The anti-carcinogenesis properties of erianin in the modulation of oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis and immune response in liver cancer

Natural products for enhancing the sensitivity or decreasing the adverse effects of anticancer drugs through regulating the redox balance

Redox imbalance is reported to play a pivotal role in tumorigenesis, cancer development, and drug resistance. Severe oxidative damage is a general consequence of cancer cell responses to treatment and may cause cancer cell death or severe adverse effects. To maintain their longevity, cancer cells can rescue redox balance and enter a state of resistance to anticancer drugs. Therefore, targeting redox signalling pathways has emerged as an attractive and prospective strategy for enhancing the efficacy of anticancer drugs and decreasing their adverse effects. Over the past few decades, natural products (NPs) have become an invaluable source for developing new anticancer drugs due to their high efficacy and low toxicity. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that many NPs exhibit remarkable antitumour effects, whether used alone or as adjuvants, and are emerging as effective approaches to enhance sensitivity and decrease the adverse effects of conventional cancer therapies by regulating redox balance. Among them are several novel anticancer drugs based on NPs that have entered clinical trials. In this review, we summarize the synergistic anticancer effects and related redox mechanisms of the combination of NPs with conventional anticancer drugs. We believe that NPs targeting redox regulation will represent promising novel candidates and provide prospects for cancer treatment in the future.

Discovery of the Natural Bibenzyl Compound Erianin in Dendrobium Inhibiting the Growth and EMT of Gastric Cancer through Downregulating the LKB1-SIK2/3-PARD3 Pathway

Erianin, a bibenzyl compound found in dendrobium extract, has demonstrated broad anticancer activity. However, its mechanism of action in gastric cancer (GC) remains poorly understood. LKB1 is a tumor-suppressor gene, and its mutation is an important driver of various cancers. Yet some studies have reported contradictory findings. In this study, we combined bioinformatics and in vitro and in vivo experiments to investigate the effect and potential mechanism of Erianin in the treatment of GC. The results show that LKB1 was highly expressed in patients' tumor tissues and GC cells, and it was associated with poor patient prognosis. Erianin could promote GC cell apoptosis and inhibit the scratch repair, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) characteristics. Erianin dose-dependently inhibited the expression of LKB1, SIK2, SIK3, and PARD3 but had no significant effect on SIK1. Erianin also inhibited tumor growth in CDX mice model. Unexpectedly, 5-FU also exhibited a certain inhibitory effect on LKB1. The combination of Erianin and 5-FU significantly improved the anti-tumor efficacy of 5-FU in the growth of GC cells and xenograft mouse models. In summary, Erianin is a potential anti-GC compound that can inhibit GC growth and EMT properties by targeting the LKB1-SIK2/3-PARD3-signaling axis. The synergistic effect of Erianin and 5-FU suggests a promising therapeutic strategy for GC treatment.

Research progress on the pharmacological mechanism, in vivo metabolism and structural modification of Erianin

Erianin is an important bibenzyl compound in dendrobium and has a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties. Since Erianin was discovered, abundant results have been achieved in the in vitro synthesis, structural modification, and pharmacological mechanism research. Researchers have developed a series of simple and efficient in vitro synthesis methods to improve the shortcomings of poor water solubility by replacing the chemical structure or coating it in nanomaterials. Erianin has a broad anti-tumor spectrum and significant anti-tumor effects. In addition, Erianin also has pharmacological actions like immune regulation, anti-inflammatory, and anti-angiogenesis. A comprehensive understanding of the synthesis, metabolism, structural modification, and pharmacological action pathways of Erianin is of great value for the utilization of Erianin. Therefore, this review conducts a relatively systematic look back at Erianin from the above four aspects, to give a reference for the evolvement and further appliance of Erianin.

