Deoxyelephantopin and Its Isomer Isodeoxyelephantopin: Anti-Cancer Natural Products with Multiple Modes of Action

Progress of natural sesquiterpenoids in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the common malignant tumors of digestive tract, which seriously threatens the life of patients due to its high incidence rate, strong invasion, metastasis, and prognosis. At present, the main methods for preventing and treating HCC include medication, surgery, and intervention, but patients frequently encounter with specific adverse reactions or side effects. Many Traditional Chinese medicine can improve liver function, reduce liver cancer recurrence and have unique advantages in the treatment of HCC because of their acting mode of multi-target, multi-pathway, multi-component, and multi-level. Sesquiterpenoids, a class of natural products which are widely present in nature and exhibit good anti-tumor activity, and many of them possess good potential for the treatment of HCC. This article reviewed the anti-tumor activities, natural resources, pharmacological mechanism of natural sesquiterpenoids against HCC, providing the theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of HCC and a comprehensive understanding of their potential for development of new clinical drugs.

Thioredoxin system in colorectal cancer: Its role in carcinogenesis, disease progression, and response to treatment

The thioredoxin system is essential for many physiological processes, including the maintenance of redox signalling pathways. Alterations in the activity, expression and interactions with other signalling pathways can lead to protective or pathophysiological responses. Thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase, the two main components of this system, are often overexpressed in cancer, including colorectal cancer. This overexpression is often linked with tumour progression and poor outcomes. This review discusses the role of the Trx system in driving colorectal carcinogenesis and disease progression, as well as the challenges of targeting this system. Additionally, the recent advancements in the development of novel and effective thioredoxin inhibitors for colorectal cancer are also explored.

The specialized sesquiterpenoids produced by the genus Elephantopus L.: Chemistry, biological activities and structure-activity relationship exploration

The genus Elephantopus L. is a valuable resource rich in sesquiterpenoids with structural diversity and various bioactivities, showing great potential for applications in medicinal field and biological industry. Up to now, over 129 sesquiterpenoids have been isolated and identified from this plant genus, including 114 germacrane-type, 7 guaianolide-type, 5 eudesmane-type, 1 elemanolide-type, and 2 bis-sesquiterpenoids. These sesquiterpenoids were reported to show a diverse range of pharmacological properties, including cytotoxic, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiprotozoal. Consequently, some of them were identified as active scaffolds in the design and development of drugs. Considering that there is currently no overview available that covers the sesquiterpenoids and their biological activities in the Elephantopus genus, this article aims to comprehensively review the chemical structures, biosynthetic pathways, pharmacological properties, and structure-activity relationship of sesquiterpenoids found in the Elephantopus genus, which will establish a theoretical framework that can guide further research and exploration of sesquiterpenoids from Elephantopus plants as promising therapeutic agents.

Treating cancer through modulating exosomal protein loading and function: The prospects of natural products and traditional Chinese medicine

Exosomes, small yet vital extracellular vesicles, play an integral role in intercellular communication. They transport critical components, such as proteins, lipid bilayers, DNA, RNA, and glycans, to target cells. These vesicles are crucial in modulating the extracellular matrix and orchestrating signal transduction processes. In oncology, exosomes are pivotal in tumor growth, metastasis, drug resistance, and immune modulation within the tumor microenvironment. Exosomal proteins, noted for their stability and specificity, have garnered widespread attention. This review delves into the mechanisms of exosomal protein loading and their impact on tumor development, with a focus on the regulatory effects of natural products and traditional Chinese medicine on exosomal protein loading and function. These insights not only offer new strategies and methodologies for cancer treatment but also provide scientific bases and directions for future clinical applications.

