Preclinical Investigation of Alpinetin in the Treatment of Cancer-Induced Cachexia via Activating PPARγ

Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of the genus Alpinia from 2016 to 2023

Covering 2016 up to the end of 2023Alpinia is the largest genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and comprises about 500 species. Many Alpinia are commonly cultivated ornamental plants, and some are used as spices or traditional medicine to treat inflammation, hyperlipidemia, and cancers. However, only a few comprehensive reviews have been published on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of this genus, and the latest review was published in 2017. In this review, we provide an extensive coverage of the studies on Alpinia species reported from 2016 through 2023, including newly isolated compounds and potential biological effects. The present review article shows that Alpinia species have a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, most due to the activities of diarylheptanoids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolics.

Dual function of activated PPARγ by ligands on tumor growth and immunotherapy

As one of the peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) members, PPARγ is a ligand binding and activated nuclear hormone receptor, which is an important regulator in metabolism, proliferation, tumor progression, and immune response. Increased evidence suggests that activation of PPARγ in response to ligands inhibits multiple types of cancer proliferation, metastasis, and tumor growth and induces cell apoptosis including breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, and bladder cancer. Conversely, some reports suggest that activation of PPARγ is associated with tumor growth. In addition to regulating tumor progression, PPARγ could promote or inhibit tumor immunotherapy by affecting macrophage differentiation or T cell activity. These controversial findings may be derived from cancer cell types, conditions, and ligands, since some ligands are independent of PPARγ activity. Therefore, this review discussed the dual role of PPARγ on tumor progression and immunotherapy.

Network Analysis and Basic Experiments on the Inhibition of Renal Cancer Proliferation and Migration by Alpinetin through PI3K/AKT/ mTOR Pathway

BACKGROUND

Alpinetin, a natural flavonoid, has been shown to have anticancer effects on many tumors. This study investigated the antitumor effect of alpinetin on renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

METHODS

Network Pharmacology analysis was carried out on the targets and molecular mechanisms of alpinetin treating ccRCC. The Annexin V PE/7-AAD kit was used to detect apoptosis. Flow cytometry and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) were used to detect cell proliferation and cycle. A 24-well transwell chamber and the ibidi scratch insertion performed cell migration analysis. The protein expression of the target molecule was detected by Western blotting. Nude mouse tumorigenesis assays were used to determine the in vivo antitumor effects of alpinetin.

RESULTS

The network pharmacology revealed that GAPDH, HRAS, SRC, EGFR, and AKT1 are the main targets of alpinetin in treating ccRCC, with the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway being the main pathway of action. We found that alpinetin could significantly inhibit the proliferation and migration of ccRCC cells by inducing apoptosis. In addition, alpinetin also inhibited the cycle progression of ccRCC cells by blocking them in the G1 phase. Furthermore, in vivo and in vitro, alpinetin could inhibit the activation of an important pathway involved in the proliferation and migration of ccRCC cells, namely the PI3K/Akt pathway.

CONCLUSION

Alpinetin can inhibit the growth of ccRCC cells by inhibiting the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway and can be a potential anti-cancer drug for ccRCC.

Alpinetin suppresses CYP3A4, 2C9, and 2E1 activity in vitro

CONTEXT

Alpinetin, the major active constitutes of Alpinia katsumata Hayata (Zingiberaceae), has been demonstrated to possess the activity of anti-breast cancer. Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450s) plays vital roles in the biotransformation of various drugs.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of alpinetin on the activity of CYP450s and estimate the inhibition characteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The activity of CYP450s was evaluated in pooled human liver microsomes with corresponding substrates and marker reactions. The effect of alpinetin was compared with blank control (negative control) and corresponding inhibitors (positive control). The dose-dependent and time-dependent experiments were conducted in the presence of 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 μM alpinetin and incubated for 0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 min.