Erianin inhibits tumor growth by promoting ferroptosis and inhibiting invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma through the JAK2/STAT3/SLC7A11 pathway

Iron has been found to be involved in the tumor cell proliferation process, which can lead to the increased sensitivity of cancer cells to ferroptosis. Since erianin is associated with oxidative stress in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we hypothesized that the therapeutic effect and mechanism of erianin on HCC is related to ferroptosis. HCC cells were stimulated with increase of erianin concentrations for 24 h, and the survival rates of Huh-7 and HepG2 cells gradually decreased. After intervention with different doses of erianin, cell proliferation, clone number, and invasion were prominently decreased, apoptosis ratio was increased. Moreover, Nec-1, CQ, and Z-VAD had no effect on the cell viability induced by erianin, while the combination of ferroptosis inhibitors (deferoxamine mesylate, ferrostatin-1, and liproxstatin-1) and erianin prominently increased cell survival rate. Erianin pretreatment induced ferroptosis by enhancing reactive oxygen species, MDA, and Fe2+ levels, and reducing GSH levels. Erianin activated JAK2/STAT3 pathway and inhibited SLC7A11 and GPX4 expression, thereby inducing ferroptosis. Besides, tumor growth was significantly inhibited in the erianin-treated mice, and there was no obvious toxicity in the mice. Erianin reduced proliferation and invasion of HCC cells by inducing ferroptosis by blocking the JAK2/STAT3/SLC7A11 pathway, thereby impeding tumor growth.

Recent advances of antitumor leading compound Erianin: Mechanisms of action and structural modification

Erianin, a bioactive compound extracted from Dendrobium, a traditional Chinese medicine, exhibits remarkable anti-cancer properties through diverse molecular mechanisms and has attracted the attention of medicinal chemists. However, the low solubility in water, rapid metabolism and elimination from the body lead to poor bioavailability of Erianin, and greatly hinder its clinical application. The development of new Erianin derivatives is continuously proceed to improve its anticancer effects. In recent years, although important progress in the development of Erianin and the publication of some reviews in this aspect, the mechanism against various cancers, pharmacokinetic study, structural modification as well as structure-activity relationships have not been thoroughly considered. This review is aimed at providing complete picture regarding the above aspects by reviewing studies from 2000 to 2023.06. This review also supplies some important viewpoints on the design and future directions for the development of Erianin derivatives as possible clinically effective anticancer agents.

Design, synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies on erianin analogues as pyruvate carboxylase inhibitors in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

A series of novel erianin analogues were designed and synthesized based on the bioisosterism principle by altering the two aromatic rings of erianin, the substituents on the rings and the linker between them. The analogues were evaluated as pyruvate carboxylase (PC) inhibitors in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. It was found that compounds 35 and 36, where fluorine replaces a hydroxyl group, exhibited higher activity than erianin (IC50 value of 17.30 nM) in liver cancer cells with IC50 values of 15.15 nM and 10.05 nM, respectively. Additionally, at a concentration of 10 nM, compounds 35 and 36 inhibited PC with inhibitory rates of 39.10% and 40.15%, respectively, exhibiting nearly identical inhibitory activity to erianin (inhibitory rate of 40.07%). Additionally, a computer simulation docking study demonstrated the basis for better interactions between the receptors and ligands. The fluorine atom of 35 can not only form hydrogen bonds with Lys-1043 (NH⋯F, 2.04 Å), but also form fluorine bonds with the carbonyl groups of Lys-1043 (3.67 Å) and Glu-1046 (3.70 Å), due to the different orientations of the halogens on the B ring warhead. Conversely, the chlorine atom of 34 can only form alkyl hydrophobic interactions with the alkane chain in Lys-1043. Fluorinated compounds 35 and 36 also show better chemical stability and higher log P (clog P = 3.89 for 35 and 36) values than that of erianin (clog P = 3.07), and may be used as candidate compounds for further drug development.

Erianin: A phytoestrogen with therapeutic potential

Erianin, a phytoestrogen with therapeutic potential, is one of the major active components of Dendrobll caulis. Erianin has a variety of pharmacological effects, such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic retinopathy, anti-psoriasis, and antibacterial effects. Especially, in regard to the anti-tumor effect of erianin, the underlying molecular mechanism has been partly clarified. In fact, the numerous pharmacological actions of erianin are complex and interrelated, mainly including ERK1/2, PI3K/Akt, JAK2/STAT3, HIF-1α/PD-L1, PPT1/mTOR, JNK/c-Jun, and p38 MAPK signal pathway. However, on account of the poor water solubility and the low bioavailability of erianin, greatly affected and limited its further development and application. And it is worthwhile and meaningful to explore more extensive pharmacological effects and mechanisms, clarify pharmacokinetics, and synthesize the derivatives of erianin. Conclusively, in this paper, the pharmacological effects of erianin and its mechanism, pharmacokinetics, and derivatives studies were reviewed, in order to provide a reference for the development and application of erianin.

