1
|
Badroon N, Abdul Majid N, Al-Suede FSR, Nazari V. M, Giribabu N, Abdul Majid AMS, Eid EEM, Alshawsh MA. Cardamonin Exerts Antitumor Effect on Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Xenografts in Athymic Nude Mice through Inhibiting NF-κβ Pathway. Biomedicines 2020; 8:biomedicines8120586. [PMID: 33316979 PMCID: PMC7764268 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8120586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardamonin (CADMN) exerts an in vitro antiproliferative and apoptotic actions against human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2). This study aimed to investigate the in vivo anti-tumorigenic action of CADMN against human hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts in an athymic nude mice, as well as to study the molecular docking and safety profile of this compound. Acute toxicity study demonstrated that CADMN is safe and well-tolerated up to 2000 mg/kg in ICR mice. Oral administration of 50 mg/kg/day of CADMN in xenografted nude mice showed a significant suppression in tumor growth as compared to untreated control group without pronounced toxic signs. Immunohistochemistry assay showed downregulation of proliferative proteins such as PCNA and Ki-67 in treated groups as compared to untreated control. Additionally, immunofluorescence analysis showed a significant downregulation in anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, whereas pre-apoptotic Bax protein was significantly upregulated in nude mice treated with 25 and 50 mg/kg CADMN as compared to untreated mice. The findings also exhibited down-regulation of NF-κB-p65, and Ikkβ proteins, indicating that CADMN deactivated NF-κB pathway. The molecular docking studies demonstrated that CADMN exhibits good docking performance and binding affinities with various apoptosis and proliferation targets in hepatocellular cancer cells. In conclusion, CADMN could be a potential anticancer candidate against hepatocellular carcinoma. Other pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics properties, however, need to be further investigated in depth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nassrin Badroon
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Nazia Abdul Majid
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;
- Correspondence: (N.A.M.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Fouad Saleih R. Al-Suede
- EMAN Biodiscoveries Sdn. Bhd., Kedah Halal Park, Kawasan Perindustrian Sungai Petani, Sungai Petani 08000, Malaysia; (F.S.R.A.-S.); (M.N.V.)
| | - Mansoureh Nazari V.
- EMAN Biodiscoveries Sdn. Bhd., Kedah Halal Park, Kawasan Perindustrian Sungai Petani, Sungai Petani 08000, Malaysia; (F.S.R.A.-S.); (M.N.V.)
| | - Nelli Giribabu
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;
| | - Amin Malik Shah Abdul Majid
- Eman Biodiscoveries Sydney Bhd., and ACRF Department of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, 131 Garran Road, 2601 Acton, Australia;
| | - Eltayeb E. M. Eid
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Unaizah 51911, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Mohammed Abdullah Alshawsh
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (N.A.M.); (M.A.A.)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Badroon NA, Abdul Majid N, Alshawsh MA. Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Effects of Cardamonin against Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells. Nutrients 2020; 12:nu12061757. [PMID: 32545423 PMCID: PMC7353428 DOI: 10.3390/nu12061757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in terms of incidence and the fourth in terms of mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents almost 90% of primary liver cancer and has become a major health problem globally. Cardamonin (CADMN) is a natural bioactive chalcone found in several edible plants such as cardamom and Alpinia species. Previous studies have shown that CADMN possesses anticancer activities against breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancer. In the present study, the mechanisms underlying the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects of CADMN were investigated against HepG2 cells. The results demonstrated that CADMN has anti-proliferative effects and apoptotic action on HepG2 cells. CADMN showed potent cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells with an IC50 of 17.1 ± 0.592 μM at 72 h. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that CADMN arrests HepG2 cells in G1 phase and induces a significant increase in early and late apoptosis in a time-dependent manner. The mechanism by which CADMN induces apoptotic action was via activation of both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Moreover, the findings of this study showed the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which inhibit the NF-κB pathway and further enhance the apoptotic process. Together, our findings further support the potential anticancer activity of CADMN as an alternative therapeutic agent against HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nassrin A. Badroon
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Nazia Abdul Majid
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;
- Correspondence: (N.A.M.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Mohammed A. Alshawsh
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (N.A.M.); (M.A.A.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lynch C, Zhao J, Sakamuru S, Zhang L, Huang R, Witt KL, Merrick BA, Teng CT, Xia M. Identification of Compounds That Inhibit Estrogen-Related Receptor Alpha Signaling Using High-Throughput Screening Assays. Molecules 2019; 24:E841. [PMID: 30818834 PMCID: PMC6429183 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24050841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The nuclear receptor, estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα; NR3B1), plays a pivotal role in energy homeostasis. Its expression fluctuates with the demands of energy production in various tissues. When paired with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), the PGC/ERR pathway regulates a host of genes that participate in metabolic signaling networks and in mitochondrial oxidative respiration. Unregulated overexpression of ERRα is found in many cancer cells, implicating a role in cancer progression and other metabolism-related diseases. Using high throughput screening assays, we screened the Tox21 10K compound library in stably transfected HEK293 cells containing either the ERRα-reporter or the reporter plus PGC-1α expression plasmid. We identified two groups of antagonists that were potent inhibitors of ERRα activity and/or the PGC/ERR pathway: nine antineoplastic agents and thirteen pesticides. Results were confirmed using gene expression studies. These findings suggest a novel mechanism of action on bioenergetics for five of the nine antineoplastic drugs. Nine of the thirteen pesticides, which have not been investigated previously for ERRα disrupting activity, were classified as such. In conclusion, we demonstrated that high-throughput screening assays can be used to reveal new biological properties of therapeutic and environmental chemicals, broadening our understanding of their modes of action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin Lynch
