reduction in the production of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in the serum, along with mitigated lung and liver tissue damage characterized by reduced inflammatory cell infiltration. Additionally, through RNA-seq analysis coupled with GO and KEGG analysis, it was revealed that LBT effectively suppressed genes associated with bacterium presence, cellular response to lipopolysaccharide stimulation, as well as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction involving Cxcl10, Tgtp1, Gbp5, Tnf, Il1b and IRF7 specifically within macrophages. We also confirmed that LBT significantly downregulates the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in macrophage activation induced by LPS. Discussion: Therefore, our findings demonstrated that LBT effectively inhibits the production of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β) and mitigates sepsis induced by LPS through modulating macrophages' ability to generate these cytokines. These results suggest that LBT holds promise as a potential therapeutic agent for sepsis treatment.

Codonopsis radix: a review of resource utilisation, postharvest processing, quality assessment, and its polysaccharide composition

Codonopsis radix is the dried root of C. pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., C. pilosula Nannf. var. modesta (Nannf.) L. T. Shen, or C. tangshen Oliv., constitutes a botanical medicine with a profound historical lineage. It encompasses an array of bioactive constituents, including polyacetylenes, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, and polysaccharides, conferring upon it substantial medicinal and edible values. Consequently, it has garnered widespread attention from numerous scholars. In recent years, driven by advancements in modern traditional Chinese medicine, considerable strides have been taken in exploring resources utilization, traditional processing, quality evaluation and polysaccharide research of Codonopsis radix. However, there is a lack of systematic and comprehensive reporting on these research results. This paper provides a summary of recent advances in Codonopsis research, identifies existing issues in Codonopsis studies, and offers insights into future research directions. The aim is to provide insights and literature support for forthcoming investigations into Codonopsis.

Study on environmental factors affecting the quality of codonopsis radix based on MaxEnt model and all-in-one functional factor

Owing to the increasing market demand of Codonopsis Radix, the cropper blindly cultivates to expand planting area for economic benefits, which seriously affects the quality of Codonopsis Radix. Therefore, this study synthesized 207 batches of Codonopsis Radix and 115 ecological factors, and analyzed the suitable planting areas of Codonopsis pilosula under current and future climate change based on Geographic Information System (GIS) and MaxEnt model. Secondly, we evaluated the quality of Codonopsis Radix based on the all-in-one functional factor including chromatographic fingerprint, the index components, the effective compounds groups, the nutritional components, and the nutritional elements, and the quality regionalization of Codonopsis Radix was analyzed. Finally, the ecological factors affecting the accumulation of effective components of Codonopsis Radix were analyzed. This study found for the first time that the highly suitable area of Codonopsis pilosula was mainly distributed in the Weihe River system and the Bailongjiang River system in Gansu Province. There were differences in the quality of Codonopsis Radix from different ecologically suitable areas based on the all-in-one functional factors, and the comprehensive high-quality area of Codonopsis Radix was mainly distributed in Longnan and Longxi district of Gansu Province. The precipitation, temperature and altitude play a key role in the accumulation of chemical components in the 10 ecological factors affecting the distribution of Codonopsis pilosula. Under future climatic conditions, the highly suitable area of Codonopsis pilosula is decreased.

Lobetyolin inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell apoptosis by downregulating ASCT2 in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is a heterogeneous disease and is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Lobetyolin, as a bioactive ingredient extracted from Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., has been reported to exert anti-tumor effects in several cancer types. This study was aimed to investigate the role of lobetyolin in GC and the associated mechanism. MKN-45 and MKN-28 cells were incubated with concentrations of lobetyolin for 24 h. The viability and survival of GC cells were evaluated by performing MTT assay. Glutamine uptake, Adenosine Triphosphate, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and glutathione levels were measured by corresponding kits. Apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential of GC cells were determined by flow cytometry. Alanine, serine, cysteine-preferring transporter 2 (ASCT2) and the AKT/GSK3β/c-Myc pathway protein levels were examined by western blotting. Xenograft model and immunohistochemical staining were used to evaluate the pharmacological effects of lobetyolin in mice in vivo. We found that lobetyolin treatment suppressed the proliferative capacity of both MKN-45 and MKN-28 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Lobetyolin reduced the uptake of glutamine and downregulated the expression levels of ASCT2 in GC cells and xenograft tumors. Lobetyolin effectively restrained the growth of tumors in vivo. In addition, lobetyolin induced the accumulation of ROS to attenuate mitochondria-mediated apoptosis via downregulation of ASCT2 expression. Lobetyolin promoted the phosphorylation of c-Myc and suppressed the phosphorylation of GSK3β and AKT in both MKN-45 and MKN-28 cells. The level of total Nrf2 protein was reduced after lobetyolin treatment. Overall, lobetyolin exerts anti-cancer effects by repressing cell proliferation and inducing cell apoptosis via downregulation of ASCT2 in GC.

