Grape seed procyanidin extract against lung cancer: the role of microrna-106b, bioavailability, and bioactivity

Effects of grape seed procyanidins on the lipid metabolism of growing-finishing pigs based on transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses

This study investigated how lipid metabolism in the longissimus thoracis is influenced by the diet supplemented with grape seed procyanidins (GSPs) in growing-finishing pigs. Forty-eight crossbred pigs were randomly assigned to four groups, each receiving a basal diet, or basal diet added with 150, 200, and 250 mg/kg GSPs. Transcriptomics and metabolomics were employed to explore differential gene and metabolite regulation. The expression of key lipid metabolism-related genes was tested via qRT-PCR, and the lipid and fatty acid composition of the longissimus thoracis were determined. Dietary GSPs at different concentrations upregulated lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which is involved in lipolysis, and significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1B (CPT1B) and cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), implicated in transmembrane transport of fatty acids. Dietary supplementation of GSPs at 200 or 250 mg/kg markedly reduced total cholesterol and triglyceride content in longissimus thoracis. Dietary GSPs significantly decreased the contents of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, while increasing unsaturated fatty acids. In conclusion, GSPs may regulate lipid metabolism, reducing cholesterol level, and improving fatty acid composition in the longissimus thoracis of growing-finishing pigs. Our findings provide evidence for the beneficial effects of GSPs as pig feed additives for improving lipid composition.

The benefits of grape seed extract in neurological disorders and brain aging

Common neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, epilepsy, autism and psychiatric disorders, affect many people worldwide and threaten their lives and health by inducing movement disorders, behavioral disorders, or a combination of both. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play a central role in neuronal damage and neurological diseases induction and progression. In addition, protein homeostasis (proteostasis) impairment occurs in many neurodegenerative diseases, which plays a critical role in the progression of the pathology. Grape seed contains several flavonoids and non-flavonoids and exerts potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, polyphenols and flavanols can maintain cellular proteostasis. Since impaired proteostasis is closely involved in all amyloid diseases, particularly neurodegenerative diseases, grape seeds extract can be a valuable therapeutic agent. Therefore, this review discusses the protective and therapeutic mechanisms of grape seed against neurological disorders and, in the end, links GSE to microRNAs as future therapeutic developments.

Combinations of grape seed procyanidin extract and milk thistle silymarin extract against lung cancer - The role of MiR-663a and FHIT

AIMS

Grape seed procyanidin extract (GSE), and milk thistle silymarin extract (MTE) contain structurally distinct polyphenols, and each agent has been shown to exert antineoplastic effects against lung cancer. We hypothesize that combinations of GSE and MTE will additively enhance their anticancer effects against lung cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The anti-proliferative effects of GSE, MTE and combinations were evaluated in lung neoplastic cell lines. A dose range finding (DRF) study to determine safety, bioavailability and bioactivity, followed by human lung cancer xenograft efficacy studies were conducted in female nude mice with once daily gavage of leucoselect phytosome (LP), a standardized GSE, and/or siliphos, a standardized MTE. The roles of tumor suppressors miR-663a and its predicted target FHIT in mediating the additive, anti-proliferative effecs of GSE/MTE were also assessed.

KEY FINDINGS

GSE with MTE additively inhibited lung preneoplastic and cancer cell proliferations. Mice tolerated all dosing regimens in the DRF study without signs of clinical toxicity nor histologic abnormalities in the lungs, livers and kidneys. Eight weeks of LP and siliphos additively inhibited lung tumor xenograft growth. Plasma GSE/metabolites and MTE/metabolites showed that the combinations did not decrease systemic bioavailabilities of each agent. GSE and MTE additively upregulated miR-663a and FHIT in lung cancer cell lines; transfection of antisense-miR-663a significantly abrogated the anti-proliferative effects of GSE/MTE, upregulation of FHIT mRNA and protein. LP and siliphos also additively increased miR-663a and FHIT protein in lung tumor xenografts.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our findings support clinical translations of combinations of GSE and MTE against lung cancer.

Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Propolis and Its Polyphenolic Compounds against Cancer

In recent years, interest in natural products such as alternative sources of pharmaceuticals for numerous chronic diseases, including tumors, has been renewed. Propolis, a natural product collected by honeybees, and polyphenolic/flavonoid propolis-related components modulate all steps of the cancer progression process. Anticancer activity of propolis and its compounds relies on various mechanisms: cell-cycle arrest and attenuation of cancer cells proliferation, reduction in the number of cancer stem cells, induction of apoptosis, modulation of oncogene signaling pathways, inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases, prevention of metastasis, anti-angiogenesis, anti-inflammatory effects accompanied by the modulation of the tumor microenvironment (by modifying macrophage activation and polarization), epigenetic regulation, antiviral and bactericidal activities, modulation of gut microbiota, and attenuation of chemotherapy-induced deleterious side effects. Ingredients from propolis also "sensitize" cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents, likely by blocking the activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB). In this review, we summarize the current knowledge related to the the effects of flavonoids and other polyphenolic compounds from propolis on tumor growth and metastasizing ability, and discuss possible molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the modulation of inflammatory pathways and cellular processes that affect survival, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis of the tumor.