Terpinen-4-ol Induces Ferroptosis of Glioma Cells via Downregulating JUN Proto-Oncogene

According to previous research, turmeric seeds exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-malignancy, and anti-aging properties due to an abundance of terpinen-4-ol (T4O). Although it is still unclear how T4O works on glioma cells, limited data exist regarding its specific effects. In order to determine whether or not glioma cell lines U251, U87, and LN229 are viable, CCK8 was used as an assay and a colony formation assay was performed using different concentrations of T4O (0, 1, 2, and 4 μM). The effect of T4O on the proliferation of glioma cell line U251 was detected through the subcutaneous implantation of the tumor model. Through high-throughput sequencing, a bioinformatic analysis, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reactions, we identified the key signaling pathways and targets of T4O. Finally, for the measurement of the cellular ferroptosis levels, we examined the relationship between T4O, ferroptosis, and JUN and the malignant biological properties of glioma cells. T4O significantly inhibited glioma cell growth and colony formation and induced ferroptosis in the glioma cells. T4O inhibited the subcutaneous tumor proliferation of the glioma cells in vivo. T4O suppressed JUN transcription and significantly reduced its expression in the glioma cells. The T4O treatment inhibited GPX4 transcription through JUN. The overexpression of JUN suppressed ferroptosis in the cells rescued through T4O treatment. Taken together, our data suggest that the natural product T4O exerts its anti-cancer effects by inducing JUN/GPX4-dependent ferroptosis and inhibiting cell proliferation, and T4O will hope-fully serve as a prospective compound for glioma treatment.

Natural Products for Drug Discovery in the 21st Century: Innovations for Novel Therapeutics

Natural products (NPs) from plants, fungi, animals, and microorganisms have historically played important roles in drug discovery [...].

Lessons learned from the discovery and development of the sesquiterpene lactones in cancer therapy and prevention

INTRODUCTION

Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs) are one of the most diverse bioactive secondary metabolites found in plants and exhibit a broad range of therapeutic properties . SLs have been showing promising potential in cancer clinical trials, and the molecular mechanisms underlying their anticancer potential are being uncovered. Recent evidence also points to a potential utility of SLs in cancer prevention.

AREAS COVERED

This work evaluates SLs with promising anticancer potential based on cell, animal, and clinical models: Artemisinin, micheliolide, thapsigargin dehydrocostuslactone, arglabin, parthenolide, costunolide, deoxyelephantopin, alantolactone, isoalantolactone, atractylenolide 1, and xanthatin as well as their synthetic derivatives. We highlight actionable molecular targets and biological mechanisms underlying the anticancer therapeutic properties of SLs. This is complemented by a unique assessment of SL mechanisms of action that can be exploited in cancer prevention. We also provide insights into structure-activity and pharmacokinetic properties of SLs and their potential use in combination therapies.

EXPERT OPINION

We extract seven major lessons learned and present evidence-based solutions that can circumvent some scientific limitations or logistic impediments in SL anticancer research. SLs continue to be at the forefront of cancer drug discovery and are worth a joint interdisciplinary effort in order to leverage their potential in cancer therapy and prevention.

Chitosan Oligosaccharide Prevents Afatinib-Induced Barrier Disruption and Chloride Secretion through Modulation of AMPK, PI3K/AKT, and ERK Signaling in T84 Cells

Diarrhea is an important adverse effect of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, especially afatinib. Novel antidiarrheal agents are needed to reduce epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor-associated diarrhea to improve the quality of life and treatment outcome in cancer patients. This study aimed to investigate the anti-diarrheal activity of chitosan oligosaccharide against afatinib-induced barrier disruption and chloride secretion in human intestinal epithelial cells (T84 cells). Chitosan oligosaccharide (100 μg/mL) prevented afatinib-induced barrier disruption determined by changes in transepithelial electrical resistance and FITC-dextran flux in the T84 cell monolayers. In addition, chitosan oligosaccharide prevented afatinib-induced potentiation of cAMP-induced chloride secretion measured by short-circuit current analyses in the T84 cell monolayers. Chitosan oligosaccharide induced the activation of AMPK, a positive regulator of epithelial tight junction and a negative regulator of cAMP-induced chloride secretion. Moreover, chitosan oligosaccharide partially reversed afatinib-induced AKT inhibition without affecting afatinib-induced ERK inhibition via AMPK-independent mechanisms. Collectively, this study reveals that chitosan oligosaccharide prevents the afatinib-induced diarrheal activities in T84 cells via both AMPK-dependent and AMPK-independent mechanisms. Chitosan oligosaccharide represents a promising natural polymer-derived compound for further development of treatment for afatinib-associated diarrheas.