Evodiamine Selectively Inhibits Multiple Myeloma Cell Growth by Triggering Activation of Intrinsic Apoptosis Pathway

Study on the mechanism of plant metabolites to intervene oxidative stress in diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is the main microvascular complication of diabetes and the first blinding eye disease in the working-age population. Oxidative stress is an important pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Plant metabolites can be divided into two types: primary metabolites and secondary metabolites, secondary metabolites are the main active components and important sources for developing new drugs. It has unique effect in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. However, the research on the intervention mechanism of plant metabolites in diabetic retinopathy are still relatively shallow, which limit the application of plant metabolites. With the deepening of research, more and more plant metabolites have been reported to play a role in treating diabetic retinopathy through anti-oxidative stress, including polyphenols, polysaccharides, saponins, alkaloids, etc. Therefore, this article reviewed the potential of plant metabolites in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy in the last 10 years and elucidated their mechanism of action. We hope to provide some references for the application of plant metabolites and provide valuable resources for the research and development of new drugs for diabetic retinopathy.

Traditional Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus: botany, traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and quality control

Euodiae Fructus, referred to as "Wuzhuyu" in Chinese, has been used as local and traditional herbal medicines in many regions, especially in China, Japan and Korea, for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, headache, emesis, aphtha, dermatophytosis, dysentery, etc. Substantial investigations into their chemical and pharmacological properties have been performed. Recently, interest in this plant has been focused on the different structural types of alkaloids like evodiamine, rutaecarpine, dehydroevodiamine and 1-methyl-2-undecyl-4(1H)-quinolone, which exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities in preclinical models, such as anticancer, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cardiovascular disease, etc. This review summarizes the up-to-date and comprehensive information concerning the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology of Euodiae Fructus together with the toxicology and quality control, and discusses the possible direction and scope for future research on this plant.

Evodiamine as an anticancer agent: a comprehensive review on its therapeutic application, pharmacokinetic, toxicity, and metabolism in various cancers

Evodiamine is a major alkaloid component found in the fruit of Evodia rutaecarpa. It shows the anti-proliferative potential against a wide range of cancers by suppressing cell growth, invasion, and metastasis and inducing apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Evodiamine shows its anticancer potential by modulating aberrant signaling pathways. Additionally, the review focuses on several therapeutic implications of evodiamine, such as epigenetic modification, cancer stem cells, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Moreover, combinatory drug therapeutics along with evodiamine enhances the anticancer efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs in various cancers by overcoming the chemo resistance and radio resistance shown by cancer cells. It has been widely used in preclinical trials in animal models, exhibiting very negligible side effects against normal cells and effective against cancer cells. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics-based collaborations of evodiamine are also included. Due to its poor bioavailability, synthetic analogs of evodiamine and its nano capsule have been formulated to enhance its bioavailability and reduce toxicity. In addition, this review summarizes the ongoing research on the mechanisms behind the antitumor potential of evodiamine, which proposes an exciting future for such interests in cancer biology.

Serum untargeted metabolomics analysis of the mechanisms of evodiamine on type 2 diabetes mellitus model rats

Evodiamine (EVO) is an alkaloid extracted from Evodia rutaecarpa and has various pharmacological activities, including hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, and antitumor effects. However, the therapeutic effects of EVO on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the possible mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we used a T2DM rat model using a high-fat diet (HFD) combined with streptozotocin (STZ) injections followed by treatment with EVO. First, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of EVO on T2DM rats, following which we evaluated the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of EVO on T2DM rats. Finally, we analyzed the metabolic regulatory mechanism of EVO in T2DM rats using an untargeted metabolomics approach. The results showed that EVO treatment alleviated the hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance (IR), and pathological changes of the liver, pancreas and kidneys in T2DM rats. Moreover, EVO treatment ameliorated the oxidative stress and decreased the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in T2DM model rats. Serum untargeted metabolomics analysis indicated that the EVO treatment affected the levels of 26 metabolites, such as methionine, citric acid, cholesterol, taurocholic acid, pilocarpine, adrenic acid, and other metabolites. These metabolites were mainly related to the amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, arginine and proline metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism pathways. In conclusion, EVO can reduce blood glucose and improve oxidative stress and inflammatory response in T2DM rats. These functions are related to the regulation of amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, arginine and proline metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism pathways.

