Phillygenin, a MELK Inhibitor, Inhibits Cell Survival and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Up-Regulation of MELK Promotes Cell Growth and Invasion by Accelerating G1/S Transition and Indicates Poor Prognosis in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) is an oncogene in many tumors, although its contribution to lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is unclear. We examined MELK expression in patient LUAD tissue and matched healthy lung tissues. We investigated the connection between MELK expression and tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and patient survival. We downregulated MELK expression using small-hairpin RNA to assess its impact on LUAD cell proliferation, clonogenicity, and invasion. We also investigated the molecular mechanism underlying these effects. MELK expression was significantly heightened in LUAD tissue as opposed to the matching healthy lung tissues. LUAD patients who had MELK overexpression had a worse prognosis. Suppression of MELK hinders proliferation, clonogenicity, and invasion of LUAD cells. The MELK suppression led to the arrest of the cell cycle's G1/S phase by reducing the cyclin E1 and cyclin D expression. Our outcomes manifest that MELK can function as a beneficial prognostic indication and a new therapy target for LUAD. MELK has an essential function in progressing LUAD, manifesting potential as a viable target for therapeutic intervention in this disease management.

Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl extract ameliorates ulcerative colitis via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway

BACKGROUND

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory disease, is caused by abnormal immune system reactions resulting in inflammation and ulcers in the large intestine. Phillygenin (PHI) is a natural compound found in Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl, which is known for its antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antiobesity, and other biological activities. However, the therapeutic role and molecular mechanisms of PHI on UC are still insufficiently researched.

METHODS

In this study, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and 2.5% 2,4,6-trinitro-Benzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced acute UC were used to investigate the therapeutic effects of PHI. We evaluated the effects of PHI on disease activity index (DAI), body weight, mortality, intestinal mucosal barrier, cytokine secretion, and macrophage infiltration into colon tissue using various techniques such as flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), RT-qPCR, and Western blot analysis.

RESULTS

Our findings revealed that PHI has therapeutic properties in UC treatment. PHI was able to maintain body weight, reduce DAI and mortality, restore the intestinal mucosal barrier, and inhibit cytokine secretion. Flow cytometry assay and immunofluorescence indicated that PHI reduces macrophage infiltration into colon tissue. Mechanistically, PHI may exert anti-inflammatory effects by downregulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway and inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, PHI possesses significant anti-inflammatory properties and is expected to be a potential drug for UC treatment. Our study delves into the underlying mechanisms of PHI therapy and highlights the potential for further research in developing PHI-based treatments for UC.

A comprehensive review on pharmacological, toxicity, and pharmacokinetic properties of phillygenin: Current landscape and future perspectives

Forsythiae Fructus is a traditional Chinese medicine frequently in clinics. It is extensive in the treatment of various inflammation-related diseases and is renowned as 'the holy medicine of sores'. Phillygenin (C21H24O6, PHI) is a component of lignan that has been extracted from Forsythiae Fructus and exhibits notable biological activity. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that PHI demonstrates significant activities in the treatment of various diseases, including inflammatory diseases, liver diseases, cancer, bacterial infection and virus infection. Therefore, this review comprehensively summarizes the pharmacological effects of PHI up to June 2023 by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, CNKI, and SciFinder databases. According to the data, PHI shows remarkable anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antitumour, antibacterial, antiviral, immunoregulatory, analgesic, antihypertensive and vasodilatory activities. More importantly, NF-κB, MAPK, PI3K/AKT, P2X7R/NLRP3, Nrf2-ARE, JAK/STAT, Ca2+-calcineurin-TFEB, TGF-β/Smads, Notch1 and AMPK/ERK/NF-κB signaling pathways are considered as important molecular targets for PHI to exert these pharmacological activities. Studies of its toxicity and pharmacokinetic properties have shown that PHI has very low toxicity, incomplete absorption in vivo and low oral bioavailability. In addition, the physico-chemical properties, new formulations, derivatives and existing challenges and prospects of PHI are also reviewed and discussed in this paper, aiming to provide direction and rationale for the further development and clinical application of PHI.

Maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase in tumor cell and tumor microenvironment: Emerging player and promising therapeutic opportunities

Maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) is a member of the AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) protein family, which is widely and highly expressed in multiple cancer types. Through direct and indirect interactions with other proteins, it mediates various cascades of signal transduction processes and plays an important role in regulating tumor cell survival, growth, invasion and migration and other biological functions. Interestingly, MELK also plays an important role in the regulation of the tumor microenvironment, which can not only predict the responsiveness of immunotherapy, but also affect the function of immune cells to regulate tumor progression. In addition, more and more small molecule inhibitors have been developed for the target of MELK, which exert important anti-tumor effects and have achieved excellent results in a number of clinical trials. In this review, we outline the structural features, molecular biological functions, potential regulatory mechanisms and important roles of MELK in tumors and tumor microenvironment, as well as substances targeting MELK. Although many molecular mechanisms of MELK in the process of tumor regulation are still unknown, it is worth affirming that MELK is a potential tumor molecular therapeutic target, and its unique superiority and important role provide clues and confidence for subsequent basic research and scientific transformation.

Harmine suppresses the malignant phenotypes and PI3K activity in breast cancer

Breast cancer remains a serious threaten to the women's health, discovery of potent treatment would help to improve the outcomes of breast cancer patients. Harmine extracted from Peganum harmala L , has been reported to exert tumor suppressive activity in several malignancies. Our objective was to demonstrate the effects of harmine on the malignant phenotypes of breast cancer cells. Breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, SKBR3, and MCF-7) and human normal breast cell line MCF-10A were employed in the present study. The MTT and colony formation assays were applied to the detection of cell viability and proliferation. Wound healing and transwell assays were performed to evaluate the alterations of cell migration and invasion after harmine treatment. Flow cytometry was applied to assess the effect of harmine in inducing cell apoptosis. Furthermore, western blotting assay was used to detect the biomarkers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. The tumorigenesis ability was detected by subcutaneous implantation. Harmine dose-dependently suppressed the viability and proliferative capacity of breast cancer cells. Flow cytometry showed that harmine induced apoptosis in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, harmine effectively inhibited the migration and invasion abilities of breast cancer cells. Western blotting indicated harmine significantly promoted E-cadherin and PTEN expression, while suppressed N-cadherin, vimentin, PI3K, p-mTOR, and AKT levels. Interfering the PTEN expression by siRNA partly rescued the activity of PI3K signaling pathway. Moreover, harmine injection also suppressed the tumorigenesis of breast cancer cells. Our results suggested that Hermine could suppress multiple malignant phenotypes and inhibit PI3K signaling, which supports that harmine might be a potential tumor-suppressive natural compound against breast cancer.

Hepatoprotective effect of phillygenin on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis and its effects on short chain fatty acid and bile acid metabolism

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Forsythiae fructus, the dried fruit of Oleaceae plant Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl, is a traditional Chinese medicine widely used in clinical practice and has a variety of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammation, antioxidation, and hepatoprotection.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Phillygenin (PHI), an important fingerprint lignan component of Forsythiae fructus, has prominent hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Previously, it was shown that PHI could exert anti-fibrotic effects by modulating inflammation and gut microbiota. Therefore, given the important roles of SCFAs and BAs in the development of liver fibrosis, as well as their close links with gut microbiota, we aimed to determine the protective effects of PHI on carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver fibrosis and its effects on the metabolism of SCFAs and BAs based on metabolomics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In C57BL/6J mice, liver fibrosis model was established by intraperitoneal injection of olive oil containing 10% CCl₄ for 4 weeks. Firstly, the mouse liver tissues were subjected to histological analysis and biochemical index assay to evaluate the protective effect of PHI on CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis. Subsequently, the effects of PHI on the metabolism of SCFAs and BAs in CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis mice were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for metabolomics analysis. Finally, the levels of the closely related proteins and genes were detected by immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to explore the underlying mechanisms of the protective effect of PHI on CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis.

