Jiegeng Decoction Potentiates the Anticancer Efficacy of Paclitaxel in vivo and in vitro

Exploring the Mechanisms of Self-made Kuiyu Pingchang Recipe for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome using a Network Pharmacology-based Approach and Molecular Docking

BACKGROUND

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are common intestinal diseases. According to the clinical experience and curative effect, the authors formulated Kuiyu Pingchang Decoction (KYPCD) comprised of Paeoniae radix alba, Aurantii Fructus, Herba euphorbiae humifusae, Lasiosphaera seu Calvatia, Angelicae sinensis radix, Panax ginseng C.A. Mey., Platycodon grandiforus and Allium azureum Ledeb.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to explore the mechanisms of KYPCD in the treatment of UC and IBS following the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory of "Treating different diseases with the same treatment".

METHODS

The chemical ingredients and targets of KYPCD were obtained using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP). The targets of UC and IBS were extracted using the DisGeNET, GeneCards, DrugBANK, OMIM and TTD databases. The "TCM-component-target" network and the "TCM-shared target-disease" network were imaged using Cytoscape software. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was built using the STRING database. The DAVID platform was used to analyze the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Using Autodock Tools software, the main active components of KYPCD were molecularly docked with their targets and visualized using PyMOL.

RESULTS

A total of 46 active ingredients of KYPCD corresponding to 243 potential targets, 1,565 targets of UC and 1,062 targets of IBS, and 70 targets among active ingredients and two diseases were screened. Core targets in the PPI network included IL6, TNF, AKT1, IL1B, TP53, EGFR and VEGFA. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis demonstrated 563 biological processes, 48 cellular components, 82 molecular functions and 144 signaling pathways. KEGG enrichment results revealed that the regulated pathways were mainly related to the PI3K-AKT, MAPK, HIF-1 and IL-17 pathways. The results of molecular docking analysis indicated that the core active ingredients of KYPCD had optimal binding activity to their corresponding targets.

CONCLUSION

KYPCD may use IL6, TNF, AKT1, IL1B, TP53, EGFR and VEGFA as the key targets to achieve the treatment of UC and IBS through the PI3K-AKT, MAPK, HIF-1 and IL-17 pathways.

5-Fluorouracil Combined with Rutaecarpine Synergistically Suppresses the Growth of Colon Cancer Cells by Inhibiting STAT3

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combined with rutaecarpine (RUT) on the antiproliferative, anti-migratory, and apoptosis-promoting ability of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and explore the underlying mechanism.

Methods

The antiproliferative effects of RUT and 5-FU on CRC cells were evaluated using MTT and colony formation assays. Anti-migration was assessed by cell scratch and transwell tests. The synergistic effect of RUT and 5-FU was assessed by isobologram and combination index analysis using CompuSyn software. The effects of RUT and 5-FU on cell apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. Differences in protein expression levels with or without RUT and/or 5-FU treatment were assessed by Western blot. Moreover, a mouse xenograft model of CRC was established to investigate the antitumor effect of RUT and 5-FU in vivo, and Ki67 and cleaved caspase-3 expression was detected by immunofluorescence.

Results

In this study, we found that 5-FU combined with RUT can inhibit the proliferative, migratory, and antiapoptotic abilities of CRC cells to a significantly greater extent than either RUT or 5-FU alone both in vivo and in vitro. Western blot analysis showed that the level of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation in CRC cells was significantly reduced after combination therapy compared with that seen with the respective monotherapies. In addition, combination therapy influenced the STAT3 signaling pathway, namely, it inhibited the expression of c-Myc, CDK4, and Bcl-2 while enhancing that of the proapoptotic protein cleaved caspase-3. Immunofluorescence staining further showed that the expression of Ki67 and cleaved caspase-3 was significantly downregulated and upregulated, respectively, in tumor tissues of mice treated with combination therapy compared with that observed with 5-FU treatment alone.

Conclusion

Combined therapy with 5-FU and RUT exerted a superior curative effect in CRC than treatment with either single drug alone and has potential as a novel therapeutic modality for the treatment of CRC.

Discovery of Novel Tubulin Polymerization Inhibitors by Utilizing 3D-QSAR, Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Tubulin is a potential therapeutic target for cancer. Compounds inhibit the polymerization of tubulin or promote the polymerization of tubulin to interfere with the mitotic process of cells, resulting in...