Insights into the Mechanisms of Action of Proanthocyanidins and Anthocyanins in the Treatment of Nicotine-Induced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

In traditional medicine, different parts of plants, including fruits, have been used for their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. Plant-based foods, such as fruits, seeds and vegetables, are used for therapeutic purposes due to the presence of flavonoid compounds. Proanthocyanidins (PCs) and anthocyanins (ACNs) are the major distributed flavonoid pigments in plants, which have therapeutic potential against certain chronic diseases. PCs and ACNs derived from plant-based foods and/or medicinal plants at different nontoxic concentrations have shown anti-non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) activity in vitro/in vivo models through inhibiting proliferation, invasion/migration, metastasis and angiogenesis and by activating apoptosis/autophagy-related mechanisms. However, the potential mechanisms by which these compounds exert efficacy against nicotine-induced NSCLC are not fully understood. Thus, this review aims to gain insights into the mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential of PCs and ACNs in nicotine-induced NSCLC.

MVGCN: data integration through multi-view graph convolutional network for predicting links in biomedical bipartite networks

MOTIVATION

There are various interaction/association bipartite networks in biomolecular systems. Identifying unobserved links in biomedical bipartite networks helps to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of human complex diseases and thus benefits the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Although a great number of computational methods have been proposed to predict links in biomedical bipartite networks, most of them heavily depend on features and structures involving the bioentities in one specific bipartite network, which limits the generalization capacity of applying the models to other bipartite networks. Meanwhile, bioentities usually have multiple features, and how to leverage them has also been challenging.

RESULTS

In this study, we propose a novel multi-view graph convolution network (MVGCN) framework for link prediction in biomedical bipartite networks. We first construct a multi-view heterogeneous network (MVHN) by combining the similarity networks with the biomedical bipartite network, and then perform a self-supervised learning strategy on the bipartite network to obtain node attributes as initial embeddings. Further, a neighborhood information aggregation (NIA) layer is designed for iteratively updating the embeddings of nodes by aggregating information from inter- and intra-domain neighbors in every view of the MVHN. Next, we combine embeddings of multiple NIA layers in each view, and integrate multiple views to obtain the final node embeddings, which are then fed into a discriminator to predict the existence of links. Extensive experiments show MVGCN performs better than or on par with baseline methods and has the generalization capacity on six benchmark datasets involving three typical tasks.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION

Source code and data can be downloaded from https://github.com/fuhaitao95/MVGCN.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

An overview on the role of plant-derived tannins for the treatment of lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Despite many advanced approaches to treat cancer, they are often ineffective due to resistance to classical anti-cancer drugs and distant metastases. Currently, alternative medicinal agents derived from plants are the major interest due to high bioavailability and fewer adverse effects. Tannins are polyphenolic compounds existing as specialized products in a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Many tannins have been found to possess protective properties, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, and so on. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge addressing the anti-cancer effects of dietary tannins and their underlying molecular mechanisms. In vivo and in vitro studies provide evidences that anti-cancer effects of various tannins are predominantly mediated through negative regulation of transcription factors, growth factors, receptor kinases, and many oncogenic molecules. In addition, we also discussed the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties of tannins, clinical trial results as well as our perspective on future research with tannins.

Procyanidins mediates antineoplastic effects against non-small cell lung cancer via the JAK2/STAT3 pathway

Background

Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with one of the highest rates of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) account for 85% of all lung cancers and have a poor prognosis. Proanthocyanidins (PCs) are polyphenolic compounds that are found widely in natural plants. The present study aimed to determine the effects of PC on lung cancer and identify its possible mechanism.

Methods

A cell growth assay was used to detect the cell growth ability of A549 cancer cells, and a clonal formation assay was used to detect the cloning ability of A549 cancer cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect the effect of PCs on apoptosis and the cell cycle. The wound healing test, Transwell migration, and invasion test were used to detect the migration and invasion of human NSCLC A549 cells. Western blotting was utilized to detect the expression levels of N-cadherin, E-cadherin, vimentin, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), p-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3), STAT3, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, and the apoptosis-related proteins, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and BCL2-associated X (Bax). Cell immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression levels of the p-STAT3 primary antibody.

