Boswellic acid sensitizes gastric cancer cells to Cisplatin-induced apoptosis via p53-mediated pathway

Treatment of Cachexia in Gastric Cancer: Exploring the Use of Anti-Inflammatory Natural Products and Their Derivatives

(1) Background: Gastric cancer is a significant cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Weight loss and malnutrition associated with cancer are linked with increased mortality rates and reduced quality of life. Cancer cachexia, characterised by the loss of skeletal muscle, is associated with approximately 20% of cancer-related deaths and differs from malnutrition in that it cannot be fully reversed by nutritional support alone. It is now recognised that the primary pathophysiological process underlying cancer cachexia is chronic inflammation leading to increased calorie consumption. Current treatments that focus on nutritional supplementation, psychological counselling, appetite stimulation and reducing inflammation are lacking in efficacy. This review focuses on the evidence supporting the potential roles of natural anti-inflammatory products and their derivatives including fatty acids, probiotics, amino acids, curcumin, fucoidan, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, ginger, resveratrol and Boswellia serrata in the management of gastric cancer cachexia. (2) Results: While natural anti-inflammatory products show promise in a number of in vitro and in vivo studies, there are only a small number of human studies available. Where present, the evidence base is heterogeneous, with varying study methodologies and outcomes. (3) Conclusions: Natural anti-inflammatory products represent a potential adjunctive therapy for gastric cancer cachexia. Further research, particularly well-designed clinical trials, is needed to elucidate their optimal role, dosing and safety profiles in the management of gastric cancer cachexia.

A state-of-art of underlying molecular mechanisms and pharmacological interventions/nanotherapeutics for cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer

The fourth common reason of death among patients is gastric cancer (GC) and it is a dominant tumor type in Ease Asia. One of the problems in GC therapy is chemoresistance. Cisplatin (CP) is a platinum compound that causes DNA damage in reducing tumor progression and viability of cancer cells. However, due to hyperactivation of drug efflux pumps, dysregulation of genes and interactions in tumor microenvironment, tumor cells can develop resistance to CP chemotherapy. The current review focuses on the CP resistance emergence in GC cells with emphasizing on molecular pathways, pharmacological compounds for reversing chemoresistance and the role of nanostructures. Changes in cell death mechanisms such as upregulation of pro-survival autophagy can prevent CP-mediated apoptosis that results in drug resistance. Moreover, increase in metastasis via EMT induction induces CP resistance. Dysregulation of molecular pathways such as PTEN, PI3K/Akt, Nrf2 and others result in changes in CP response of GC cells. Non-coding RNAs determine CP response of GC cells and application of pharmacological compounds with activity distinct of CP can result in sensitivity in tumor cells. Due to efficacy of exosomes in transferring bioactive molecules such as RNA and DNA molecules among GC cells, exosomes can also result in CP resistance. One of the newest progresses in overcoming CP resistance in GC is application of nanoplatforms for delivery of CP in GC therapy that they can increase accumulation of CP at tumor site and by suppressing carcinogenic factors and overcoming biological barriers, they increase CP toxicity on cancer cells.

Anti-cancer properties of boswellic acids: mechanism of action as anti-cancerous agent

With the advent of highly effective plant-based medications with few or no side effects, the use of phytomedicines against complex diseases such as cancer is becoming more widespread. The broadly recognized pentacyclic triterpenes known as boswellic acids (BAs) are derived from the oleogum resin, or frankincense, extracted from the plant species of the genus Boswellia. The frankincense mixture contains various BA types, each having a different potential and helping treat certain cancers. This review focuses on details regarding the traits of the BAs, their roles as anti-cancer agents, the mechanism underlying their activities, and the function of their semi-synthetic derivatives in managing and treating certain cancers. The review also explores the biological sources of BAs, how they are conserved, and how biotechnology might help preserve and improve in vitro BA production. The review concludes that the BAs and their semi-synthetic derivatives are effective against a broad spectrum of cancer cell lines. The detailed information in the review can be helpful for researchers to gain more information about BAs and BA-based medications for efficient and cost-effective cancer treatments.