RESULTS

The histological analysis and the determination of relevant biochemical indexes of liver tissues showed that PHI could attenuate CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis. The metabolomic analysis on SCFAs showed that PHI could promote SCFA production in the gut of mice with CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis, especially acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid. It has been reported that the increased production of SCFAs was possibly beneficial to health. The metabolomic analysis on BAs found that PHI could restore the disturbance of BA metabolism in mice with CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis. The immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR results confirmed that PHI could ameliorate intestinal epithelial barrier disruption, and reverse the expression of BA metabolism-related genes in mice with CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Promoting the production of SCFAs in the gut and restoring the disturbance of BA metabolism may be the potential mechanisms by which PHI alleviated CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis.

Phillygenin Protects the Intestinal Barrier from Dysfunction via let-7b Signaling Pathway and Regulation of Intestinal Microbiota

The study investigates the positive effects of phillygenin on intestinal tight junction via the let-7b signaling pathway and the regulation of intestinal microbiota. The expression levels of tight junction proteins are determined through PCR and Western blot. DSS-induced mice colitis is used to verify the protective effects of phillygenin on intestinal barrier and tight junction. Fecal microbiota transplantation is used to verify the role intestinal microbiota. let-7b is detected in the colon tissues of patients with acute stercoral obstruction. Phillygenin could promote the expression of occludin, which might be inhibited by let-7b inhibitor. DSS-induced mice colitis showed that phillygenin could lower the colonic permeability and maintain the tight junction-associated proteins. The effects of phillygenin could be deprived by anti-let-7b and rescued by FMT of normal intestinal microbiota. Clinical samples verified a lower level of let-7b in stercoral obstruction patients. Phillygenin could protect the intestinal barrier from dysfunction via the signaling pathway of let-7b by regulating intestinal microbiota.

A Unified Transcriptional, Pharmacogenomic, and Gene Dependency Approach to Decipher the Biology, Diagnostic Markers, and Therapeutic Targets Associated with Prostate Cancer Metastasis

Simple Summary

This manuscript demonstrates how integrated bioinformatic and statistical reanalysis of publicly available genomic datasets can be utilized to identify molecular pathways and biomarkers that may be clinically relevant to metastatic prostate cancer (mPrCa) progression. The most notable observation is that the transition from primary prostate cancer to mPrCa is characterized by upregulation of processes associated with DNA replication, metastasis, and events regulated by the serine/threonine kinase PLK1. Moreover, our analysis also identified over-expressed genes that may be exploited for potential targeted therapeutics and minimally invasive diagnostics and monitoring of mPrCa. The primary data analyzed were two transcriptional datasets for tissues derived from normal prostate, primary prostate cancer, and mPrCa. Also incorporated in the analysis were the transcriptional, gene dependency, and drug response data for hundreds of cell lines, including those derived from prostate cancer tissues.

Abstract

Our understanding of metastatic prostate cancer (mPrCa) has dramatically advanced during the genomics era. Nonetheless, many aspects of the disease may still be uncovered through reanalysis of public datasets. We integrated the expression datasets for 209 PrCa tissues (metastasis, primary, normal) with expression, gene dependency (GD) (from CRISPR/cas9 screen), and drug viability data for hundreds of cancer lines (including PrCa). Comparative statistical and pathways analyses and functional annotations (available inhibitors, protein localization) revealed relevant pathways and potential (and previously reported) protein markers for minimally invasive mPrCa diagnostics. The transition from localized to mPrCa involved the upregulation of DNA replication, mitosis, and PLK1-mediated events. Genes highly upregulated in mPrCa and with very high average GD (~1) are potential therapeutic targets. We showed that fostamatinib (which can target PLK1 and other over-expressed serine/threonine kinases such as AURKA, MELK, NEK2, and TTK) is more active against cancer lines with more pronounced signatures of invasion (e.g., extracellular matrix organization/degradation). Furthermore, we identified surface-bound (e.g., ADAM15, CD276, ABCC5, CD36, NRP1, SCARB1) and likely secreted proteins (e.g., APLN, ANGPT2, CTHRC1, ADAM12) that are potential mPrCa diagnostic markers. Overall, we demonstrated that comprehensive analyses of public genomics data could reveal potentially clinically relevant information regarding mPrCa.

