Targeting androgen receptor in glioblastoma

Glioblastomas are primary brain tumors that originate from glial stem cells or progenitor cells. There is a large difference in the incidence of glioblastoma between males and females. Studies revealed that the gender differences in the tumor may be attributable to the androgen receptor signaling axis. The incidence rate of glioblastoma in men is higher than that in women. Aberrant activation of the androgen receptor signaling pathway, or interactions between the androgen receptor signaling axis and other signaling axes promote the development of glioblastoma. Therefore, targeting the androgen receptor holds promise as a therapeutic approach for glioblastoma. This review investigates the dynamics of drug research into the treatment of glioblastoma by targeting the androgen receptor. The first finding in line with expectations is that androgen receptor antagonists, represented by enzalutamide, have been studied and shown to have anti-glioblastoma effects. In addition, it was found that the combination of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and androgen receptor antagonists resulted in better therapeutic outcomes than each of them alone. Similar results were obtained with the combination of an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor and an androgen receptor antagonist. In addition, four small molecule compounds have been shown to exert significant anti-glioblastoma effects by directly or indirectly targeting the androgen receptor. Expectantly, one of these small molecules, seviteronel, progressed to the phase II clinical trial stage. These findings suggest that targeting the androgen receptor for glioblastoma may be a promising therapeutic option.

ZnO Nanocomposites of Juniperus procera and Dodonaea viscosa Extracts as Antiproliferative and Antimicrobial Agents

Cancer and microbial infections constitute a major burden and leading cause of death globally. The development of therapeutic compounds from natural products is considered a cornerstone in drug discovery. Therefore, in the present study, the ethanolic extract and the fractions of Dodonaea viscosa and Juniperus procera were evaluated for anticancer and antimicrobial activities. It was found that two fractions, JM and DC, exhibited promising anticancer and antimicrobial activities. The JM and DC fractions were further modified into ZnO nanocomposites, which were characterized by SEM, XRD, TGA, and EDX. It was noted that the synthesized nanocomposites displayed remarkable enhancement in cytotoxicity as well as antibacterial activity. Nanocomposite DC–ZnO NRs exhibited cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ values of 16.4 ± 4 (HepG2) and 29.07 ± 2.7 μg/mL (HCT-116) and JM–ZnO NRs with IC₅₀ values of 12.2 ± 10.27 (HepG2) and 24.1 ± 3.0 μg/mL (HCT-116). In addition, nanocomposites of DC (i.e., DC–ZnO NRs) and JM (i.e., JM–ZnO NRs) displayed excellent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with MICs of 2.5 and 1.25 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, these fractions and nanocomposites were tested for cytotoxicity against normal fibroblasts and were found to be non-toxic. GC-MS analysis of the active fractions were also carried out to discover the possible phytochemicals that are responsible for these activities.

In Vitro Testing of Alternative Synthetic and Natural Antiparasitic Compounds against the Monogenean Sparicotyle chrysophrii

Gill monogenean Sparicotyle chrysophrii is considered the most detrimental fish parasite to the Mediterranean aquaculture. Treatment of sparicotylosis relies on frequent gill inspections correlated with the seasonal increase in seawater temperature, application of functional feeds, and treatments with formalin baths where permitted. While the latter is bound to be banned in Europe, other synthetic anthelminthics, such as praziquantel and ivermectin, are prone to induce resistance in the parasites. Therefore, we investigated, in vitro, 14 synthetic and natural compounds against adult S. chrysophrii, developing dose-response modelsm and estimated toxicity levels at 20%, 50%, and 80% parasite mortality. Bactericidal activity of target compounds was also tested in two important aquaculture bacteria; Vibrio harveyi and V. anguillarum, while their potential host toxicity was evaluated in gilthead seabream SAF-1 cell line. Synthetic compound bithionate sodium exerted the most potent toxicity against the monogenean, no host cytotoxicity, and a medium and high potency against two bacterial pathogens. In comparison, target natural compounds were approximately 20 (cedrol) or up to 154 times (camphor) less toxic for the monogenean. Rather than completely dismissing natural compounds, we suggest that their application in combination with synthetic drugs, especially if administered in the feed, might be useful in sparicotylosis treatment.

Plant Disease Control Efficacy of Platycladus orientalis and Its Antifungal Compounds

Plants contain a number of bioactive compounds that exhibit antimicrobial activity, which can be recognized as an important source of agrochemicals for plant disease control. In searching for natural alternatives to synthetic fungicides, we found that a methanol extract of the plant species Platycladus orientalis suppressed the disease development of rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae. Through a series of chromatography procedures in combination with activity-guided fractionation, we isolated and identified a total of eleven compounds including four labdane-type diterpenes (1-4), six isopimarane-type diterpenes (5-10), and one sesquiterpene (11). Of the identified compounds, the MIC values of compounds 1, 2, 5 & 6 mixture, 9, and 11 ranged from 100 to 200 μg/mL against M. oryzae, whereas the other compounds were over 200 μg/mL. When rice plants were treated with the antifungal compounds, compounds 1, 2, and 9 effectively suppressed the development of rice blast at all concentrations tested by over 75% compared to the non-treatment control. In addition, a mixture of compounds 5 & 6 that constituted 66% of the P. orientalis ethyl acetate fraction also exhibited a moderate disease control efficacy. Together, our data suggest that the methanol extract of P. orientalis including terpenoid compounds has potential as a crop protection agent.