Natural products targeting signaling pathways associated with regulated cell death in gastric cancer: Recent advances and perspectives

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most serious gastrointestinal malignancies with high morbidity and mortality. The complexity of GC process lies in the multi-phenotypic linkage regulation, in which regulatory cell death (RCD) is the core link, which largely dominates the fate of GC cells and becomes a key determinant of GC development and prognosis. In recent years, increasing evidence has been reported that natural products can prevent and inhibit the development of GC by regulating RCDs, showing great therapeutic potential. In order to further clarify its key regulatory characteristics, this review focused on specific expressions of RCDs, combined with a variety of signaling pathways and their crosstalk characteristics, sorted out the key targets and action rules of natural products targeting RCD. It is highlighted that a variety of core biological pathways and core targets are involved in the decision of GC cell fate, including the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, MAPK-related signaling pathways, p53 signaling pathway, ER stress, Caspase-8, gasdermin D (GSDMD), and so on. Moreover, natural products target the crosstalk of different RCDs by modulating above signaling pathways. Taken together, these findings suggest that targeting various RCDs in GC with natural products is a promising strategy, providing a reference for further clarifying the molecular mechanism of natural products treating GC, which warrants further investigations in this area.

β Boswellic Acid Blocks Articular Innate Immune Responses: An In Silico and In Vitro Approach to Traditional Medicine

Osteoarthritis (OA) is hallmarked as a silent progressive rheumatic disease of the whole joint. The accumulation of inflammatory and catabolic factors such as IL6, TNFα, and COX2 drives the OA pathophysiology into cartilage degradation, synovia inflammation, and bone destruction. There is no clinical available OA treatment. Although traditional ayurvedic medicine has been using Boswellia serrata extracts (BSE) as an antirheumatic treatment for a millennium, none of the BSE components have been clinically approved. Recently, β boswellic acid (BBA) has been shown to reduce in vivo OA-cartilage loss through an unknown mechanism. We used computational pharmacology, proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics to present solid evidence of BBA therapeutic properties in mouse and primary human OA joint cells. Specifically, BBA binds to the innate immune receptor Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) complex and inhibits both TLR4 and Interleukin 1 Receptor (IL1R) signaling in OA chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and synoviocytes. Moreover, BBA inhibition of TLR4/IL1R downregulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis and MAPK p38/NFκB, NLRP3, IFNαβ, TNF, and ECM-related pathways. Altogether, we present a solid bulk of evidence that BBA blocks OA innate immune responses and could be transferred into the clinic as an alimentary supplement or as a therapeutic tool after clinical trial evaluations.

Combination therapy of cisplatin and resveratrol to induce cellular aging in gastric cancer cells: Focusing on oxidative stress, and cell cycle arrest

Background: As a medical dilemma, gastric cancer will have 7.3 million new cases in 2040. Despite the disease's high economic and global burden, conventional chemotherapy regimens containing cisplatin have insufficient effectiveness and act non-specifically, leading to several adverse drug reactions To address these issues, the biological efficacy of the cisplatin-resveratrol combination was tested. Methods: To find IC50, gastric adenocarcinoma cells (AGS) were exposed to different concentrations of resveratrol and cisplatin. Anti-cancer and anti-metastatic effects of 100 M resveratrol with concentrations of cisplatin (25, 50, and 100 g/ml) were studied by assessing ß-galactosidase and telomerase activities, senescence and migration gene expression, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, and cell cycle arrest. Results: Co-administration of cisplatin and resveratrol increased ß-galactosidase activity, ROS level as a key marker of oxidative stress, p53, p38, p16, p21, and MMP-2 gene expression, and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Additionally, telomerase activity, pro-inflammatory gene expression, and cell invasion were suppressed. The best results were achieved with 100 g/ml cisplatin co-administered with resveratrol. Conclusion: The current study proved the synergistic effect of the cisplatin-resveratrol combination on suppressing metastasis and inducing apoptosis and cell senescence through targeting P38/P53 and P16/P21 pathways. Such promising results warrant translation to animal models and the clinic. This may lead to cost-effective, available, and accessible treatment regimens with targeted action and the fewest ADRs.