Lobetyolin Alleviates Ferroptosis of Skeletal Muscle in 5/6 Nephrectomized Mice via Activation of Hedgehog-GLI1 Signaling

BACKGROUND

Muscle wasting increases morbidity and mortality and is related to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dialysis. It is still unclear whether ferroptosis occurs during this progression and whether it is a potential intervention target for the treatment of CKD-related muscle injury.

PURPOSE

The objective is to identify potential compounds for treating ferroptosis and muscle wasting and explore the potential mechanisms in vivo/in vitro.

METHODS

Initially, we explored whether ferroptosis is present in the skeletal muscle of 5/6 nephrectomized (NPM) mice via RNA-Seq analysis, TUNEL staining, Oil red O staining, MDA/GSH/GSSG level detection and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Subsequently, utilizing our established molecular phenotyping strategy, we screened potential traditional Chinese herb-derived compounds for alleviation of muscle wasting and ferroptosis. HE staining, Oil red O staining, TUNEL staining, immunofluorescence staining, MDA/GSH/GSSG level detection, Fe level detection, western blotting and qPCR were applied to assess the effects of the identified compound on muscle wasting and ferroptosis and explore the potential mechanism. Furthermore, RNA-Seq analysis, ChIP-Seq analysis and further experiments in vitro were performed to determine the role of Hedgehog signaling in the effect of Lobetyolin (LBT) on ferroptosis.

RESULTS

In NPM mice, skeletal muscle dysfunction, lipogenesis, reduced GSH/GSSG ratio, decreased GSH content, increased MDA production and and higher levels of ferroptosis markers were observed. LBT treatment (30 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg) significantly alleviates skeletal muscle injury by inhibiting ferroptosis. Additionally, in an in vitro investigation, C2C12 cells exposed to Indolyl sulfate (IS) induced ferroptosis and LBT treatment (20 μM and 50 μM) protected C2C12 from such injury, consistent with the results from the in vivo analysis. Furthermore, it was found LBT increased the levels of protein involving Hedgehog signaling pathway (SMO and GLI1), and rescue analysis revealed that this pathway played a crucial role in the regulation of ferroptosis. Further experiments demonstrated that LBT upregulated a series of suppressors of ferroptosis by activating Gli1 transcription.

CONCLUSION

LBT alleviates CKD-induced muscle injury by inhibiting ferroptosis through activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway.

Quality Assessment and Classification of Codonopsis Radix Based on Fingerprints and Chemometrics

In China, Codonopsis Radix (CR) is frequently consumed both as food and medicine. Here, a comprehensive strategy based on fingerprinting and chemometric approaches was created to explore the influence of origins, storage time and kneading processing on the quality of CR. Firstly, high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection was used to obtain the fingerprints of 35 batches of CR from six different origins and 33 batches of CR from varying storage times or kneading procedures. Secondly, chemometric methods including similarity analysis (SA), principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), and two-way orthogonal partial least square with discriminant analysis (O2PLS-DA) were used to evaluate the differences of chemical components in CR so as to identify its source and reflect its quality. Moreover, 13 and 16 major compounds were identified as marker compounds for the discrimination of CR from different origins, storage time and kneading processing, respectively. Furthermore, the relative content of the marker components and the exact content of Lobetyolin were measured, indicating that the contents of these components vary significantly between various CR samples. Meanwhile, the chemical components of CR were identified using Mass spectrometry. According to the findings of our investigation, the quality of CR from Gansu was the best, followed by Shanxi and then Sichuan. The quality of CR from Chongqing and Guizhou was poor. At the same time, the quality of CR was the best when it was kneaded and stored for 0 years, indicating that the traditional kneading process of CR is of great significance. Conclusively, HPLC fingerprint in conjunction with chemical pattern recognition and component content determination can be employed to differentiate the raw materials of different CR samples. Additionally, it is also a reliable, comprehensive and prospective method for quality control and evaluation of CR.