Anti-oxidative-initiated cognitive impairment amelioration in Alzheimer's Disease model rats through preventive transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation

Background

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic and irreversible neurodegenerative disease. Oxidative stress emerges at the early AD stage. As a non-invasive therapy with few adverse reactions, transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) combines acupuncture points of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and electrical stimulation. This study aimed to investigate the amelioration effects of preventive TEAS treatment (P-TEAS) on cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in AD model rats.

Methods

The AD model was established via subcutaneous injections of D-galactose (D-gal, 120 mg/kg/d) into the back of neck for 9 weeks in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats to simulate the oxidative stress in the early AD stage. On the first day of the 10th week, Aβ_1-42 (1 μg/μl) was injected into the CA1 regions of the bilateral hippocampus. P-TEAS was synchronized from the first day of subcutaneous D-gal injections for 9 weeks.

Results

Empirical measurements showed that P-TEAS can improve the spatial memory ability of AD model rats in the Morris water maze. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) was upregulated in the P-TEAS group. Through the detection of the anti-oxidative stress signaling pathway, namely, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)/ NFE2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), it was found that P-TEAS could promote Nrf2 entering into the nucleus and upregulating the production of protective factors heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). It was also found that P-TEAS could downregulate the expressions of BCL2-associated X-protein (Bax), caspase 3, and caspase 9 to inhibit neuronal apoptosis.

Conclusions

P-TEAS has similar efficacy to electroacupuncture in preventing AD occurrence and development. P-TEAS is a new non-invasive intervention therapy for the prevention of AD.

The involvement of Th1 cell differentiation in the anti-tumor effect of purified polysaccharide from Sanghuangporus vaninii in colorectal cancer via multi-omics analysis

Sanghuangporus vaninii is a medicinal mushroom, which has been used as a treatment for various diseases; however, the therapeutic potential and mechanism of action of S. vaninii in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unknown. Herein, human colon adenocarcinoma cells were used to analyze the anti-CRC effects of the purified polysaccharide of S. vaninii (SVP-A-1) in vitro. In SVP-A-1-treated B6/JGpt-Apc^{em1Cin (Min)}/Gpt male (Apc^Min/+) mice, 16S rRNA sequencing was performed on cecal feces, metabolites were examined in serum, and LC-MS/MS protein detection was performed in colorectal tumors. Protein changes were further confirmed by various biochemical detection methods. Water-soluble SVP-A-1 with a molecular weight of 22.5 kDa was first obtained. SVP-A-1 prevented gut microbiota dysbiosis related to metabolic pathways of L-arginine biosynthesis, increased L-citrulline levels in the serum of Apc^Min/+ mice, mediated L-arginine synthesis, and improved antigen presentation in dendritic cells and activated CD4⁺ T cells; the resulting Th1 cells released IFN-γ and TNF-α to act on tumor cells and promoted the sensitivity of tumor cells to cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In summary, SVP-A-1 exerted anti-CRC effects and has excellent potential for CRC treatment.

Erianin Induces Ferroptosis of Renal Cancer Stem Cells via Promoting ALOX12/P53 mRNA N6-methyladenosine Modification

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of primary renal parenchymal malignancy in adults, with a high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis. Human renal cancer stem cells (HuRCSCs) are reported to be the main cause of drug resistance, metastasis, recurrence, and poor prognosis. Erianin is a low molecular-weight bibenzyl natural product extracted from Dendrobium chrysotoxum, which inhibits the in vitro and in vivo activity of a variety of cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms of Erianin's therapeutic effect on HuRCSCs are unknown. Here, we isolated CD44+/CD105+ HuRCSCs from patients with renal cell carcinoma. The experiments confirmed that Erianin significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and tumorigenesis of HuRCSCs, and induced oxidative stress injury and Fe²⁺ accumulation. qRT-PCR and western blotting showed that Erianin significantly reduced the expression levels of cellular Ferroptosis protective factors, and upregulated the expression of METTL3 and downregulated that of FTO. Dot blotting results indicated that Erianin significantly upregulated the mRNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of HuRCSCs. The results of RNA immunoprecipitation-PCR also indicated that Erianin significantly enhanced the m6A modification level of the 3' untranslated region of ALOX12 and P53 mRNA in HuRCSCs, resulting in increased stability, prolonged half-life, and improved translation activity. In addition, clinical data analysis showed that the expression of FTO correlated negatively with adverse events in patient with renal cell carcinoma. Thus, this study suggested that Erianin can induce Ferroptosis in renal cancer stem cells by promoting N6-methyladenosine modification of ALOX12/P53 mRNA, ultimately achieving a therapeutic effect on renal cancer.