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Jinghua Zhao
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Srilatha Sakamuru
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Li Zhang
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Ruili Huang
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Kristine L Witt
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - B Alex Merrick
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Christina T Teng
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Menghang Xia
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chen Z, Liu Z, Huang W, Li Z, Zou J, Wang J, Lin X, Li B, Chen D, Hu Y, Ji J, Gao J, Shen L. Gimatecan exerts potent antitumor activity against gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo via AKT and MAPK signaling pathways. J Transl Med 2017; 15:253. [PMID: 29237470 PMCID: PMC5729429 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-017-1360-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background We investigated antitumor activity and underlying mechanisms of DNA topoisomerase I (TopI) inhibitor gimatecan and irinotecan in gastric cancer (GC) in vitro cell lines and in vivo patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Methods GC cell lines SNU-1, HGC27, MGC803 and NCI-N87 were used to evaluate cell viability and apoptosis after gimatecan or irinotecan treatment, using a cell proliferation assay and flow cytometry, respectively. DNA TopI expression and critical molecules of PI3K/AKT, MAPK and apoptosis signaling pathways were analyzed with western blot. For in vivo studies, five PDXs models were treated with gimatecan or irinotecan to assess its antitumor activity. Immunohistochemistry staining of Ki-67 was performed after mice were sacrificed. Results Gimatecan inhibited the proliferation of GC cells in vitro in a dose- and time-dependent manner by inducing apoptosis, and gimatecan had greater inhibitory effects than irinotecan. In addition, both gimatecan and irinotecan demonstrated significant tumor growth inhibition in in vivo PDX models. Gimatecan treatment significantly inhibited the expression of DNA TopI, phosphorylated AKT (pAKT), phosphorylated MEK (pMEK) and phosphorylated ERK (pERK). Meanwhile, gimatecan could also activate the JNK2 and p38 MAPK pathway as indicated by upregulation of phosphorylated p38 MAPK (p-p38) and phosphorylated JNK2 (pJNK2). Conclusions For the first time, we have shown that the antitumor activity of gimatecan in GC via suppressing AKT and ERK pathway and activating JNK2 and p38 MAPK pathway, which indicated that gimatecan might be an alternative to irinotecan in the treatment of GC. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12967-017-1360-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zuhua Chen
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Zhentao Liu
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Wenwen Huang
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Zhongwu Li
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Pathology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Jianling Zou
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Jingyuan Wang
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Xiaoting Lin
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Beifang Li
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Dongshao Chen
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Yanting Hu
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Jiafu Ji
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Gao
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China.
| | - Lin Shen
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Fu-Cheng Road 52, Hai-Dian District, Beijing, 100142, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Li F, Jiang T, Li Q, Ling X. Camptothecin (CPT) and its derivatives are known to target topoisomerase I (Top1) as their mechanism of action: did we miss something in CPT analogue molecular targets for treating human disease such as cancer? Am J Cancer Res 2017; 7:2350-2394. [PMID: 29312794 PMCID: PMC5752681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Camptothecin (CPT) was discovered from plant extracts more than 60 years ago. Since then, only two CPT analogues (irinotecan and topotecan) have been approved for cancer treatment, although several thousand CPT derivatives have been synthesized and many of them were actively studied in our research community over the past 6+ decades. In this review article, we briefly summarize: (1) the discovery and early development of CPTs, (2) the recognized CPT mechanism of action (MOA), (3) the synthesis of CPT and CPT analogues, and (4) the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of CPT and its analogues. Next, we provide evidence that certain CPT analogues can exert improved efficacy with low toxicity independently of topoisomerase I (Top1) inhibition; instead, these CPT analogues use novel MOAs by targeting important cancer survival-associated oncogenic proteins and/or by bypassing various treatment-resistant mechanisms. We then present a comprehensive review of the most advanced CPT analogues in clinical development, with the goal of resolving why no new CPTs have been FDA approved for cancer treatment, beyond irinotecan and topotecan. We argue that new CPT Top1 inhibitor drugs are unlikely being found to be significantly better than irinotecan and/or topotecan in terms of the overall antitumor activity and toxicity. The significance of CPT analogues that possess novel MOAs has not been sufficiently recognized so far. In our opinion, this is a research area with great potential to make a breakthrough for development of the next generation of CPT analogues that possess high efficacy (due to novel targets) and low toxicity (due to low inhibition of Top1 activity/function) for effective treatment of human disease, including cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fengzhi Li
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, New York, USA
| | - Tao Jiang
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of ChinaQingdao, China
| | - Qingyong Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Zhejiang University of TechnologyHangzhou, China
| | - Xiang Ling
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, New York, USA
- Canget BioTekpharmaBuffalo, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|