Synthesis and anti-tumor activity of novel aminomethylated derivatives of isoliquiritigenin

Anticancer activity of Mannich bases: a review of recent literature

This report summarizes the latest published data on the antiproliferative action and cytotoxic activity of Mannich bases, a structurally heterogeneous category of chemical entities that includes compounds which are synthesized via the grafting of an aminomethyl function onto diverse substrates by means of the Mannich reaction. The present overview of the topic is an update to the information assembled in a previously published review that covered the literature up to 2014.

The therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Long Chai Fang on chronic hepatitis B

Background

Long Chai Fang (LCF) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula for treating chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in clinical settings; however, its related mechanism remains unclear.

Methods

To address this issue, network pharmacology and an integrative method that combines dot-blot hybridization and metabolomics analysis were employed. Network pharmacology was performed to investigate the material basis and potential mechanisms of LCF against CHB. The effect of LCF on Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) replication was evaluated. The metabolomics analysis was conducted to identify potential biomarkers in duck serum.

Results

The network pharmacology approach revealed 133 potential active components, 897 drug targets, 979 disease targets, and 185 drug-disease targets, while the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis identified 165 pathways. LCF significantly inhibited DHBV-deoxyribonucleic acid replication on day 10 and day 3 after the cessation of treatment. Notably, the low-dose LCF group showed the best inhibitory effect. The obviously sustained anti-DHBV activity of LCF inhibited viral replication, and a rebound reaction was found. Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine classes, which are mainly involved in liver cell repair and energy metabolism through phospholipid metabolic pathways, were identified by metabolomics analysis.

Conclusions

our results showed that the main active ingredients of LCF appear to be metacarpi, isorhamnetin, glypallichalcone, and phaseolinisoflavan. This study provides novel strategies for using a LCF formula against CHB in future research.

Synthetic Isoliquiritigenin Inhibits Human Tongue Squamous Carcinoma Cells through Its Antioxidant Mechanism

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a natural antioxidant, has antitumor activity in different types of cancer cells. However the antitumor effect of ISL on human tongue squamous carcinoma cells (TSCC) is not clear. Here we aimed to investigate the effects of synthetic isoliquiritigenin (S-ISL) on TSCC and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. S-ISL was synthesized and elucidated from its nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum and examined using high performance liquid chromatography. The effects of S-ISL on TSCC cells (Tca8113) were evaluated in relation to cell proliferation, apoptosis and adhesion, migration, and invasion using sulforhodamine B assay, fluorescence microscopy technique, flow cytometry (FCM) analysis, and Boyden chamber assay. The associated regulatory mechanisms were examined using FCM and fluorescence microscopy for intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, Gelatin zymography assay for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activities, and Western blot for apoptosis regulatory proteins (Bcl-2 and Bax). Our data indicated that S-ISL inhibited Tca8113 cell proliferation, adhesion, migration, and invasion while promoting the cell apoptosis. Such effects were accompanied by downregulation of Bcl-2 and upregulation of Bax, reduction of MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities, and decreased ROS production. We conclude that S-ISL is a promising agent targeting TSCC through multiple anticancer effects, regulated by its antioxidant mechanism.