The roles of ERIANIN in tumor and innate immunity and its' perspectives in immunotherapy

Traditional Chinese medicine has been used in China for thousands of years. In 2022, the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine was released, aiming to enhance traditional Chinese medicine health services and improve policies and systems for high-quality traditional Chinese medicinal development by 2025. ERIANIN, the main component of the traditional Chinese medicine Dendrobium, plays an important role in anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antitumor, antiangiogenic, and other pharmacological effects. ERIANIN has broad-spectrum antitumor effects, and its tumor-suppressive effects have been confirmed in the study of various diseases, such as precancerous lesions of the stomach, gastric cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, osteosarcoma, colorectal cancer, leukaemia, nasopharyngeal cancer and melanoma through the multiple signaling pathways. Thus, the aim of this review was to systematically summarise the research on ERIANIN with the aim of serving as a reference for future research on this compound and briefly discuss some future perspectives development of ERIANIN in combined immunotherapy.

Boron attenuated diethylnitrosamine induced hepatocellular carcinoma in C3H/HeN mice via alteration of oxidative stress and apoptotic pathway

BACKGROUND

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate various cellular signaling pathways and play an important role in the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Excessive accumulation of ROS can promote HCC. Trace element boron has a wide range of biological effects, including anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, immune regulation and so on.

METHODS

In this study, we investigated the anticancer effects of Sodium tetraborate decahydrate (NaB) in improving oxidative stress and regulating apoptosis in mouse HCC. HCC was induced by intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) 25 mg/kg once at the age of 2 weeks and 100 mg/kg again at the age of 6 weeks in healthy C3H/HeN male mice. At 8 weeks of age, different concentrations of NaB were given intragastric treatment once a day for 20 weeks. Oxidative stress markers, antioxidant status and liver enzyme analysis were detected to evaluate the effectiveness of NaB in inhibiting cancer induction. The anticancer properties of NaB were confirmed by observing the liver index and morphology, and analyzing the expression of apoptotic genes and proteins. Our results showed that boron significantly reduced the production of ROS, and down-regulated the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 and up-regulated the expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins P53, Bax, and caspase 3.

CONCLUSION

Boron has great potential to reduce the effects of oxidative stress, which may help it inhibit the progression of HCC.

Dendrobium candidum polysaccharide reduce atopic dermatitis symptoms and modulate gut microbiota in DNFB-induced AD-like mice

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a high prevalence worldwide. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. In this study, we sought to verify the effect of Dendrobium candidum polysaccharides (DCP) on AD induced by 2,4-Dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) in Balb/c mice regarding its impact on the intestinal microbiome. We found that 2-week oral administration of DCP improved AD-like symptoms and histological damage of skin, reduced mast cell infiltration, down-regulated the level of serum total IgE and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-6, and increased the expression level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. The beneficial effect of DCP was attributed to the restoration of the intestinal microbiome composition and the unbalance of the intestinal homeostasis. Our results indicated that DCP might be used as a promising novel microbiota-modulating agent for the treatment of AD.

Anticancer Activity of Erianin: Cancer-Specific Target Prediction Based on Network Pharmacology

