Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Extract Inhibits Tumorigenicity and Overcomes Cisplatin-Resistance in Ovarian Cancer Cells Through Targeting AMPK Signaling Cascade

The latest research progress: Active components of Traditional Chinese medicine as promising candidates for ovarian cancer therapy

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ovarian cancer ranks the first in the mortality of gynecological tumors. Because there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage of ovarian cancer, most patients are in the advanced stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. The incidence of ovarian cancer is increasing year by year, and the incidence of ovarian cancer has a trend of younger age. In recent years. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a significant impact on improving the quality of life of cancer patients, reducing drug toxicity, preventing metastasis and recurrence, enhancing the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and prolonging survival time, so patients have benefited a lot.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review summarizes the mechanisms and molecular pathways through which active ingredients of TCM act in ovarian cancer. It explores the advantages of TCM in treating ovarian cancer. This review provides theoretical support for the use of TCM in the treatment of ovarian cancer, offering new perspectives for its clinical prevention and treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This review conducted a literature search on PubMed, Web of Science, Wanfang Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) for relevant studies on TCM active ingredients in preventing ovarian cancer. The search terms included "ovarian cancer" combined with "Chinese herbal medicine," "Herbal medicine," "Traditional Chinese medicine," and "Active ingredients of Chinese medicine". Based on existing experimental and clinical research, the paper systematically summarized and analyzed the mechanisms of TCM in treating ovarian cancer.

RESULTS

Active ingredients of TCM inhibit the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer through inducing tumor cell apoptosis, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, suppressing tumor cell migration and invasion, inducing tumor cell autophagy, promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and enhancing the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy drugs. Chinese medicine provides a comprehensive treatment option for ovarian cancer patients, synergizing with radiotherapy and chemotherapy drugs to enhance treatment effectiveness and introduce new hope and possibilities in clinical therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Active ingredients of TCM can inhibit the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer, but further clinical research is needed to support their application.

Importance of Certain Varieties of Cucurbits in Enhancing Health: A Review

The Cucurbitaceae family is an extensive group of fruits and vegetables that exhibit common characteristics; for example, they are farmed on a global scale and exhibit a wide range of applications, including fresh consumption and use in various food and beverage products. As is frequent, many species or genera share a common name, and this can lead to some confusion when looking for information about a specific variety. In this review, we describe the findings about the biological activity, like antibacterial, antiviral, antidiabetic, and anticancer properties, of two genera of this family, Cucumis and Momordica, which have been characterized and evaluated in several research studies and regarding which information is readily accessible. Those activities rely on the various physicochemical qualities and nutritional content of each variety, including factors like β-carotene and polyphenols, among others. The goal of this review is to provide a rapid search for each activity examined in the literature, enabling future research on their potential uses in functional foods and nutraceutical supplements.

Recent Advances in the Application of Cucurbitacins as Anticancer Agents

Cucurbitacins are tetracyclic triterpenoid secondary metabolites, widely distributed in the Cucurbitaceae family. These bitter-tasting compounds act primarily as defense mechanisms against external injuries, and thus against herbivores, and furthermore, they have also found use in folk medicine in the treatment of various diseases. Many studies have acknowledged significant biological activities of cucurbitacins, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, antimicrobial properties, or antitumor potential. Overall, cucurbitacins have the ability to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in various cancer cell lines. Both in vitro and in vivo studies were performed to evaluate the anticancer activity of varied cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins offer a promising avenue for future cancer treatment strategies, and their diverse mechanisms of action make them attractive candidates for further investigation. The aim of the present study is to shed light on the chemical diversity of this group of compounds by providing the sources of origin of selected compounds and their chemical structure, as well as insight into their anticancer potential. In addition, within this paper molecular targets for cucurbitacins and signalling pathways important for cancer cell proliferation and/or survival that are affected by the described class of compounds have been presented.

The Role of Bitter Melon in Breast and Gynecological Cancer Prevention and Therapy

Phytotherapy has long represented a widely accepted treatment alternative to conventional therapy. Bitter melon is a vine with potent antitumor effects against numerous cancer entities. To date, no review article has, however, been published on the role of bitter melon in breast and gynecological cancer prevention and therapy. The current work constitutes the most comprehensive, up-to-date review of the literature, which highlights the promising anticancer effects of bitter melon on breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer cells and discusses future research recommendations.