Glutamine metabolism in breast cancer and possible therapeutic targets

Cancer is characterized by metabolic reprogramming, which is a hot topic in tumor treatment research. Cancer cells alter metabolic pathways to promote their growth, and the common purpose of these altered metabolic pathways is to adapt the metabolic state to the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells. Most cancer cells in a state of nonhypoxia will increase the uptake of glucose and produce lactate, called the Warburg effect. Increased glucose consumption is used as a carbon source to support cell proliferation, including nucleotide, lipid and protein synthesis. In the Warburg effect, pyruvate dehydrogenase activity decreases, thereby disrupting the TCA cycle. In addition to glucose, glutamine is also an important nutrient for the growth and proliferation of cancer cells, an important carbon bank and nitrogen bank for the growth and proliferation of cancer cells, providing ribose, nonessential amino acids, citrate, and glycerin necessary for cancer cell growth and proliferation and compensating for the reduction in oxidative phosphorylation pathways in cancer cells caused by the Warburg effect. In human plasma, glutamine is the most abundant amino acid. Normal cells produce glutamine via glutamine synthase (GLS), but the glutamine synthesized by tumor cells is insufficient to meet their high growth needs, resulting in a "glutamine-dependent phenomenon." Most cancers have an increased glutamine demand, including breast cancer. Metabolic reprogramming not only enables tumor cells to maintain the reduction-oxidation (redox) balance and commit resources to biosynthesis but also establishes heterogeneous metabolic phenotypes of tumor cells that are distinct from those of nontumor cells. Thus, targeting the metabolic differences between tumor and nontumor cells may be a promising and novel anticancer strategy. Glutamine metabolic compartments have emerged as promising candidates, especially in TNBC and drug-resistant breast cancer. In this review, the latest discoveries of breast cancer and glutamine metabolism are discussed, novel treatment methods based on amino acid transporters and glutaminase are discussed, and the relationship between glutamine metabolism and breast cancer metastasis, drug resistance, tumor immunity and ferroptosis are explained, which provides new ideas for the clinical treatment of breast cancer.

Determination of the intermediates in glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle with an improved derivatization strategy using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in complex samples

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is recognized as a complex matrix, and improved analytical methods are crucial to extract the key indicators and depict the interaction and alteration of the complex matrix. Shenqi Fuzheng Injection (SQ), a water extract of Radix Codonopsis and Radix Astragali, has demonstrated preventative effects on myotube atrophy induced by chemotherapeutic agents. To achieve the improved analytical capability of complex biological samples, we established a highly reproducible, sensitive, specific, and robust gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method to detect glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates with optimized factors in the extraction and derivatization process. Our method detected fifteen metabolites and covered most intermediate metabolites in glycolysis and TCA cycles, including glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, fructose-6-phosphate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, 3-diphosphoglycerate, phosphoenolpyruvate, pyruvate, lactate, citrate, cis-aconitate, isocitrate, α-ketoglutarate, succinate, fumarate, and malate. Through methodological verification of the method, it was found that the linear correlation coefficients of each compound in the method were greater than 0.98, all of which had lower limits of quantification, the recovery rate was 84.94-104.45%, and the accuracy was 77.72-104.92%. The intraday precision was 3.72-15.37%, the interday precision was 5.00-18.02%, and the stability was 7.85-15.51%. Therefore, the method has good linearity, accuracy, precision, and stability. The method was further applied to study the attenuating effects of the SQ in a chemotherapeutic agents-induced C2C12 myotube atrophy model to evaluate the changes in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and glycolytic products under the action by the complex systems of TCM and disease model. Our study provided an improved method to explore TCM's pharmacodynamic constituents and action mechanisms.

A molecular phenotypic screen reveals that lobetyolin alleviates cardiac dysfunction in 5/6 nephrectomized mice by inhibiting osteopontin

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of mortality in patients with advanced chronic kidney diseases. The predominant abnormality observed among this population is cardiac dysfunction secondary to myocardial remodelings, such as hypertrophy and fibrosis, emphasizing the need to develop potent therapies that maintain cardiac function in patients with end-stage renal disease.

AIMS

To identify potential compounds and their targets as treatments for cardiorenal syndrome type 4 (CRS) using molecular phenotyping and in vivo/in vitro experiments.

METHODS

Gene expression was assessed using bioinformatics and verified in animal experiments using 5/6 nephrectomized mice (NPM). Based on this information, a molecular phenotyping strategy was pursued to screen potential compounds. Picrosirius red staining, wheat germ agglutinin staining, Echocardiography, immunofluorescence staining, and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) were utilized to evaluate the effects of compounds on CRS in vivo. Furthermore, qPCR, immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry were applied to assess the effects of these compounds on macrophages/cardiac fibroblasts/cardiomyocytes. RNA-Seq analysis was performed to locate the targets of the selected compounds. Western blotting was performed to validate the targets and mechanisms. The reversibility of these effects was tested by overexpressing Osteopontin (OPN).

RESULTS

OPN expression increased more remarkably in individuals with uremia-induced cardiac dysfunction than in other cardiomyopathies. Lobetyolin (LBT) was identified in the compound screen, and it improved cardiac dysfunction and suppressed remodeling in NPM mice. Additionally, OPN modulated the effect of LBT on cardiac dysfunction in vivo and in vitro. Further experiments revealed that LBT suppressed OPN expression via the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

LBT improved CRS by inhibiting OPN expression through the JNK pathway. This study is the first to describe a cardioprotective effect of LBT and provides new insights into CRS drug discovery.