Potential complementary and/or synergistic effects of curcumin and boswellic acids for management of osteoarthritis

For several thousand years (~4000) Boswellia serrata and Curcuma longa have been used in Aryuvedic medicine for treatment of various illnesses, including asthma, peptic ulcers, and rheumatoid arthritis, all of which are mediated through pathways associated with inflammation and pain. Although the in vivo pharmacology of both these natural ingredients is difficult to study because of poor bioavailability, in vitro data suggest that both influence gene expression mediated through nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Therefore, the activity of pathways associated with inflammation (including NF-κB and lipoxygenase- and cyclooxygenase-mediated reduction in leukotrienes/prostaglandins) and those involved in matrix degradation and apoptosis are reduced, resulting in a reduction in pain. Additive activity of boswellic acids and curcumin was observed in preclinical models and synergism was suggested in clinical trials for the management of osteoarthritis (OA) pain. Overall, studies of these natural ingredients, alone or in combination, revealed that these extracts relieved pain from OA and other inflammatory conditions. This may present an opportunity to improve patient care by offering alternatives for patients and physicians, and potentially reducing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory or other pharmacologic agent use. Additional research is needed on the effects of curcumin on the microbiome and the influence of intestinal metabolism on the activity of curcuminoids to further enhance formulations to ensure sufficient anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity. This narrative review includes evidence from in vitro and preclinical studies, and clinical trials that have evaluated the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of curcumin and boswellic acids individually and in combination for the management of OA pain.

β-Boswellic Acid Suppresses Breast Precancerous Lesions via GLUT1 Targeting-Mediated Glycolysis Inhibition and AMPK Pathway Activation

Breast carcinoma is a multistep progressive disease. Precancerous prevention seems to be crucial. β-Boswellic acid (β-BA), the main component of the folk medicine Boswellia serrata (B. serrata), has been reported to be effective in various diseases including tumors. In this work, we demonstrated that β-BA could inhibit breast precancerous lesions in rat disease models. Consistently, β-BA could suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis on MCF-10AT without significantly influencing MCF-10A. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis suggested that β-BA may interfere with the metabolic pathway. Metabolism-related assays showed that β-BA suppressed glycolysis and reduced ATP production, which then activated the AMPK pathway and inhibited the mTOR pathway to limit MCF-10AT proliferation. Further molecular docking analysis suggested that GLUT1 might be the target of β-BA. Forced expression of GLUT1 could rescue the glycolysis suppression and survival limitation induced by β-BA on MCF-10AT. Taken together, β-BA could relieve precancerous lesions in vivo and in vitro through GLUT1 targeting-induced glycolysis suppression and AMPK/mTOR pathway alterations. Here, we offered a molecular basis for β-BA to be developed as a promising drug candidate for the prevention of breast precancerous lesions.

Molecular evidences on anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and memory-boosting effects of frankincense

Chemical diversity of natural products with drug-like features has attracted much attention from medicine to develop more safe and effective drugs. Their anti-inflammatory, antitumor, analgesic, and other therapeutic properties are sometimes more successful than chemical drugs in controlling disease due to fewer drug resistance and side effects and being more tolerable in a long time. Frankincense, the oleo gum resin extracted from the Boswellia species, contains some of these chemicals. The anti-inflammatory effect of its main ingredient, boswellic acid, has been traditionally used to treat many diseases, mainly those target memory functions. In this review, we have accumulated research evidence from the beneficial effect of Frankincense consumption in memory improvement and the prevention of inflammation and cancer. Besides, we have discussed the molecular pathways mediating the therapeutic effects of this natural supplement.

The Optimized Delivery of Triterpenes by Liposomal Nanoformulations: Overcoming the Challenges

The last decade has witnessed a sustained increase in the research development of modern-day chemo-therapeutics, especially for those used for high mortality rate pathologies. However, the therapeutic landscape is continuously changing as a result of the currently existing toxic side effects induced by a substantial range of drug classes. One growing research direction driven to mitigate such inconveniences has converged towards the study of natural molecules for their promising therapeutic potential. Triterpenes are one such class of compounds, intensively investigated for their therapeutic versatility. Although the pharmacological effects reported for several representatives of this class has come as a well-deserved encouragement, the pharmacokinetic profile of these molecules has turned out to be an unwelcomed disappointment. Nevertheless, the light at the end of the tunnel arrived with the development of nanotechnology, more specifically, the use of liposomes as drug delivery systems. Liposomes are easily synthesizable phospholipid-based vesicles, with highly tunable surfaces, that have the ability to transport both hydrophilic and lipophilic structures ensuring superior drug bioavailability at the action site as well as an increased selectivity. This study aims to report the results related to the development of different types of liposomes, used as targeted vectors for the delivery of various triterpenes of high pharmacological interest.