13-[CH2CO-Cys-(Bzl)-OBzl]-Berberine: Exploring The Correlation Of Anti-Tumor Efficacy With ROS And Apoptosis Protein

Exploring the protective effects of herbal monomers against diabetic retinopathy based on the regulation of autophagy and apoptosis: A review

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has become one of the top 3 blinding eye diseases in the world. In spite of recent therapeutic breakthroughs, it is not yet possible to cure DR through pharmacotherapy. Cell death is thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of DR. Moderate modulation of cellular autophagy and inhibition of apoptosis have been identified as effective targets for the treatment of DR. Numerous phytochemicals have emerged as potential new drugs for the treatment of DR. We collected basic DR research on herbal monomers through keywords such as autophagy and apoptosis, and conducted a systematic search for relevant research articles published in the PubMed database. This review provides the effects and reports of herbal monomers on various DR cellular and animal models in vivo and in vitro in the available literature, and emphasizes the importance of cellular autophagy and apoptosis as current DR therapeutic targets. Based on our review, we believe that herbal monomers that modulate autophagy and inhibit apoptosis may be potentially effective candidates for the development of new drugs in the treatment of DR. It provides a strategy for further development and application of herbal medicines for DR treatment.

A review of the berberine natural polysaccharide nanostructures as potential anticancer and antibacterial agents

Despite the promising medicinal properties, berberine (BBR), due to its relatively poor solubility in plasma, low bio-stability and limited bioavailability is not used broadly in clinical stages. Due to these drawbacks, drug delivery systems (DDSs) based on nanoscale natural polysaccharides, are applied to address these concerns. Natural polymers are biodegradable, non-immunogenic, biocompatible, and non-toxic agents that are capable of trapping large amounts of hydrophobic compounds in relatively small volumes. The use of nanoscale natural polysaccharide improves the stability and pharmacokinetics of the small molecules and, consequently, increases the therapeutic effects and reduces the side effects of the small molecules. Therefore, this paper presents an overview of the different methods used for increasing the BBR solubility and bioavailability. Afterwards, the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic of BBR nanostructures were discussed followed by the introduction of natural polysaccharides of plant (cyclodextrines, glucomannan), the shells of crustaceans (chitosan), and the cell wall of brown marine algae (alginate)-based origins used to improve the dissolution rate of poorly soluble BBR and their anticancer and antibacterial properties. Finally, the anticancer and antibacterial mechanisms of free BBR and BBR nanostructures were surveyed. In conclusion, this review may pave the way for providing some useful data in the development of BBR-based platforms for clinical applications.

An insight into the medicinal attributes of berberine derivatives: A review

In the last few decades, traditional natural products have been the center of attention for the scientific community and exploration of their therapeutic abilities is proceeding perpetually. Berberine, with remarkable therapeutic diversity, is a plant derived isoquinoline alkaloid which is widely used as a traditional medicine in China. Berberine has been tackled as a fascinating pharmacophore to make great contributions to the discovery and development of new therapeutic agents against variegated diseases. Despite its tremendous therapeutic potential, clinical utility of this alkaloid was significantly compromised due to undesirable pharmacokinetic properties. To overcome this limitation, several structural modifications were performed on this scaffold to improve its therapeutic efficacy. The collective efforts of the community have achieved the tremendous advancements, bringing berberine to clinical use and discovering new therapeutic opportunities by structural modifications on the berberine scaffold. In this review, recent advancements in the medicinal chemistry of berberine and its derivatives in the last few years (2016-2020) have been compiled to represent inclusive data associated with various biological activities of this alkaloid. The comprehensive structure-activity relationship studies along with molecular modelling and mechanistic studies have also been summarized. This article would be highly helpful for the scientific community to get better insight into medicinal research of berberine and become a compelling guide for the rational design of berberine based compounds.

Biological Activity of Berberine-A Summary Update

Berberine is a plant metabolite belonging to the group of isoquinoline alkaloids with strong biological and pharmacological activity. Currently, berberine is receiving considerable interest due to its anticancer activity based on many biochemical pathways, especially its proapoptotic and anti-inflammatory activity. Therefore, the growing number of papers on berberine demands summarizing the knowledge and research trends. The efficacy of berberine in breast and colon cancers seems to be the most promising aspect. Many papers focus on novel therapeutic strategies based on new formulations or search for new active derivatives. The activity of berberine is very important as regards sensitization and support of anticancer therapy in combination with well-known but in some cases inefficient therapeutics. Currently, the compound is being assessed in many important clinical trials and is one of the most promising and intensively examined natural agents.

Development of 13-Cys-BBR as an Agent Having Dual Action of Anti-Thrombosis and Anti-Inflammation

Background

There is a correlation between tumor and inflammation. The activity of 13-[CH₂CO-Cys(Bzl)-OBzl]-berberine (13-Cys-BBR) slowing tumor growth is higher than that of BBR. Whether the anti-inflammation activity of 13-Cys-BBR is higher than that of BBR remains unknown. There is a correlation between thrombosis and inflammation. Whether 13-Cys-BBR is an inhibitor of thrombosis remains unknown.

Purpose

The object of this investigation is to compare the activities of 13-Cys-BBR inhibiting thrombosis and inflammation to those of BBR.

Methods

In vivo anti-thrombosis assay was performed on rat model of arterial and venous thrombosis. In vivo anti-inflammation assay was performed on mouse model of xylene induced ear edema.

Results

At oral dose of 66.7 nmol/kg, 13-Cys-BBR, but not BBR, inhibited the rats to form both venous thrombus and arterial thrombus. At oral dose of 2 μmol/kg, 13-Cys-BBR, but not BBR, inhibited the ears of the mice to occur edema.

Conclusion

The anti-venous thrombosis activity, anti-arterial thrombosis activity and anti-inflammation activity of 13-Cys-BBR were significantly higher than those of BBR. 13-Cys-BBR is a promising preclinical candidate.