RESULTS

Alpinetin suppressed CYP3A4, 2C9, and 2E1 activity. All the inhibitions were significantly influenced by alpinetin contration with the IC₅₀ values of 8.23 μM (CYP3A4), 12.64 μM (CYP2C9), and 10.97 μM (CYP2E1), respectively. The inhibition of CYP3A4 was fitted with the non-competitive model with a Ki value of 4.09 μM and was time-dependent with KI and Kinact values of 4.67 min and 0.041 μM^-1, respectively. While CYP2C9 and 2E1 were inhibited by alpinetin competitively with Ki values of 6.42 (CYP2C9) and 5.40 μM (CYP2E1), respectively, in a time-independent manner.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The in vitro inhibitory effect of alpineticn on CYP3A, 2C9, and 2E1 implied the potential interaction of alpinetin or its origin herbs with the drugs metabolised by those CYP450s, which needs further in vivo validation.

Calycosin attenuates renal ischemia/reperfusion injury by suppressing NF-κB mediated inflammation via PPARγ/EGR1 pathway

Renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is a leading and common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI), and inflammation is a critical factor in ischemic AKI progression. Calycosin (CAL), a major active component of Radix astragali, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effect in multiple organs. However, whether CAL can alleviate renal IRI and its mechanism remain uncertain. In the present study, a renal IRI model is established by bilateral renal pedicles occlusion for 35 min in male C57BL/6 mice, and the effect of CAL on renal IRI is measured by serum creatinine and pathohistological assay. Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) stimulated human renal tubular epithelial cells HK-2 were applied to explore the regulatory mechanisms of CAL. Luciferase reporter assay and molecular docking were applied to identify the CAL's target protein and pathway. In the mice with renal IRI, CAL dose dependently alleviated the renal injury and decreased nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) mediated inflammatory response. Bioinformatics analysis and experiments showed that early growth response 1 (EGR1) increased in mice with renal IRI and promoted NF-κB mediated inflammatory processes, and CAL dose-dependably reduced EGR1. Through JASPAR database and luciferase reporter assay, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) was predicted to be a transcription factor of EGR1 and repressed the expression of EGR1 in renal tubular epithelial cells. CAL could increase PPARγ in a dose dependent manner in mice with renal IRI and molecular docking predicted CAL could bind stably to PPARγ. In HK-2 cells after H/R, CAL increased PPARγ, decreased EGR1, and inhibited NF-κB mediated inflammatory response. However, PPARγ knockdown by siRNA transfection abrogated the anti-inflammation therapeutic effect of CAL. CAL produced a protective effect on renal IRI by attenuating NF-κB mediated inflammatory response via PPARγ/EGR1 pathway.

Tumor cell anabolism and host tissue catabolism-energetic inefficiency during cancer cachexia

Cancer-associated cachexia (CC) is a pathological condition characterized by sarcopenia, adipose tissue depletion, and progressive weight loss. CC is driven by multiple factors such as anorexia, excessive catabolism, elevated energy expenditure by growing tumor mass, and inflammatory mediators released by cancer cells and surrounding tissues. In addition, endocrine system, systemic metabolism, and central nervous system (CNS) perturbations in combination with cachexia mediators elicit exponential elevation in catabolism and reduced anabolism in skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and cardiac muscle. At the molecular level, mechanisms of CC include inflammation, reduced protein synthesis, and lipogenesis, elevated proteolysis and lipolysis along with aggravated toxicity and complications of chemotherapy. Furthermore, CC is remarkably associated with intolerance to anti-neoplastic therapy, poor prognosis, and increased mortality with no established standard therapy. In this context, we discuss the spatio-temporal changes occurring in the various stages of CC and highlight the imbalance of host metabolism. We provide how multiple factors such as proteasomal pathways, inflammatory mediators, lipid and protein catabolism, glucocorticoids, and in-depth mechanisms of interplay between inflammatory molecules and CNS can trigger and amplify the cachectic processes. Finally, we highlight current diagnostic approaches and promising therapeutic interventions for CC.