New Insights into Ferroptosis Initiating Therapies (FIT) by Targeting the Rewired Lipid Metabolism in Ovarian Cancer Peritoneal Metastases

Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological cancers worldwide. The poor prognosis of this malignancy is substantially attributed to the inadequate symptomatic biomarkers for early diagnosis and effective remedies to cure the disease against chemoresistance and metastasis. Ovarian cancer metastasis is often relatively passive, and the single clusters of ovarian cancer cells detached from the primary ovarian tumor are transcoelomic spread by the peritoneal fluid throughout the peritoneum cavity and omentum. Our earlier studies revealed that lipid-enriched ascitic/omental microenvironment enforced metastatic ovarian cancer cells to undertake metabolic reprogramming and utilize free fatty acids as the main energy source for tumor progression and aggression. Intriguingly, cell susceptibility to ferroptosis has been tightly correlated with the dysregulated fatty acid metabolism (FAM), and enhanced iron uptake as the prominent features of ferroptosis are attributed to the strengthened lipid peroxidation and aberrant iron accumulation, suggesting that ferroptosis induction is a targetable vulnerability to prevent cancer metastasis. Therefore, the standpoints about tackling altered FAM in combination with ferroptosis initiation as a dual-targeted therapy against advanced ovarian cancer were highlighted herein. Furthermore, a discussion on the prospect and challenge of inducing ferroptosis as an innovative therapeutic approach for reversing remedial resistance in cancer interventions was included. It is hoped this proof-of-concept review will indicate appropriate directions for speeding up the translational application of ferroptosis-inducing compounds (FINs) to improve the efficacy of ovarian cancer treatment.

Orchestrated Action of AMPK Activation and Combined VEGF/PD-1 Blockade with Lipid Metabolic Tunning as Multi-Target Therapeutics against Ovarian Cancers

Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies worldwide, and chemoresistance is a critical obstacle in the clinical management of the disease. Recent studies have suggested that exploiting cancer cell metabolism by applying AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-activating agents and distinctive adjuvant targeted therapies can be a plausible alternative approach in cancer treatment. Therefore, the perspectives about the combination of AMPK activators together with VEGF/PD-1 blockade as a dual-targeted therapy against ovarian cancer were discussed herein. Additionally, ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic regulated cell death triggered by the availability of redox-active iron, have been proposed to be governed by multiple layers of metabolic signalings and can be synergized with immunotherapies. To this end, ferroptosis initiating therapies (FITs) and metabolic rewiring and immunotherapeutic approaches may have substantial clinical potential in combating ovarian cancer development and progression. It is hoped that the viewpoints deliberated in this review would accelerate the translation of remedial concepts into clinical trials and improve the effectiveness of ovarian cancer treatment.

A comprehensive review on bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) as a gold mine of functional bioactive components for therapeutic foods

Bitter gourd is a tropical wine grown mainly in India, China and South East Asia. The plant is cultivated mainly for its fruit part which is edible. Bitter gourd is unaccepted widely due to its bitter taste. Nevertheless, the fruit is a source of several key nutrients. The plant, as a whole contains, more than 60 phyto-medicines that are active against more than 30 diseases, including cancer and diabetes. Currently, the incorporation of the bioactive compounds isolated from bitter gourd into functional foods and beverages finds a new horizon. Nanoencapsulation and novel green extraction methods can be employed to improve the yield and quality of extracted compounds and their stability while incorporation into food products. The present review is an attempt to throw light to nutritional aspects, various bioactive compounds present and important nutraceutical properties of the bitter gourd plant in detail.

Graphical Abstract

Transcriptome and metabolome changes induced by bitter melon (Momordica charantia)- intake in a high-fat diet induced obesity model

Background and aim

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex disease of physiological imbalances interrelated to abnormal metabolic conditions, such as abdominal obesity, type II diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension. In the present pilot study, we investigated the nutraceutical bitter melon (Momordica charantia L) -intake induced transcriptome and metabolome changes and the converging metabolic signaling networks underpinning its inhibitory effects against MetS-associated risk factors.

Experimental procedure

Metabolic effects of lyophilized bitter melon juice (BMJ) extract (oral gavage 200 mg/kg/body weight-daily for 40 days) intake were evaluated in diet-induced obese C57BL/6J male mice [fed-high fat diet (HFD), 60 kcal% fat]. Changes in a) serum levels of biochemical parameters, b) gene expression in the hepatic transcriptome (microarray analysis using Affymetrix Mouse Exon 1.0 ST arrays), and c) metabolite abundance levels in lipid-phase plasma [liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics] after BMJ intervention were assessed.