Polyacetylenes in herbal medicine: A comprehensive review of its occurrence, pharmacology, toxicology, and pharmacokinetics (2014-2021)

Polyacetylenes are a kind of small active compounds with carbon-carbon triple bond with vast occurrence in plants. Polyacetylenes have attracted considerable attention owing to their diverse biofunctions like tumor suppression, immunity regulation, depression resistance and neural protection. The present review intends to reconstruct data concerning the occurrence, pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacokinetics of polyacetylenes from herbal medicine in a systematic and integrated way, with a view to backing up their curative potential and healthcare properties (2014-2021). The natural polyacetylene-related data were all acquired from the scientific search engines and databases that are globally recognized, such as PubMed, Web of Science, Elsevier, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, SciFinderⁿ and CNKI. A total of 183 polyacetylenes were summarized in this paper. Modern pharmacological studies indicated that polyacetylenes possess multiple biological activities including antitumor, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, anti-depression, anti-obesity, hypoglycemic, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, hepatoprotective and renoprotective activities. As important bioactive components of herbal medicine, the pharmacological curative potential of polyacetylenes has been described against carcinomas, inflammatory responses, central nervous system, endocrine disorders and microbial infection in this review. While, further in-depth studies on the aspects of polyacetylenes for toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and molecular mechanisms are still limited, thereby intensive research and assessments should be performed.

Yang-Yin-Jie-Du decoction overcomes gefitinib resistance in non-small cell lung cancer via down-regulation of the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway

CONTEXT

Yang-Yin-Jie-Du Decoction (YYJDD) was used to improve gefitinib efficacy in our clinical practice, but its mechanism remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored if YYJDD could reverse gefitinib resistance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

H1975 cells were exposed to control, 10 μM gefitinib, 3.2 mg/mL YYJDD or combination treatment. Cell viability was detected by MTT during 0-96 h. Apoptosis and the PI3K/Akt proteins were tested by flow cytometry and western-blot at 24 h. LY294002 was applied to further determine the role of the PI3K/Akt. 23 BALB/c nude xenograft mice received normal saline (n = 5), 80 mg/kg gefitinib (n = 6), 2.35 g/kg lyophilised powder of YYJDD (n = 6) or combination treatment (n = 6) by gavage for 4 weeks and submitted to TUNEL, immunohistochemistry, and western-blot.

RESULTS

In vitro, gefitinib (IC₅₀: 20.68 ± 2.06 μM) and YYJDD (IC₅₀: 6.6 ± 0.21 mg/mL) acted in a moderate synergistic way. Combination treatment inhibited cell viability from 100% to 25.66%. Compared to gefitinb (33.23 ± 3.99%), cell apoptosis was increased with combination treatment (54.11 ± 7.32%), accompanied by down-regulation of the PI3K/Akt. LY294002 further inhibited cell viability, increased apoptosis, and down-regulated p-Akt/Akt. In vivo, the tumour sizes in the combination group (1165.13 ± 157.79 mm³) were smaller than gefitinib alone (1630.66 ± 208.30 mm³). The positive rate of TUNEL staining was increased by combination treatment (22.33 ± 2.75%) versus gefitinib (7.37 ± 0.87%), while the PI3K/Akt was down-regulated.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

YYJDD has potential to overcome gefitinib resistance. Future investigations should be focussed on its specific targets.

Standardization of Diploid Codonopsis laceolata Root Extract as an Anti-Hyperuricemic Source

Codonopsis lanceolate exerts various medicinal effects and has been used as a traditional medicine for inflammation, asthma, gastritis, and liver disease. Recently, we reported the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of C. lanceolata extract and that lobetyolin, one of the key components, was a xanthine oxidase inhibitor. Lobetyolin showed anti-hyperuricemic activity in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we prepared various types of C. lanceolata extracts for the development of functional materials and natural drugs. We present the optimal analytical approach for the quality control and extraction optimization of C. lanceolata preparations. We established and validated a HPLC analysis for easy separation and quantification of the lobetyolin biomarker. Solvent extracts of C. lanceolata root were prepared and the profiles of the active marker and the optimal extraction methods were evaluated. The 100% ethanolic extract demonstrated the highest lobetyolin content. The validated HPLC method confirmed that lobetyolin was present in C. lanceolata root extracts. We suggest that the anti-hyperuricemic activities of C. lanceolata extract could be attributed to this marker compound. The results proposed that the 100% ethanolic extract could be used for the prevention of hyperurecemia, and that this analytical method and biomarker could be useful for the quality control of C. lanceolata preparations.