Molecular Mechanisms and Current Treatment Options for Cancer Cachexia

Simple Summary

The primary characteristics of cancer cachexia are weakness, weight loss, atrophy, fat reduction, and systemic inflammation. Cachexia is strongly associated with cancers involving the lungs, pancreas, esophagus, stomach, and liver, which account for half of all cancer deaths. TGF-β, MSTN, activin, IGF-1/PI3K/AKT, and JAK-STAT signaling pathways are known to underlie muscle atrophy and cachexia. Anamorelin (appetite stimulation), megestrol acetate, eicosapentaenoic acid, phytocannabinoids, targeting MSTN/activin, and molecules targeting proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-6, are being tested as treatment options for cancer cachexia.

Abstract

Cancer cachexia is a condition marked by functional, metabolic, and immunological dysfunctions associated with skeletal muscle (SM) atrophy, adipose tissue loss, fat reduction, systemic inflammation, and anorexia. Generally, the condition is caused by a variety of mediators produced by cancer cells and cells in tumor microenvironments. Myostatin and activin signaling, IGF-1/PI3K/AKT signaling, and JAK-STAT signaling are known to play roles in cachexia, and thus, these pathways are considered potential therapeutic targets. This review discusses the current state of knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying cachexia and the available therapeutic options and was undertaken to increase understanding of the various factors/pathways/mediators involved and to identify potential treatment options.

Alpinetin: A Review of Its Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics

Flavonoids isolated from medicinal herbs have been utilized as valuable health-care agents due to their virous biological applications. Alpinetin is a natural flavonoid that emerges in many widely used medicinal plants, and has been frequently applied in Chinese patent drugs. Accumulated evidence has demonstrated that alpinetin possesses a broad range of pharmacological activities such as antitumor, antiinflammation, hepatoprotective, cardiovascular protective, lung protective, antibacterial, antiviral, neuroprotective, and other properties through regulating multiple signaling pathways with low systemic toxicity. However, pharmacokinetic studies have documented that alpinetin may have poor oral bioavailability correlated to its extensive glucuronidation. Currently, the reported pharmacological properties and pharmacokinetics profiles of alpinetin are rare to be scientifically reviewed. In this article, we aimed to highlight the mechanisms of action of alpinetin in various diseases to strongly support its curative potentials for prospective clinical applications. We also summarized the pharmacokinetics properties and proposed some viable strategies to convey an appreciable reference for future advances of alpinetin in drug development.

Chiral Flavonoids as Antitumor Agents

Flavonoids are a group of natural products with a great structural diversity, widely distributed in plant kingdom. They play an important role in plant growth, development and defense against aggressors. Flavonoids show a huge variety of biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, antimicrobial and antitumor, being able to modulate a large diversity of cellular enzymatic activities. Among natural flavonoids, some classes comprise chiral molecules including flavanones, flavan-3-ols, isoflavanones, and rotenoids, which have one or more stereogenic centers. Interestingly, in some cases, individual compounds of enantiomeric pairs have shown different antitumor activity. In nature, these compounds are mainly biosynthesized as pure enantiomers. Nevertheless, they are often isolated as racemates, being necessary to carry out their chiral separation to perform enantioselectivity studies. Synthetic chiral flavonoids with promising antitumor activity have also been obtained using diverse synthetic approaches. In fact, several new chiral bioactive flavonoids have been synthesized by enantioselective synthesis. Particularly, flavopiridol was the first cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor which entered clinical trials. The chiral pool approaches using amino acid as chiral building blocks have also been reported to achieve small libraries of chrysin derivatives with more potent in vitro growth inhibitory effect than chrysin, reinforcing the importance of the introduction of chiral moieties to improve antitumor activity. In this work, a literature review of natural and synthetic chiral flavonoids with antitumor activity is reported for the first time.