Results and conclusion

BMJ-mediated changes showed a positive trend towards enhanced glucose homeostasis, vitamin D metabolism and suppression of glycerophospholipid metabolism. In the liver, nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) and circadian rhythm signaling, as well as bile acid biosynthesis and glycogen metabolism targets were modulated by BMJ (p < 0.05). Thus, our in-depth transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis suggests that BMJ-intake lowers susceptibility to the onset of high-fat diet associated MetS risk factors partly through modulation of PPAR signaling and its downstream targets in circadian rhythm processes to prevent excessive lipogenesis, maintain glucose homeostasis and modify immune responses signaling.

The Role of Bitter Taste Receptors in Cancer: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Since it is known that bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) are expressed and functionally active in various extra-oral cells, their genetic variability and functional response initiated by their activation have become of broader interest, including in the context of cancer.

METHODS

A systematic research was performed in PubMed and Google Scholar to identify relevant publications concerning the role of TAS2Rs in cancer.

RESULTS

While the findings on variations of TAS2R genotypes and phenotypes and their association to the risk of developing cancer are still inconclusive, gene expression analyses revealed that TAS2Rs are expressed and some of them are predominately downregulated in cancerous compared to non-cancerous cell lines and tissue samples. Additionally, receptor-specific, agonist-mediated activation induced various anti-cancer effects, such as decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as increased apoptosis. Furthermore, the overexpression of TAS2Rs resulted in a decreased tumour incidence in an in vivo study and TAS2R activation could even enhance the therapeutic effect of chemotherapeutics in vitro. Finally, higher expression levels of TAS2Rs in primary cancerous cells and tissues were associated with an improved prognosis in humans.

CONCLUSION

Since current evidence demonstrates a functional role of TAS2Rs in carcinogenesis, further studies should exploit their potential as (co-)targets of chemotherapeutics.

AMPK activators for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

INTRODUCTION

As the global population ages at an unprecedented rate, the burden of neurodegenerative diseases is expected to grow. Given the profound impact illness like dementia exert on individuals and society writ large, researchers, physicians, and scientific organizations have called for increased investigation into their treatment and prevention. Both metformin and aspirin have been associated with improved cognitive outcomes. These agents are related in their ability to stimulate AMP kinase (AMPK). Momordica charantia, another AMPK activator, is a component of traditional medicines and a novel agent for the treatment of cancer. It is also being evaluated as a nootropic agent.

AREAS COVERED

This article is a comprehensive review which examines the role of AMPK activation in neuroprotection and the role that AMPK activators may have in the management of dementia and cognitive impairment. It evaluates the interaction of metformin, aspirin, and Momordica charantia, with AMPK, and reviews the literature characterizing these agents' impact on neurodegeneration.

EXPERT OPINION

We suggest that AMPK activators should be considered for the treatment and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. We identify multiple areas of future investigation which may have a profound impact on patients worldwide.

Roles of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) in Mammalian Reproduction

Reproduction is an energy demanding function and only take place in case of sufficient available energy status in mammals. Metabolic diseases such as anorexia nervosa are clinically associated with reduced fertility. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), as a major regulator of cellular energy homeostasis, is activated in limited energy reserves to ensure the orderly progress of various physiological activities. In recent years, mounting evidence shows that AMPK is involved in the regulation of reproductive function through multiple mechanisms. AMPK is likely to be a metabolic sensor integrating central and peripheral signals. In this review, we aim to explore the preclinical studies published in the last decade that investigate the role of AMP-activated protein kinase in the reproductive field, and its role as a target for drug therapy of reproductive system-related diseases. We also emphasized the emerging roles of AMPK in transcriptional regulation of reproduction processes and metabolisms, which are tightly related to the energy state and fertility of an organism.