Results

PCs reduced the proliferation and cloning ability of A549 cells and significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner. At the same time, PCs induced apoptosis in A549 cells and G2/M cell cycle arrest. PCs increased the pro-apoptotic protein expression, Bax, and down-regulated the anti-apoptotic protein expression, Bcl-2. PCs also inhibited the epithelial-mesothermal transition (EMT) process of A549 cells. We also found that the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway inhibitor, AG490, cooperated with PCs to inhibit A549 cell invasion and migration. Our results demonstrated that PCs could mediate the antitumor effect of NSCLC via the JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Conclusions

PCs can inhibit NSCLC A549 cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, clone formation, EMT, and induced apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. They work by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. As a novel antitumor drug, PCs have broad application prospects for the treatment of NSCLC.

Leucoselect Phytosome Modulates Serum Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, and Prostaglandin E3 in a Phase I Lung Cancer Chemoprevention Study

Grape seed procyanidin extract (GSE) has been shown to exert antineoplastic properties in preclinical studies. Recently, we reported findings from a modified phase I, open-label, dose escalation clinical study conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, MTD, and potential chemopreventive effects of leucoselect phytosome, a standardized GSE complexed with soy phospholipids to enhance bioavailability, in heavy active and former smokers. Three months of leucoselect phytosome treatment significantly decreased bronchial Ki-67 labeling index (LI), a marker of cell proliferation on the bronchial epithelium. Because GSE is widely used as a supplement to support cardiovascular health, we evaluate the impact of oral leucoselect phytosome on the fasting serum complex lipid metabolomics profiles in our participants. One month of leucoselect phytosome treatment significantly increased eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) with well-established anticancer properties. Leucoselect phytosome also significantly increased unsaturated phosphatidylcholines (PC), likely from soy phospolipids in the phytosome and functioning as transporters for these PUFAs. Furthermore, 3-month leucoselect phytosome treatment significantly increased serum prostaglandin (PG) E₃ (PGE₃), a metabolite of EPA with anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic properties. Such increases in PGE₃ correlated with reductions of bronchial Ki-67 LI (r = -0.9; P = 0.0374). Moreover, posttreatment plasma samples from trial participants significantly inhibited proliferation of human lung cancer cell lines A549 (adenocarcinoma), H520 (squamous cell carcinoma), DMS114 (small cell carcinoma), and 1198 (preneoplastic cell line). Our findings further support the potential utility of leucoselect phytosome in reducing cardiovascular and neoplastic risks in heavy former and active smokers. PREVENTION RELEVANCE: In this correlative study of leucoselect phytosome for lung cancer chemoprevention in heavy active and former smokers, we demonstrate for the first time, favorable modulations of n-3PUFA and downstream PGE₃ in fasting serum, further supporting the chemopreventive potential of leucoselect phytosome against lung cancer.

Health Effects of Grape Seed and Skin Extracts and Their Influence on Biochemical Markers

This review is focused on the study of the effects of grape seed and skin extract (GSSE) on human health. GSSE contains high concentrations of important polyphenolic substances with high biological activity. This review is a summary of studies that investigate the effects of GSSE on diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and cancer, its neuroprotective effect, and its effects on the gastrointestinal tract and other health complications related to these diseases. The results of the studies confirm that the anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and pro-proliferative effects of “Vitis vinifera L.” seed extract reduce the level of oxidative stress and improve the overall lipid metabolism.

Up-regulated miR-106b inhibits ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell apoptosis in atherosclerosis

This research aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of microRNA (miR)-106b in cell apoptosis of atherosclerosis (AS). Human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) were divided into control group, oxidized-low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL) group, miR-106b NC+ox-LDL group, miR-106b mimics+ox-LDL group, miR-106b mimics+PTEN+ox-LDL group, and miR-106b mimics+empty+ox-LDL group. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction, cholecystokinin, TdT-mediated biotinylated nick end-labeling assay, luciferase reporter gene assay, and flow cytometry analysis were performed to determine the morphology, proliferation, and apoptosis in HSECs. Moreover, the levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), Bcl-2, p-P13K, and p-AKT in HAECs were detected by western blot. MiR-106b was down-regulated in ox-LDL-induced HAECs. PTEN was the target gene of miR-106b-5p. Overexpression of PTEN inhibited the anti-apoptotic effect of miR-106b. Compared with the control group, the proportion and number of HAECs apoptosis and Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 expression in ox-LDL and miR-106b mimics+PTEN+ox-LDL groups were significantly increased (all P<0.05). Moreover, the activity of HAECs and Bcl-2 were decreased significantly (all P<0.05). Overexpression of miR-106b in ox-LDL-induced AS inhibited endothelial cell apoptosis. Furthermore, miR-106b might activate the PI3K/AKT pathway by down-regulating the expression of PTEN in ox-LDL-induced HAECs.