Erianin is a major bisbenzyl compound extracted from Dendrobium chrysotoxum Lindl., an important traditional Chinese herb. In recent years, a growing body of evidence has proved the potential therapeutic effects of erianin on various cancers, including hepatoma, melanoma, non-small-cell lung carcinoma, myelogenous leukemia, breast cancer, and osteosarcoma. Especially, the pharmacological activities of erianin, such as antioxidant and anticancer activity, have been frequently demonstrated by plenty of studies. In this study, we firstly conducted a systematic review on reported anticancer activity of erianin. All updated valuable information regarding the underlying action mechanisms of erianin in specific cancer was recorded and summarized in this paper. Most importantly, based on the molecular structure of erianin, its potential molecular targets were analyzed and predicted by means of the SwissTargetPrediction online server (http://www.swisstargetprediction.ch). In the meantime, the potential therapeutic targets of 10 types of cancers in which erianin has been proved to have anticancer effects were also predicted via the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim). The overlapping targets may serve as valuable target candidates through which erianin exerts its anticancer activity. The clinical value of those targets was subsequently evaluated by analyzing their prognostic role in specific cancer using Kaplan-Meier plotter (http://Kmplot.com/analysis/) and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) (http://gepia.cancer-pku.cn/). To better assess and verify the binding ability of erianin with its potential targets, molecular flexible docking was performed using Discovery Studio (DS). The valuable targets obtained from the above analysis and verification were further mapped to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) (http://david.abcc.ncifcrf.gov/) to explore the possible signaling pathways disturbed/regulated by erianin. Furthermore, the in silico prediction of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties of erianin was also performed and provided in this paper. Overall, in this study, we aimed at 1) collecting all experiment-based important information regarding the anticancer effect and pharmacological mechanism of erianin, 2) providing the predicted therapeutic targets and signaling pathways that erianin might act on in cancers, and 3) especially providing in silico ADMET properties of erianin.

Identification of Pyruvate Carboxylase as the Cellular Target of Natural Bibenzyls with Potent Anticancer Activity against Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Metabolic Reprogramming

Cancer cell proliferation in some organs often depends on conversion of pyruvate to oxaloacetate via pyruvate carboxylase (PC) for replenishing the tricarboxylic acid cycle to support biomass production. In this study, PC was identified as the cellular target of erianin using the photoaffinity labeling-click chemistry-based probe strategy. Erianin potently inhibited the enzymatic activity of PC, which mediated the anticancer effect of erianin in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Erianin modulated cancer-related gene expression and induced changes in metabolic intermediates. Moreover, erianin promotes mitochondrial oxidative stress and inhibits glycolysis, leading to insufficient energy required for cell proliferation. Analysis of 14 natural analogs of erianin showed that some compounds exhibited potent inhibitory effects on PC. These results suggest that PC is a cellular target of erianin and reveal the unrecognized function of PC in HCC tumorigenesis; erianin along with its analogs warrants further development as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HCC.

Natural Product Erianin Inhibits Bladder Cancer Cell Growth by Inducing Ferroptosis via NRF2 Inactivation

Erianin, a natural product derived from Dendrobium chrysotoxum Lindl, has been proved to play antitumor activity in various cancers. However, the effects and molecular mechanisms of erianin in bladder cancer cells remain unexplored. In this study, we found that erianin triggered cell death and cell cycle arrest in bladder cancer cells. Then we demonstrated that erianin could promote the accumulation of lethal lipid-based reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the depletion of glutathione (GSH), suggesting the induction of ferroptosis. In the further study, the ferroptosis inhibitor deferoxamine (DFO), N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) and GSH but not necrostatin-1, CQ or Z-VAD-FMK rescued erianin-caused cell death, showing ferroptosis played a major role in erianin-caused cell death. In vivo, we also showed that erianin suppressed the tumor growth by inducing ferroptosis. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) inactivation was a key determinant of ferroptosis caused by erianin. In bladder cancer cells, the compound tert-butylhydro-quinone (TBHQ), an activator of NRF2, suppressed erianin-induced ferroptosis. Whereas, NRF2 inhibition used shRNA augmented the ferroptosis response induced by erianin treatment. In conclusion, our data provide the first evidence that erianin can initiate ferroptosis-like cell death and lipid peroxidation in bladder cancer, which will hopefully become a promising anticancer compound for the treatment of bladder cancer.

Transferrin-conjugated liposomes loaded with carnosic acid inhibit liver cancer growth by inducing mitochondria-mediated apoptosis

Our previous studies have proven that carnosic acid (CA) induces apoptosis of liver cancer cells. However, the poor chemical properties of CA limit its in vivo anti-cancer effects. In this study, CA was loaded into liposomes (LP-CA), and LP-CA was further conjugated with transferrin (Tf-LP-CA) to overcome the shortcomings of poor solubility and absorption at the lesion site. In HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells, compared with CA and LP-CA, more Tf-LP-CA was absorbed by liver cancer cells, which induced higher levels of apoptosis and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential more effectively. In HepG2- and SMMC-7721-xenotransplanted mice, Tf-LP-CA inhibited tumor growth with no cytotoxicity to the liver, spleen, or kidney. Furthermore, compared with CA and LP-CA, Tf-LP-CA targeted the tumor site more effectively, enhanced the expressions of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and Caspase-3 and -9, and regulated the expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) family members in the tumor tissues. Tf-LP-CA was taken up by tumor cells and targeted at tumor tissues, ensuring the precise delivery of CA, which further promoted mitochondria-mediated intrinsic apoptosis in the liver cancer cells. These results provide evidence for the clinical application of the Tf-LP-based CA drug delivery system for liver cancer.