Bitter Melon (Momordica Charantia), a Nutraceutical Approach for Cancer Prevention and Therapy

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Many dietary plant products show promising anticancer effects. Bitter melon or bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is a nutrient-rich medicinal plant cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of many countries. Traditionally, bitter melon is used as a folk medicine and contains many bioactive components including triterpenoids, triterpene glycoside, phenolic acids, flavonoids, lectins, sterols and proteins that show potential anticancer activity without significant side effects. The preventive and therapeutic effects of crude extract or isolated components are studied in cell line-based models and animal models of multiple types of cancer. In the present review, we summarize recent progress in testing the cancer preventive and therapeutic activity of bitter melon with a focus on underlying molecular mechanisms. The crude extract and its components prevent many types of cancers by enhancing reactive oxygen species generation; inhibiting cancer cell cycle, cell signaling, cancer stem cells, glucose and lipid metabolism, invasion, metastasis, hypoxia, and angiogenesis; inducing apoptosis and autophagy cell death, and enhancing the immune defense. Thus, bitter melon may serve as a promising cancer preventive and therapeutic agent.

Denatonium as a Bitter Taste Receptor Agonist Modifies Transcriptomic Profile and Functions of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells

The contribution of cell-extrinsic factors in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) generation and persistence has gained interest. Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) are G protein-coupled receptors known for their primary role as a central warning signal to induce aversion toward noxious or harmful substances. Nevertheless, the increasing amount of evidence about their extra-oral localization has suggested a wider function in sensing microenvironment, also in cancer settings. In this study, we found that AML cells express functional TAS2Rs. We also highlighted a significant association between the modulation of some TAS2Rs and the poor-prognosis AML groups, i.e., TP53- and TET2-mutated, supporting a potential role of TAS2Rs in AML cell biology. Gene expression profile analysis showed that TAS2R activation with the prototypical agonist, denatonium benzoate, significantly modulated a number of genes involved in relevant AML cellular processes. Functional assay substantiated molecular data and indicated that denatonium reduced AML cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase or induced apoptosis via caspase cascade activation. Moreover, denatonium exposure impaired AML cell motility and migratory capacity, and inhibited cellular respiration by decreasing glucose uptake and oxidative phosphorylation. In conclusion, our results in AML cells expand the observation of cancer TAS2R expression to the setting of hematological neoplasms and shed light on a role of TAS2Rs in the extrinsic regulation of leukemia cell functions.

Oridonin Sensitizes Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis via AMPK/Akt/mTOR-Dependent Autophagosome Accumulation in A549 Cells

AMPK-mediated autophagy and Akt/mTOR pathways play important roles in current cancer treatments. Oridonin (Ori), an ent-kaurane diterpenoid isolated from Isodon rubescens, exerts extensive anti-tumor potential and controversial effects on autophagy. In this study, we investigated the effect of Ori on the autophagy, apoptosis, and AMPK/Akt/mTOR pathways and determined whether Ori was related to the increased cisplatin sensitivity observed in A549 cells. First, we found that Ori suppressed Akt/mTOR, Bcl2 and autophagy flux with enhanced levels of Atg3, P62, and LC3II, which was also shown as the accumulation of autophagosomes. AMPK and pro-apoptotic proteins (caspase3, Bax, and PARP) were activated in Ori-treated cells. With the pretreatment of compound c (AMPK inhibitor), the activation of autophagosomes, apoptosis and the inhibition of Akt/mTOR pathways induced by Ori were all reversed. The Ori-activated apoptosis-related markers mentioned previously and the cell-killing effect were restrained by 3-MA (inhibitor of autophagosomes) treatment. Therefore, we hypothesized that the Ori-induced pro-apoptotic effect was mediated by AMPK/Akt/mTOR-dependent accumulation of impaired autophagosomes. Furthermore, Ori could increase the sensitivity of cisplatin through its increased cell-killing, autophagy-suppressing and apoptosis-inducing activities. In addition to sensitizing cisplatin, Ori also alleviated cisplatin-induced acute renal injury in vivo, manifested as depleted BUN, CRE, kidney index, and weight loss compared to the cisplatin group. In summary, apart from its protective effect on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, Ori enhanced cisplatin sensitivity via its pro-apoptotic activity mediated by AMPK/Akt/mTOR-dependent autophagosome activation, which may be a potential therapeutic target for non-small cell lung cancer.