Modulation of Cellular Redox Parameters for Improving Therapeutic Responses in Multiple Myeloma

Raised oxidative stress and abnormal redox status are typical features of multiple myeloma cells, and the identification of the intimate mechanisms that regulate the relationships between neoplastic cells and redox homeostasis may reveal possible new anti-myeloma therapeutic targets to increase the effectiveness of anti-myeloma drugs synergistically or to eradicate drug-resistant clones while reducing toxicity toward normal cells. An alteration of the oxidative state is not only responsible for the onset of multiple myeloma and its progression, but it also appears essential for the therapeutic response and for developing any chemoresistance. Our review aimed to evaluate the literature’s current data on the effects of oxidative stress on the response to drugs generally employed in the therapy of multiple myeloma, such as proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulators, and autologous transplantation. In the second part of the review, we analyzed the possibility of using other substances, often of natural origin, to modulate the oxidative stress to interfere with the progression of myelomatous disease.

Research Advances in Antitumor Mechanism of Evodiamine

Evodiamine is a natural alkaloid extracted from Fructus Evodia. This bioactive alkaloid has been reported to have a wide range of biological activities, including anti-injury, antiobesity, vasodilator, and anti-inflammatory effects. In recent years, it has been found that evodiamine has tumor-suppressive effects on a variety of tumors. There is growing evidence that evodiamine can inhibit the rapid proliferation of tumor cells, induce cell cycle arrest at a certain phase, increase the incidence of apoptosis, promote autophagy, inhibit microangiogenesis and migration, and regulate immunotherapy. Evodiamine can inhibit Wnt/β-catenin, mTOR, NF-κB, PI3K/AKT, JAK-STAT, and other signaling pathways in various cancer cells, and it can significantly downregulate the expression of many tumor markers, such as VEGF and COX-2. These facts partially explain the antitumor mechanism of evodiamine. In this article, the antitumor mechanism of evodiamine was reviewed to provide the basis for its clinical application and therapeutic development in the future.

Farrerol suppresses the progression of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma via the mitochondria-mediated pathway

PURPOSE

In the context of well-known inhibitory effects of Farrerol on the invasion of lung squamous cell carcinoma cells, the unexplored effect and regulatory mechanism of Farrerol on laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) emerged as the target in this study.

METHODS

After treatment with Farrerol alone, or together with MitoTempo, the viability, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, migration, and invasion of LSCC cells were measured using MTT, flow cytometry, wound-healing, and transwell assays, respectively. Meanwhile, the levels of cytochrome C (Cyt C), Cleaved caspase-3/9, Cyclin D1, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Vimentin in LSCC cells were evaluated by Western blot; the reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation intensity and the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of LSCC cells were assessed using flow cytometry; and the effect of Farrerol on xenograft tumor formation was evaluated in animal experiment.

RESULTS

Farrerol (10, 20, 50 μM) inhibited the viability, proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration and invasion, but promoted apoptosis, ROS formation intensity and disruption of MMP of LSCC cells. Moreover, Farrerol up-regulated Cyt C (in the cytoplasm), Cleaved caspase-3/9 and E-cadherin levels, but down-regulated Cyclin D1, N-cadherin and Vimentin levels in LSCC cells. Additionally, we uncovered that MitoTempo reversed the promoting effects of Farrerol on ROS formation intensity, apoptosis, and Cyt C and Cleaved caspase-3/9 levels in LSCC cells, while improving the disruption of MMP in Farrerol-treated LSCC cells. Also, Farrerol lessened the volume and weight of mice tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

Farrerol suppressed the migration, invasion, and induced the apoptosis of LSCC cells via the mitochondria-mediated pathway.

Promising Anti-Mitochondrial Agents for Overcoming Acquired Drug Resistance in Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable tumor due to the high rate of relapse that still occurs. Acquired drug resistance represents the most challenging obstacle to the extension of survival and several studies have been conducted to understand the mechanisms of this phenomenon. Mitochondrial pathways have been extensively investigated, demonstrating that cancer cells become resistant to drugs by reprogramming their metabolic assessment. MM cells acquire resistance to proteasome inhibitors (PIs), activating protection programs, such as a reduction in oxidative stress, down-regulating pro-apoptotic, and up-regulating anti-apoptotic signals. Knowledge of the mechanisms through which tumor cells escape control of the immune system and acquire resistance to drugs has led to the creation of new compounds that can restore the response by leading to cell death. In this scenario, based on all literature data available, our review represents the first collection of anti-mitochondrial compounds able to overcome drug resistance in MM. Caspase-independent mechanisms, mainly based on increased oxidative stress, result from 2-methoxyestradiol, Artesunate, ascorbic acid, Dihydroartemisinin, Evodiamine, b-AP15, VLX1570, Erw-ASNase, and TAK-242. Other agents restore PIs' efficacy through caspase-dependent tools, such as CDDO-Im, NOXA-inhibitors, FTY720, GCS-100, LBH589, a derivative of ellipticine, AT-101, KD5170, SMAC-mimetics, glutaminase-1 (GLS1)-inhibitors, and thenoyltrifluoroacetone. Each of these substances improved the efficacy rates when employed in combination with the most frequently used antimyeloma drugs.

Traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicology of the fruit of Tetradium ruticarpum: A review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The fruit of Tetradium ruticarpum (FTR) known as Tetradii fructus or Evodiae fructus (Wu-Zhu-Yu in Chinese) is a versatile herbal medicine which has been prescribed in Chinese herbal formulas and recognized in Japanese Kampo. FTR has been clinically used to treat various diseases such as headache, vomit, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea and pelvic inflammation for thousands of years.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

The present paper aimed to provide comprehensive information on the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, drug interaction and toxicology of FTR in order to build up a foundation on the mechanism of ethnopharmacological uses as well as to explore the trends and perspectives for further studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This review collected the literatures published prior to July 2020 on the phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of FTR. All relevant information on FTR was gathered from worldwide accepted scientific search engines and databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Elsevier, ACS, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Information was also obtained from local books, PhD. and MSc. Dissertations as well as from Pharmacopeias.

RESULTS

FTR has been used as an herbal medicine for centuries in East Asia. A total of 165 chemical compounds have been isolated so far and the main chemical compounds of FTR include alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, steroids, and phenylpropanoids. Crude extracts, processed products (medicinal slices) and pure components of FTR exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities such as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-obesity, antioxidant, insecticide, regulating central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis, cardiovascular protection. Furthermore, bioactive components isolated from FTR can induce drug interaction and hepatic injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Therapeutic potential of FTR has been demonstrated with the pharmacological effects on cancer, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, CNS, bacterial infection and obesity. Pharmacological and pharmacokinetic studies of FTR mostly focus on its main active alkaloids. Further in-depth studies on combined medication and processing approaches mechanisms, pharmacological and toxic effects not limited to the alkaloids, and toxic components of FTR should be designed.

Evodiamine: A review of its pharmacology, toxicity, pharmacokinetics and preparation researches

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Evodia rutaecarpa, a well-known herb medicine in China, is extensively applied in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The plant has the effects of dispersing cold and relieving pain, arresting vomiting, and helping Yang and stopping diarrhea. Modern research demonstrates that evodiamine, the main component of Evodia rutaecarpa, is the material basis for its efficacy.

AIMS OF THE REVIEW

This paper is primarily addressed to summarize the current studies on evodiamine. The progress in research on the pharmacology, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, preparation researches and clinical application are reviewed. Moreover, outlooks and directions for possible future studies concerning it are also discussed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The information of this systematic review was conducted with resources of multiple literature databases including PubMed, Google scholar, Web of Science and Wiley Online Library and so on, with employing a combination of keywords including "pharmacology", "toxicology", "pharmacokinetics" and "clinical application", etc. RESULTS: As the main component of Evodia rutaecarpa, evodiamine shows considerable pharmacological activities, such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-microbial, heart protection and metabolic disease regulation. However, it is also found that it has significant hepatotoxicity and cardiotoxicity, thereby it should be monitored in clinical. In addition, available data demonstrate that the evodiamine has a needy solubility in aqueous medium. Scientific and reasonable pharmaceutical strategies should be introduced to improve the above defects. Meanwhile, more efforts should be made to develop novel efficient and low toxic derivatives.

CONCLUSIONS

This review summarizes the results from current studies of evodiamine, which is one of the valuable medicinal ingredients from Evodia rutaecarpa. With the assistance of relevant pharmacological investigation, some conventional application and problems in pharmaceutical field have been researched in recent years. In addition, unresolved issues include toxic mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, novel pharmaceutical researches and relationship between residues and intestinal environment, which are still being explored and excavate before achieving integration into clinical practice.

Simultaneous Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation of the Coptidis Rhizoma and Euodiae Fructus Herbal Pair by Using UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS and UHPLC-DAD

The herbal pair of Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) and Euodiae Fructus (EF) is a classical traditional Chinese medicine formula used for treating gastro-intestinal disorders. In this study, we established a systematic method for chemical profiling and quantification analysis of the major constituents in the CR-EF herbal pair. A method of ultra high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) for qualitative analysis was developed. Sixty-five compounds, including alkaloids, phenolics, and limonoids, were identified or tentatively assigned by comparison with reference standards or literature data. The UHPLC fingerprints of 19 batches of the CR-EF herbal pair samples were obtained and the reference fingerprint chromatograms were established. Furthermore, nine compounds among 24 common peaks of fingerprints were considered as marker components, which either had high contents or significant bioactivities, were applied to quality control of the CR-EF herbal pair by quantitative analysis. This UHPLC-DAD analysis method was validated by precision, linearity, repeatability, stability, recovery, and so on. The method was simple and sensitive, and thus reliable for quantitative and chemical fingerprint analysis for the quality evaluation and control of the CR-EF herbal pair and related traditional Chinese medicines.