Neobavaisoflavone demonstrates valid antitumor effects in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer by inhibiting STAT3

Traditional Chinese medicine inhibits PD-1/PD-L1 axis to sensitize cancer immunotherapy: a literature review

The Programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) comprise the PD-1/PD-L1 axis and maintain tumor immune evasion. Cancer immunotherapy based on anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies is the most promising anti-tumor treatment available but is currently facing the thorny problem of unsatisfactory outcomes. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with its rich heritage of Chinese medicine monomers, herbal formulas, and physical therapies like acupuncture, moxibustion, and catgut implantation, is a multi-component and multi-target system of medicine known for enhancing immunity and preventing the spread of disease. TCM is often used as an adjuvant therapy for cancer in clinical practices, and recent studies have demonstrated the synergistic effects of combining TCM with cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we examined the PD-1/PD-L1 axis and its role in tumor immune escape while exploring how TCM therapies can modulate the PD-1/PD-L1 axis to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Our findings suggest that TCM therapy can enhance cancer immunotherapy by reducing the expression of PD-1 and PD-L1, regulating T-cell function, improving the tumor immune microenvironment, and regulating intestinal flora. We hope this review may serve as a valuable resource for future studies on the sensitization of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) therapy.

Evaluation of Possible Neobavaisoflavone Chemosensitizing Properties towards Doxorubicin and Etoposide in SW1783 Anaplastic Astrocytoma Cells

Flavonoids exert many beneficial properties, such as anticancer activity. They were found to have chemopreventive effects hindering carcinogenesis, and also being able to affect processes important for cancer cell pathophysiology inhibiting its growth or promoting cell death. There are also reports on the chemosensitizing properties of flavonoids, which indicate that they could be used as a support of anticancer therapy. It gives promise for a novel therapeutic approach in tumors characterized by ineffective treatment, such as high-grade gliomas. The research was conducted on the in vitro culture of human SW1783 anaplastic astrocytoma cells incubated with neobavaisoflavone (NEO), doxorubicin, etoposide, and their combinations with NEO. The analyses involved the WST-1 cell viability assay and image cytometry techniques including cell count assay, Annexin V assay, the evaluation of mitochondrial membrane potential, and the cell-cycle phase distribution. We found that NEO affects the activity of doxorubicin and etoposide by reducing the viability of SW1783 cells. The combination of NEO and etoposide caused an increase in the apoptotic and low mitochondrial membrane potential subpopulations of SW1783 cells. Changes in the cell cycle were observed in all combined treatments. These findings indicate a potential chemosensitizing effect exerted by NEO.

Metabolites Identification and Mechanism Prediction of Neobavaisoflavone In Vitro and In Vivo of Rats through UHPLC-Q-Exactive Plus Orbitrap MS Integrated Network Pharmacology

Neobavaisoflavone is an important isoflavone component isolated from Psoraleae Fructus. It is used extensively worldwide because of its antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-osteoporotic activities. However, there is no systematic and comprehensive research on the metabolism of neobavaisoflavone in vivo and in vitro. The study aimed to analyze the metabolic characteristics and mechanism of neobavaisoflavone for the first time. Firstly, biological samples were pretreated by the solid-phase extraction (SPE) method, methanol precipitation, and acetonitrile precipitation. Secondly, the samples were analyzed on UHPLC-Q-Exactive Plus Orbitrap MS. Thirdly, metabolites were tentatively identified based on retention time, parallel reaction monitoring strategy, diagnostic product ions, and neutral loss fragments. A total of 72 metabolites of neobavaisoflavone were tentatively identified, including 28 in plasma, 43 in urine, 18 in feces, six in the liver, and four in the liver microsome. The results suggested that neobavaisoflavone mainly underwent glucuronidation, sulfation, hydroxylation, methylation, cyclization, hydration, and their composite reactions in vivo and in vitro. In addition, nine active components with high bioavailability and 191 corresponding targets were predicted by the Swiss Drug Design database. The 1806 items of GO and 183 KEGG signaling pathways were enriched. These results showed that metabolites expanded the potential effects of neobavaisoflavone. The present study would provide the scientific basis for the further exploitation and application of neobavaisoflavone.

Neobavaisoflavone inhibits antitumor immunosuppression via myeloid-derived suppressor cells

Neobavaisoflavone (Neo), as a traditional Chinese medicine, is the active ingredient in the herb Psoralea corylifolial and has antitumor activity. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which are a heterogeneous population of haematopoietic cells of the myeloid lineage, have been reported to be closely related to the pathogenesis of tumour progression, but whether Neo can regulate MDSC expansion and function remains unclear. Here, we found that Neo could inhibit the expansion and suppressive function of MDSCs by targeting STAT3. Importantly, Neo inhibited the growth of 4T1 and LLC tumours in vivo, as well as lung metastasis of 4T1 tumours in vivo. Furthermore, we identified MDSCs as the direct targets by which Neo attenuated tumour progression. In addition, Neo notably enhanced anti-PD-1 efficacy in anti-PD-1-insensitive 4T1 tumours. Therefore, our study sheds light on the development of Neobased therapeutic strategies against cancer.

Neobavaisoflavone inhibits allergic inflammatory responses by suppressing mast cell activation

Neobavaisoflavone (NBIF), a monomolecular compound extracted from Psoralea corylifolia (Leguminosae), is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for multiple purposes. NBIF is known to exert anti-fungal and anti-tumor effects, and promote bone formation. Whether NBIF exhibits anti-allergic effects by regulating mast cell activation remains unclear. Therefore, we designed this study to investigate the anti-allergic effects of NBIF on IgE/Ag-induced mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells and ovalbumin-induced asthma, and the passive systemic anaphylaxis (PSA) reaction in mice. Our results showed that NBIF suppresses the production of leukotriene C4, prostaglandin D2 and inflammatory cytokines, and decreases the degranulation of BMMCs stimulated by IgE/Ag. A thorough investigation ascertained that NBIF suppresses the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, and represses the nuclear factor-κB-related signaling pathway. In addition, the oral administration of NBIF in mice inhibited the IgE-induced PSA reaction in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, we provide new insights into how NBIF regulates the IgE/Ag-mediated signaling pathways. Moreover, our investigation promotes the potential use of NBIF in treating allergy and asthma.

Chemosensitization of U-87 MG Glioblastoma Cells by Neobavaisoflavone towards Doxorubicin and Etoposide

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common type of glioma, which is distinguished by high mortality. Due to the rapid progression of the tumor and drug resistance, the treatment is often ineffective. The development of novel therapies in a big part concerns the application of anti-cancer agents already used in clinical practice, unfortunately often with limited effects. This could be overcome through the use of compounds that possess chemosensitizing properties. In our previous work, it has been shown that neobavaisoflavone (NBIF) enhances the in vitro activity of doxorubicin in GB cells. The aim of this study was a further investigation of the possible chemosensitizing effects of this isoflavone. The experimental panel involving image cytometry techniques, such as count assay, examination of mitochondrial membrane potential, Annexin V assay, and cell cycle analysis, was performed in human glioblastoma U-87 MG cells and normal human astrocytes (NHA) treated with NBIF, doxorubicin, etoposide, and their mixes with NBIF. NBIF in co-treatment with etoposide or doxorubicin caused an increase in the population of apoptotic cells and prompted alterations in the cell cycle. NBIF enhances the pro-apoptotic activity of etoposide and doxorubicin in U-87 MG cells, which could be a sign of the chemosensitizing properties of the isoflavone.