Activation of AMPK by Medicinal Plants and Natural Products: Its Role in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type-2 Diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disease characterized by permanent hyperglycemia, whose development can be prevented or delayed by using therapeutic agents and implementing lifestyle changes. Some therapeutic alternatives include regulation of glycemia through modulation of different mediators and enzymes, such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a highly relevant cellular energy sensor for metabolic homeostasis regulation, with particular relevance in the modulation of liver and muscle insulin sensitivity. This makes it a potential therapeutic target for antidiabetic drugs. In fact, some of them are standard drugs used for treatment of T2D, such as biguanides and thiazolidindiones. In this review, we compile the principal natural products that are activators of AMPK and their effect on glucose metabolism, which could make them candidates as future antidiabetic agents. Phenolics such as flavonoids and resveratrol, alkaloids such as berberine, and some saponins are potential natural activators of AMPK with a potential future as antidiabetic drugs.

Are polyphenol antioxidants at the root of medicinal plant anti-cancer success?

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Given the severe side effects associated with most of the conventional cancer medications, as well as the expanding body of evidence indicating secondary toxicity of these drugs, individuals with cancer are increasingly turning to natural alternatives. Similarly, the pharmaceutical industry is in search of natural products to treat cancer. An understanding of the specific active components in plant products with which anti-cancer efficacy is achieved is required for this research to move forward.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To integrate data from cancer-relatestudies on plant-derived products or extracts, to elucidate whether these products may have similar active ingredients and/or mechanisms of action, that can explain their efficacy. This review also includes a discussion of the methodological complexities and important considerations involved in accurate isolation and characterisation of active substances from plant material.

CONCLUSIONS

From the literature reviewed, most plant products with consistently reported anti-cancer efficacy contains high levels of polyphenols or other potent antioxidants and their mechanisms of action correlate to that reported for isolated antioxidants in the context of cancer. This suggests that natural products may indeed become the panacea against this chronic disease - either as therapeutic medicine strategy or to serve as templates for the design of novel synthetic drugs. The recommendation is made that antioxidant activity of plant actives and especially polyphenols, should be the focus of anti-cancer drug discovery initiatives. Lastly, researchers are advised to exploit current techniques of chemical compound characterisation when investigating polyphenol-rich plants to enable the easy consolidation of research findings from different laboratories.

Bitter taste receptors are expressed in human epithelial ovarian and prostate cancers cells and noscapine stimulation impacts cell survival

Bitter taste receptors (Tas2Rs) are a subfamily of G-protein coupled receptors expressed not only in the oral cavity but also in several extra-oral tissues and disease states. Several natural bitter compounds from plants, such as bitter melon extract and noscapine, have displayed anti-cancer effects against various cancer types. In this study, we examined the prevalence of Tas2R subtype expression in several epithelial ovarian or prostate cancer cell lines, and the functionality of Tas2R14 was determined. qPCR analysis of five TAS2Rs demonstrated that mRNA expression often varies greatly in cancer cells in comparison to normal tissue. Using receptor-specific siRNAs, we also demonstrated that noscapine stimulation of ovarian cancer cells increased apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells in a receptor-dependent, but ROS-independent manner. This study furthers our understanding of the function of Tas2Rs in ovarian cancer by demonstrating that their activation has an impact on cell survival.

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) as a rich source of bioactive components to combat cancer naturally: Are we on the right track to fully unlock its potential as inhibitor of deregulated signaling pathways

Research over decades has progressively explored pharmacological actions of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia). Biologically and pharmacologically active molecules isolated from M. charantia have shown significant anti-cancer activity in cancer cell lines and xenografted mice. In this review spotlight was set on the bioactive compounds isolated from M. charantia that effectively inhibited cancer development and progression via regulation of protein network in cancer cells. We summarize most recent high-quality research work in cancer cell lines and xenografted mice related to tumor suppressive role-play of M. charantia and its bioactive compounds. Although M. charantia mediated health promoting, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory effects have been extensively investigated, there is insufficient information related to regulation of signaling networks by bioactive molecules obtained from M. charantia in different cancers. M. charantia has been shown to modulate AKT/mTOR/p70S6K signaling, p38MAPK-MAPKAPK-2/HSP-27 pathway, cell cycle regulatory proteins and apoptosis-associated proteins in different cancers. However, still there are visible knowledge gaps related to the drug targets in different cancers because we have not yet developed comprehensive understanding of the M. charantia mediated regulation of signal transduction pathways. To explore these questions, experimental platforms are needed that can prove to be helpful in getting a step closer to personalized medicine.