Ceramide Regulates Anti-Tumor Mechanisms of Erianin in Androgen-Sensitive and Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancers

Prostate cancer is the second most prevalent malignancy worldwide. In the early stages, the development of prostate cancer is dependent on androgens. Over time with androgen deprivation therapy, 20% of prostate cancers progress to a castration-resistant form. Novel treatments for prostate cancers are still urgently needed. Erianin is a plant-derived bibenzyl compound. We report herein that erianin exhibits anti-tumor effects in androgen-sensitive and castration-resistant prostate cancer cells through different mechanisms. Erianin induces endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated apoptosis in androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cells. It also triggers pro-survival autophagic responses, as inhibition of autophagy predisposes to apoptosis. In contrast, erianin fails to induce apoptosis in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. Instead, it results in cell cycle arrest at the M phase. Mechanistically, C16 ceramide dictates differential responses of androgen-sensitive and castration-resistant prostate cancer cells to erianin. Erianin elevates C16 ceramide level in androgen-sensitive but not castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. Overexpression of ceramide synthase 5 that specifically produces C16 ceramide enables erianin to induce apoptosis in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. Our study provides both experimental evidence and mechanistic data showing that erianin is a potential treatment option for prostate cancers.

Transferrin-Conjugated Erianin-Loaded Liposomes Suppress the Growth of Liver Cancer by Modulating Oxidative Stress

Background

Liver cancer is one of the most malignant human cancers, with few treatments and a poor prognosis. Erianin (ERN) is a natural compound with multiple pharmacological activities that has been reported to have numerous excellent effects against liver cancer in experimental systems. However, its application in vivo has been limited due to its poor aqueous solubility and numerous off-target effects. This study aimed to improve the therapeutic efficacy of ERN by developing novel ERN-loaded tumor-targeting nanoparticles.

Results

In this study, ERN was loaded into liposomes by ethanol injection (LP-ERN), and the resulting LP-ERN nanoparticles were treated with transferrin to form Tf-LP-ERN to improve the solubility and enhance the tumor-targeting of ERN. LP-ERN and Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles had smooth surfaces and a uniform particle size, with particle diameters of 62.60 nm and 88.63 nm, respectively. In HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells, Tf-LP-ERN induced apoptosis, decreased mitochondrial membrane potentials and increased ERN uptake more effectively than free ERN and LP-ERN. In xenotransplanted mice, Tf-LP-ERN inhibited tumor growth, but had a minimal effect on body weight and organ morphology. In addition, Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles targeted tumors more effectively than free ERN and LP-ERN nanoparticles, and in tumor tissues Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles promoted the cleavage PARP-1, caspase-3 and caspase-9, increased the expression levels of Bax, Bad, PUMA, and reduced the expression level of Bcl-2. Moreover, in the spleen of heterotopic tumor model BALB/c mice, ERN, LP-ERN and Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles increased the expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1, SOD-1 and SOD-2, but reduced the expression levels of P-IKKα+β and P-NF-κB, with Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles being most effective in this regard. Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles also regulated the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-10 and CCL11 in serum.

Conclusion

Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles exhibited excellent anti-liver cancer activity in vivo and in vitro by inducing cellular apoptosis, exhibiting immunoregulatory actions, and targeting tumor tissues, and did so more effectively than free ERN and LP-ERN nanoparticles. These results suggest that the clinical utility of a Tf-conjugated LP ERN-delivery system for the treatment of liver cancer warrants exploration.

Transferrin-Conjugated Erianin-Loaded Liposomes Suppress the Growth of Liver Cancer by Modulating Oxidative Stress

Background

Liver cancer is one of the most malignant human cancers, with few treatments and a poor prognosis. Erianin (ERN) is a natural compound with multiple pharmacological activities that has been reported to have numerous excellent effects against liver cancer in experimental systems. However, its application in vivo has been limited due to its poor aqueous solubility and numerous off-target effects. This study aimed to improve the therapeutic efficacy of ERN by developing novel ERN-loaded tumor-targeting nanoparticles.