Phillygenin inhibits the inflammation and apoptosis of pulmonary epithelial cells by activating PPARγ signaling via downregulation of MMP8

Acute lung injury (ALI) is often responsible for the high morbidity of critically ill patients. The present study aimed to investigate whether phillygenin (PHI) can inhibit inflammation and apoptosis of pulmonary epithelial cells by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) signaling. The in vitro model of ALI was established using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and PHI was used to treat the LPS-induced cells. Cell viability was assessed using the MTT assay and the concentration levels of the inflammatory factors were detected by ELISA. Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR were conducted to measure the expression levels of the inflammation- and apoptosis-associated proteins. The MMP8-overexpression plasmid was transfected into LPS-induced cells, which were treated with PHI treatment and the expression levels of PPARγ were detected via western blotting. PHI treatment suppressed the induction of inflammation and apoptosis of LPS-induced BEAS-2B cells. Furthermore, the expression levels of MMP8 in BEAS-2B cells induced by LPS were decreased following PHI treatment. Following transfection of the MMP8 overexpression plasmid into the LPS-induced BEAS-2B cells and subsequent treatment of these cells with PHI, the expression levels of PPARγ were decreased. In conclusion, it was shown that PHI inhibited the inflammation and apoptosis of pulmonary epithelial cells by activating PPARγ signaling via downregulating MMP8. These data may provide valuable information for future studies exploring the therapeutic effects of PHI for ALI.

Construction of a lncRNA/pseudogene-hsa-miR-30d-5p-GJA1 regulatory network related to metastasis of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer, the most lethal malignant tumor, is notorious for its poor prognosis and metastatic potential. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are reported to play key roles in cancer metastasis. In this study, miRNA and gene expression profiles between metastatic pancreatic cancer cell M8 and its parental cell BxPC.3 were determined. Using differential expression analysis, survival analysis, target gene prediction, pathway enrichment analysis, intersection analysis and correlation analysis, hsa-miR-30d-5p/GJA1 axis was identified as the most potential pathway involved in metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Subsequently, two upstream lncRNAs (HELLPAR and OIP-AS1) and four upstream pseudogenes (AC093616.1, AC009951.1, TMEM183B and PABPC1P4) of hsa-miR-30d-5p/GJA1 axis were predicted and were then identified via assessment of RNA-RNA expression relationship. Furthermore, CTNNA1, CTNNB1 and CTNND1 were regarded as three crucial molecules to be participated in hsa-miR-30d-5p/GJA1-mediated metastatic potential in pancreatic cancer. In conclusion, we established a novel lncRNA/pseudogene-hsa-miR-30d-5p-GJA1 regulatory network linked to metastasis of pancreatic cancer.

MELK/MPK38 in cancer: from mechanistic aspects to therapeutic strategies

Maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK)/Murine protein serine-threonine kinase 38 (MPK38) is a member of the AMP-related serine-threonine kinase family, which has been reported to be involved in the regulation of many cellular events, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metabolism, partly by phosphorylation and regulation of several signaling molecules. The abnormal expression of MELK has been associated with tumorigenesis and malignant progression in various types of cancer. Currently, several small-molecule inhibitors of MELK are under investigation although only OTS167 has entered clinical trials. In this review, we elaborate on the relative contributions of MELK pathways in the physiological process, their oncogenic role in carcinogenesis, and targeted agents under development for the treatment of cancer.