Milagro F, Sánchez J, de la Garza AL, Castro H. miRNAs and Novel Food Compounds Related to the Browning Process

Obesity prevalence is rapidly increasing worldwide. With the discovery of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans, BAT activation has emerged as a potential strategy for increasing energy expenditure. Recently, the presence of a third type of fat, referred to as beige or brite (brown in white), has been recognized to be present in certain kinds of white adipose tissue (WAT) depots. It has been suggested that WAT can undergo the process of browning in response to stimuli that induce and enhance the expression of thermogenesis: a metabolic feature typically associated with BAT. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small transcriptional regulators that control gene expression in a variety of tissues, including WAT and BAT. Likewise, it was shown that several food compounds could influence miRNAs associated with browning, thus, potentially contributing to the management of excessive adipose tissue accumulation (obesity) through specific nutritional and dietetic approaches. Therefore, this has created significant excitement towards the development of a promising dietary strategy to promote browning/beiging in WAT to potentially contribute to combat the growing epidemic of obesity. For this reason, we summarize the current knowledge about miRNAs and food compounds that could be applied in promoting adipose browning, as well as the cellular mechanisms involved.

Exploring the Antioxidant Effects and Periodic Regulation of Cancer Cells by Polyphenols Produced by the Fermentation of Grape Skin by Lactobacillus plantarum KFY02

Lactobacillus plantarum KFY02 (LP-KFY02) was isolated from naturally fermented yoghurt in Xinjiang. We previously demonstrated that LP-KFY02 has good biological activity in vitro. In this study, LP-KFY02 was used to ferment grape skin, and the LP-KFY02 fermented grape skin extract solution (KFSE) was examined for its antioxidant ability in a human embryonic kidney (293T) cell oxidative damage model caused by H2O2 and its inhibitory effect on human hepatoma (HepG2) cells. The results showed that KFSE reduced the degree of oxidative damage in 293T cells, increased the relevant expression levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and GSH-peroxidase (GSH-Px), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and decreased the expression levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO). The expression of genes and proteins of SOD, CAT, GSH, and GSH-Px was up-regulated. In addition, KFSE-induced growth inhibition appeared to be through induction of cell-cycle arrest. This induction was accompanied by a reduction in the expression of cell-cycle genes, such as cyclin-D1 and CDK4. In addition, KFSE induced gene expression of p21, the apoptosis gene wild-type p53 and the caspase family. At the protein expression level, Bax and Caspase-8 were up-regulated, and the inflammatory marker Nuclear Factor Kappa-B (NF-κB) was down-regulated. The fermentation solution polyphenols were separated and identified as epicatechin gallate, coumarin, new chlorogenic acid, rutin, resveratrol, chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid, etc. by HPLC. Overall, these results demonstrate that KFSE significantly attenuated oxidative damage in 293T cells and inhibited tumor growth in HepG2 cancer cells, induces cell-cycle arrest and affects proteins involved in cell-cycle regulation and proliferation. This suggests that KFSE may also be explored as a neo-adjuvant to expansion of hepatoma.

A Pilot Study of a Grape Seed Procyanidin Extract for Lung Cancer Chemoprevention

Grape seed procyanidin extract (GSE) had been reported to exert antineoplastic properties in preclinical studies. A modified phase I, open-label, dose-escalation clinical study was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, MTD, and potential chemopreventive effects of leucoselect phytosome (LP), a standardized GSE complexed with soy phospholipids to enhance bioavailability, in heavy active and former smokers. Eight subjects ages 46-68 years were enrolled into the study and treated with escalating oral doses of LP for 3 months. Bronchoscopies with bronchoalveolar lavage and bronchial biopsies were performed before and after 3 months of LP treatment. Hematoxylin and eosin stain for histopathology grading and IHC examination for Ki-67 proliferative labeling index (Ki-67 LI) were carried out on serially matched bronchial biopsy samples from each subject to determine responses to treatment. Two subjects were withdrawn due to issues unrelated to the study medication, and a total of 6 subjects completed the full study course. In general, 3 months of LP, reaching the highest dose per study protocol was well tolerated and no dosing adjustment was necessary. Such a treatment regimen significantly decreased bronchial Ki-67 LI by an average of 55% (P = 0.041), with concomitant decreases in serum miR-19a, -19b, and -106b, which were oncomirs previously reported to be downregulated by GSE, including LP, in preclinical studies. In spite of not reaching the original enrollment goal of 20, our findings nonetheless support the continued clinical translation of GSE as an antineoplastic and chemopreventive agent against lung cancer.