Results

In this study, ERN was loaded into liposomes by ethanol injection (LP-ERN), and the resulting LP-ERN nanoparticles were treated with transferrin to form Tf-LP-ERN to improve the solubility and enhance the tumor-targeting of ERN. LP-ERN and Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles had smooth surfaces and a uniform particle size, with particle diameters of 62.60 nm and 88.63 nm, respectively. In HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells, Tf-LP-ERN induced apoptosis, decreased mitochondrial membrane potentials and increased ERN uptake more effectively than free ERN and LP-ERN. In xenotransplanted mice, Tf-LP-ERN inhibited tumor growth, but had a minimal effect on body weight and organ morphology. In addition, Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles targeted tumors more effectively than free ERN and LP-ERN nanoparticles, and in tumor tissues Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles promoted the cleavage PARP-1, caspase-3 and caspase-9, increased the expression levels of Bax, Bad, PUMA, and reduced the expression level of Bcl-2. Moreover, in the spleen of heterotopic tumor model BALB/c mice, ERN, LP-ERN and Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles increased the expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1, SOD-1 and SOD-2, but reduced the expression levels of P-IKKα+β and P-NF-κB, with Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles being most effective in this regard. Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles also regulated the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-10 and CCL11 in serum.

Conclusion

Tf-LP-ERN nanoparticles exhibited excellent anti-liver cancer activity in vivo and in vitro by inducing cellular apoptosis, exhibiting immunoregulatory actions, and targeting tumor tissues, and did so more effectively than free ERN and LP-ERN nanoparticles. These results suggest that the clinical utility of a Tf-conjugated LP ERN-delivery system for the treatment of liver cancer warrants exploration.

Lysionotin induces apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via caspase-3 mediated mitochondrial pathway

As the sixth most prevalent cancer, liver cancer has been reported as the second cause of cancer-induced deaths globally. Lysionotin, a flavonoid compound widely distributed in Lysionotus pauciflorus Maxim, has attracted considerable attention due to its multiple biological activities. The present study analyzes the anti-liver cancer effects of lysionotin in cells and mouse models. In HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells, lysionotin significantly reduced the viability of cells, inhibited cell proliferation and migration, enhanced cell apoptosis, promoted the increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and alternated the content of apoptosis-related proteins. In HepG2-and SMMC-7721-xenograft tumor mouse models, lysionotin inhibited tumor growth, reduced the expression levels of anti-apoptotic proteins and enhanced the expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins in tumor tissues. Additionally, the pre-treatment of Ac-DEVD-CHO, an inhibitor of caspase-3, strongly restored the low cell viability, the enhanced apoptosis rate, the dissipation of MMP caused by lysionotin exposure, as well as prevented the lysionotin-caused enhancement on expressions of apoptosis related proteins, especially cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), Fas Ligand (FasL), cleaved caspase-3 and Bax in both HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells. Altogether, lysionotin showed significant anti-liver cancer effects related to caspase-3 mediated mitochondrial apoptosis.

Erianin induces triple-negative breast cancer cells apoptosis by activating PI3K/Akt pathway

BACKGROUND

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a refractory subtype of breast cancer, 25-30% of which have dysregulation in the PI3K/AKT pathway. The present study investigated the anticancer effect of erianin on TNBC cell line and its underlying mechanism.

METHODS

After treatment with erianin, MTT assay was employed to determine the MDA-MB-231 and EFM-192A cell proliferation, the nucleus morphological changes were observed by DAPI staining. The cell cycle and apoptotic proportion were detected by flow cytometry. Western blot was performed to determine the cell cycle and apoptosis-related protein expression and PI3K pathways. Finally, the antiproliferative activity of erianin was further confirmed by adding or not adding PI3K agonists SC79.

RESULTS

Erianin inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 and EFM-192A cells in a dose-dependent manner, the IC50 were 70.96 and 78.58 nM, respectively. Erianin could cause cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, and the expressions of p21 and p27 were up-regulated, while the expressions of CDK1 and Cyclin B1 were down-regulated. Erianin also induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway, with the up-regulation of the expression of Cyto C, PARP, Bax, active form of Caspase-3, and Caspase-9. Furthermore, p-PI3K and p-Akt expression were down-regulated by erianin. After co-incubation with SC79, the cell inhibition rate of erianin was decreased, which further confirmed that the attenuated PI3K/Akt pathway was relevant to the pro-apoptotic effect of erianin.