Effects of resveratrol, curcumin, berberine and other nutraceuticals on aging, cancer development, cancer stem cells and microRNAs

Natural products or nutraceuticals have been shown to elicit anti-aging, anti-cancer and other health-enhancing effects. A key target of the effects of natural products may be the regulation of microRNA (miR) expression which results in cell death or prevents aging, diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases. This review will focus on a few natural products, especially on resveratrol (RES), curcumin (CUR) and berberine (BBR). RES is obtained from the skins of grapes and other fruits and berries. RES may extend human lifespan by activating the sirtuins and SIRT1 molecules. CUR is isolated from the root of turmeric (Curcuma longa). CUR is currently used in the treatment of many disorders, especially in those involving an inflammatory process. CUR and modified derivatives have been shown to have potent anti-cancer effects, especially on cancer stem cells (CSC). BBR is also isolated from various plants (e.g., Coptis chinensis) and has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat diseases such as adult- onset diabetes. Understanding the benefits of these and other nutraceuticals may result in approaches to improve human health.

BG-4, a novel bioactive peptide from momordica charantia, inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in THP-1 human macrophages

BACKGROUND

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is a commonly used food crop for management of a variety of diseases most notably for control of diabetes, a disease associated with aberrant inflammation.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the anti-inflammatory property of BG-4, a novel bioactive peptide isolated from the seed of bitter melon.

METHODS

Differentiated THP-1 human macrophages were pre-treated with BG-4 and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. Pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mechanism of action involving activation of NF-κB and phosphorylation of ERK and STAT3 was measured by western blot and immunofluorescence. The production of intracellular reactive oxygen species was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence spectrophotometry.

RESULTS

BG-4 dose dependently reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. The ability of BG-4 to reduce production of cytokines are associated with reduced phosphorylation of ERK and STAT3 accompanied by reduced nuclear translocation of p65 NF-κB subunit. The mechanism of action is reduction of LPS-induced production of intracellular reactive oxygen species.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrated the ability of BG-4, a novel peptide from the seed of bitter melon, to exert anti-inflammatory action. This could explain the traditional use of bitter melon against diseases associated with aberrant and uncontrolled inflammation.

Antitumor effects of baicalin on ovarian cancer cells through induction of cell apoptosis and inhibition of cell migration in vitro

Baicalin, an active flavone isolated from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been demonstrated to induce various beneficial biochemical effects such as anti‑inflammatory, anti‑viral, and antitumor effects. However, the antitumor mechanism of baicalin is not well understood. In the present study, baicalin was demonstrated to inhibit the viability and migration of a widely used ovarian cancer cell line, A2780, in a dose‑dependent manner. MTT assays revealed that cell viability significantly decreased in ovarian cancer cells treated with baicalin compared with untreated cells, without effect on normal ovarian cells. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that baicalin suppressed cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis. The underlying mechanisms involved were indicated to be downregulation of the anti‑apoptotic protein B‑cell lymphoma 2 apoptosis regulator and activation of caspase‑3 and ‑9. In addition, wound healing and transwell assays revealed that cell migratory potential and expression of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)‑2 and MMP‑9 were significantly inhibited when cells were exposed to baicalin, compared with untreated cells. The present study therefore suggested that baicalin has the potential to be used in novel anti‑cancer therapeutic formulations for treatment of ovarian cancer.

Targeting AMPK signaling in combating ovarian cancers: opportunities and challenges

The development and strategic application of effective anticancer therapies have turned out to be one of the most critical approaches of managing human cancers. Nevertheless, drug resistance is the major obstacle for clinical management of these diseases especially ovarian cancer. In the past years, substantial studies have been carried out with the aim of exploring alternative therapeutic approaches to enhance efficacy of current chemotherapeutic regimes and reduce the side effects caused in order to produce significant advantages in overall survival and to improve patients' quality of life. Targeting cancer cell metabolism by the application of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-activating agents is believed to be one of the most plausible attempts. AMPK activators such as 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-β-d-ribofuranoside, A23187, metformin, and bitter melon extract not only prevent cancer progression and metastasis but can also be applied as a supplement to enhance the efficacy of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in human cancers such as ovarian cancer. However, because of the undesirable outcomes along with the frequent toxic side effects of most pharmaceutical AMPK activators that have been utilized in clinical trials, attentions of current studies have been aimed at the identification of replaceable reagents from nutraceuticals or traditional medicines. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of many nutraceuticals in anticancer still remain obscure. Therefore, better understanding of the functional characterization and regulatory mechanism of natural AMPK activators would help pharmaceutical development in opening an area to intervene ovarian cancer and other human cancers.