Cedrol from Ginger Ameliorates Rheumatoid Arthritis via Reducing Inflammation and Selectively Inhibiting JAK3 Phosphorylation

Ginger, as a food spice, is widely applied due to its extensive effects. Cedrol (CE) found in ginger is a sesquiterpene with anti-inflammatory activity. The objective of this research is to discuss the efficacy of CE on ameliorating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). CE inhibited chronic inflammation and pain in a dose-dependent manner accompanied by rapid onset and long duration. Besides, CE treatment effectively ameliorated the paw edema volume and arthritis score with no significant effect on body weight. Organ index, T-cell and B-cell proliferation, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that CE had immunological enhancement and attenuated RA effects. Remarkably, inhibition of phosphorylated-JAK3 protein, thereby abating the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammation-related mediators, was involved in the potential mechanism of CE efficiency through forming a hydrogen bond with ARG953 and ILE955 in the JAK3 active pocket. At the same time, the pharmacokinetic results showed that the absolute bioavailability of CE at 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg was 30.30, 23.68, and 16.11%, respectively. The current results offered clues for mastering the ameliorated RA of CE and further perfected the effective substance basis on the anti-inflammatory effect of ginger, which was beneficial for further applications.

Donkey milk inhibits triple-negative breast tumor progression and is associated with increased cleaved-caspase-3 expression

Donkey milk is considered an ideal substitute for human milk and is considered a potential complementary dairy product for the treatment of a variety of human diseases, including cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of donkey colostrum (DC) and mature milk (DM) on 4T1 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tumors in mice. Metabolomics analyses showed that a total of 476 possible metabolites were found in both types of milk. Among them, 34 differential metabolites were identified, including 25 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated metabolites in the DC compared with DM. Both DC and DM are rich in many known anticancer constituents. The inhibitory effects of DC and DM on 4T1 primary tumors and the relative organ weight of the liver and lungs were determined by measuring the volume of primary tumors and weighing the liver and lungs. Both DC and DM significantly reduced both the primary tumor size and relative organ weight of the liver and lungs in 4T1 mice without affecting the bodyweight of mice. When the expression of cleaved caspase-3, Bax, and MMP2 was investigated by immunohistochemistry, the results showed that DC and DM inhibited the progression of 4T1 tumors by inducing the expression of cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax, and inhibiting the expression of MMP2 and CD31. Our data suggest that DC and DM inhibit the growth and metastasis of mouse 4T1 tumors by inducing apoptosis.

Composition, in vitro Cytotoxicity, Anti-mildew and Anti-wood-decay Fungal Activities of the Bark Essential Oil of Cunninghamia lanceolata var. konishii from Taiwan

In this study, cytotoxicity, anti-mildew and anti-wood-decay fungal activities of the bark essential oil and its constituents from Cunninghamia lanceolata var. konishii were evaluated in vitro against three human cancer cell lines, seven mildew fungi, and four wood decay fungi, respectively. The main compounds responsible for the cytotoxicity, anti-mildew, and anti-wood decay fungal activities were also identified. The essential oil from the barks of C. lanceolata var. konishii was isolated using hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus, and characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS, respectively. The bark oil mainly consisted of ferruginol (15.1%), β-caryophyllene (11.2%), α-cadinol (10.9%) and cedrol (10.1%). The essential oil exhibited cytotoxic activity against human oral, liver, and lung cancer cells. The active source compounds were α-cadinol, cedrol, β-caryophyllene, and ferruginol. The bark oil was shown to have excellent anti-mildew and anti-wood-decay fungal activities, the active compounds being evaluated as α-cadinol, cedrol, and ferruginol.

Analysis and Olfactory Description of Four Essential Oils from Vietnam

The present study evaluates the chemical composition and olfactory description of the essential oils of Asarum glabrum Merr., Calocedrus macrolepis Kurz, Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook. and Glyptostrobus pensilis (Stainton ex D. Don) K. Koch. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Concerning their chemical composition, 66, 42, 57 and 21 volatile compounds were identified from dried leaves in the case of Asarum glabrum Merr. and wood for the other three, representing 98.7%, 67.2%, 92.0% and 87.5 % of the total composition, respectively. The main compounds of Asarum glabrum oil were safrole (38.1%), apiole (10.8%) and myristicin (8.0%); of Calocedrus macrolepis verbenone (9.3%), piperitone (8.6 %), α-terpineol (6.0%) and ( Z)-β-terpineol (5.3%); of Cunninghamia lanceolata oil cedrol (26.3%), α-terpineol (24.1%) and camphor (7.0%); and of Glyptostrobus pensilis oil dihydro-eudesmol isomer (assumed) (18.3%), cedrol (16.4%), occidentalol (13.2%) and elemol (9.0%).

Composition and in vitro Anticancer Activities of the Leaf Essential Oil of Neolitsea variabillima from Taiwan

This study investigated the chemical composition and in vitro anticancer activities of the essential oil isolated from the leaf of Neolitsea variabillima. The essential oil was isolated using hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus, and characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS. Sixty-seven compounds were identified, representing 100% of the oil. The main components identified were trans-β-ocimene (13.4%), α-cadinol (10.5%), terpinen-4-ol (9.3%), τ-cadinol (9.2%), β-caryophyllene (8.8%), and sabinene (6.7%). The anticancer activities of oil were evaluated. The results showed that the oil exhibited cytotoxic activity against human oral, liver, lung, colon, melanoma, and leukemic cancer cells. The presence of β-caryophyllene, τ-cadinol, and α-cadinol significantly contributed to the anticancer activities of N. variabillima leaf oil.