CONCLUSIONS

Erianin can inhibit the proliferation of TNBC cells and induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, which may ascribe to the abolish the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.

Dual Targeting of Cell Growth and Phagocytosis by Erianin for Human Colorectal Cancer

Objective

To investigate the effect of erianin on tumor growth and immune response in human colorectal cancer cells (CRC).

Methods

The effect of erianin on tumor growth was determined by CCK8 and colony formation assay. Western blotting was used to evaluate the expression levels of relevant proteins and qRT-PCR was used to evaluate the mRNA level of the relevant gene. The transcriptional activity of β-catenin was determined by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Cellular thermal shift assay was used to quantify drug–target interactions. The cell surface CD47 was assessed by flow cytometry. The enrichment of H3K27 acetyl marks on CD47 promoter was evaluated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Phagocytosis assay was used to determine the phagocytic activity of macrophage. In vivo role of erianin was studied on xenograft models.

Results

We found that erianin significantly decreased cell survival, colony formation, induced cell cycle arrest, and led to cell apoptosis in SW480 and HCT116 cells. Mechanism analysis demonstrated that erianin inhibited the nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of β-catenin, which might result from erianin-β-catenin interaction. In addition, the downstream gene expressions, such as c-Myc and cyclin D1, was decreased. More interestingly, erianin decreased the expression of CD47 by regulating H3K27 acetyl marks enrichment on CD47 promoter. Consequently, macrophage-mediated phagocytosis was increased. Our in vivo experiments further confirmed the inhibitory effect of erianin on tumor growth.

Conclusion

In summary, erianin could inhibit CRC cells growth and promoted phagocytosis, which suggested erianin as a potential therapeutic strategy for CRC patients.

Glucometabolic Reprogramming in the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Microenvironment: Cause and Effect

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a tumor that exhibits glucometabolic reprogramming, with a high incidence and poor prognosis. Usually, HCC is not discovered until an advanced stage. Sorafenib is almost the only drug that is effective at treating advanced HCC, and promising metabolism-related therapeutic targets of HCC are urgently needed. The “Warburg effect” illustrates that tumor cells tend to choose aerobic glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which is closely related to the features of the tumor microenvironment (TME). The HCC microenvironment consists of hypoxia, acidosis and immune suppression, and contributes to tumor glycolysis. In turn, the glycolysis of the tumor aggravates hypoxia, acidosis and immune suppression, and leads to tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion and metastasis. In 2017, a mechanism underlying the effects of gluconeogenesis on inhibiting glycolysis and blockading HCC progression was proposed. Treating HCC by increasing gluconeogenesis has attracted increasing attention from scientists, but few articles have summarized it. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms associated with the TME, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis and the current treatments for HCC. We believe that a treatment combination of sorafenib with TME improvement and/or anti-Warburg therapies will set the trend of advanced HCC therapy in the future.

Anti-inflammation of Erianin in dextran sulphate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis mice model via collaborative regulation of TLR4 and STAT3

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, idiopathic and inflammatory disease of the rectal and colonic mucosa. Studies have shown that Toll-like receptors (TLR) 4 and Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3)-mediated the decline in immune function and inflammatory infiltration are potential pathomechanism of UC occurrence and development. In this study, the anti-inflammation of Erianin, a natural bibenzyl compound with the antioxidant, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory activities, was investigated in a dextran sodium sulphate-induced UC mouse model. Three-week Erianin administration resulted in the increment on the body weight and colon length, and the reduction on the activity index score of UC mice. Liver, spleen, and renal organ indexes and pathological observations confirmed that Erianin was not cytotoxic and had an effect of improving immune organ function. The haematoxylin and eosin staining sections of colon tissue show Erianin's effect of reversing inflammation in the mucosal laye. Proteomic analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay indicated that Erianin regulated the levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress-related factors and immunochemokines in serum and colon tissues thereby reducing cell peroxidative damage and reducing immune inflammatory responses. Further data obtained by Western Blotting confirmed that Erianin's anti-UC activity was mediated by inhibiting the TLR4 and STAT3 signaling.