Recent Advances in the Antiproliferative and Proapoptotic Activity of Various Plant Extracts and Constituents against Murine Malignant Melanoma

A First Metabolite Analysis of Norfolk Island Pine Resin and Its Hepatoprotective Potential to Alleviate Methotrexate (MTX)-Induced Hepatic Injury

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) represents a significant clinical challenge characterized by hepatic dysfunction following exposure to diverse medications. Methotrexate (MTX) is a cornerstone in treating various cancers and autoimmune disorders. However, the clinical utility of MTX is overshadowed by its ability to induce hepatotoxicity. The current study aims to elucidate the hepatoprotective effect of the alcoholic extract of Egyptian Araucaria heterophylla resin (AHR) on MTX-induced liver injury in rats. AHR (100 and 200 mg/kg) significantly decreased hepatic markers (AST, ALT, and ALP), accompanied by an elevation in the antioxidant's markers (SOD, HO-1, and NQO1). AHR extract also significantly inhibited the TGF-β/NF-κB signaling pathway as well as the downstream cascade (IL-6, JAK, STAT-3, and cyclin D). The extract significantly reduced the expression of VEGF and p38 with an elevation in the BCL2 levels, in addition to a significant decrease in the IL-1β and TNF-α levels, with a prominent effect at a high dose (200 mg/kg). Using LC-HRMS/MS analysis, a total of 43 metabolites were tentatively identified, and diterpenes were the major class. This study presents AHR as a promising hepatoprotective agent through inhibition of the TGF-β/NF-κB and JAK/STAT3 pathways, besides its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Effects of three plant growth-promoting bacterial symbiosis with ryegrass for remediation of Cd, Pb, and Zn soil in a mining area

The quality of soil containing heavy metals (HMs) around nonferrous metal mining areas is often not favorable for plant growth. Three types of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)-assisted ryegrass were examined here to treat Cd, Pb, and Zn contaminated soil collected from a nonferrous metal smelting facility. The effects of PGPR-assisted plants on soil quality, plant growth, and the migration and transformation of HMs were evaluated. Results showed that inter-root inoculation of PGPR to ryegrass increased soil redox potential, urease, sucrase and acid phosphatase activities, microbial calorimetry, and bioavailable P, Si, and K content. Inoculation with PGPR also increased aboveground parts and root length, P, Si, and K contents, and antioxidant enzyme activities. The most significant effect was that the simultaneous inoculation of all three PGPRs increased the ryegrass extraction (%) of Cd (59.04-79.02), Pb (105.56-157.13), and Zn (27.71-40.79), compared to CK control (without fungi). Correspondingly, the inter-root soil contents (%) of total Cd (39.94-57.52), Pb (37.59-42.17), and Zn (34.05-37.28) were decreased compared to the CK1 control (without fungi and plants), whereas their bioavailability was increased. Results suggest that PGPR can improve soil quality in mining areas, promote plant growth, transform the fraction of HMs in soil, and increase the extraction of Cd, Pb, and Zn by ryegrass. PGPR is a promising microbe-assisted phytoremediation strategy that can promote the re-greening of vegetation in the mining area while remediating HMs pollution.

Effects of long-term herbaceous plant restoration on microbial communities and metabolic profiles in coal gangue-contaminated soil

The soil microbial diversity in the gangue accumulation area is severely stressed by a variety of heavy metals, while the influence of long-term recovery of herbaceous plants on the ecological structure of gangue-contaminated soil is to be explored. Therefore, we analysed the differences in physicochemical properties, elemental changes, microbial community structure, metabolites and expression of related pathways in soils in the 10- and 20-year herbaceous remediation areas of coal gangue. Our results showed that phosphatase, soil urease, and sucrase activities of gangue soils significantly increased in the shallow layer after herbaceous remediation. However, in zone T1 (10-year remediation zone), the contents of harmful elements, such as Thorium (Th; 1.08-fold), Arsenic (As; 0.78-fold), lead (Pb; 0.99-fold), and uranium (U; 0.77-fold), increased significantly, whereas the soil microbial abundance and diversity also showed a significant decreasing trend. Conversely, in zone T2 (20-year restoration zone), the soil pH significantly increased by 1.03- to 1.06-fold and soil acidity significantly improved. Moreover, the abundance and diversity of soil microorganisms increased significantly, the expression of carbohydrates in soil was significantly downregulated, and sucrose content was significantly negatively correlated with the abundance of microorganisms, such as Streptomyces. A significant decrease in heavy metals was observed in the soil, such as U (1.01- to 1.09-fold) and Pb (1.13- to 1.25-fold). Additionally, the thiamin synthesis pathway was inhibited in the soil of the T1 zone; the expression level of sulfur (S)-containing histidine derivatives (Ergothioneine) was significantly up-regulated by 0.56-fold in the shallow soil of the T2 zone; and the S content in the soil significantly reduced. Aromatic compounds were significantly up-regulated in the soil after 20 years of herbaceous plant remediation in coal gangue soil, and microorganisms (Sphingomonas) with significant positive correlations with benzene ring-containing metabolites, such as Sulfaphenazole, were identified.

Therapeutic potential of marine peptides in malignant melanoma

Malignant melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It is becoming more common globally and is increasingly resistant to treatment options. Despite extensive research into its pathophysiology, there are still no proven cures for metastatic melanoma. Unfortunately, current treatments are frequently ineffective and costly, and have several adverse effects. Natural substances have been extensively researched for their anti-MM capabilities. Chemoprevention and adjuvant therapy with natural products is an emerging strategy to prevent, cure or treat melanoma. Numerous prospective drugs are found in aquatic species, providing a plentiful supply of lead cytotoxic chemicals for cancer treatment. Anticancer peptides are less harmful to healthy cells and cure cancer through several different methods, such as altered cell viability, apoptosis, angiogenesis/metastasis suppression, microtubule balance disturbances and targeting lipid composition of the cancer cell membrane. This review addresses marine peptides as effective and safe treatments for MM and details their molecular mechanisms of action.

Phytochemicals as Immunomodulatory Agents in Melanoma

Cutaneous melanoma is an immunogenic highly heterogenic tumor characterized by poor outcomes when it is diagnosed late. Therefore, immunotherapy in combination with other anti-proliferative approaches is among the most effective weapons to control its growth and metastatic dissemination. Recently, a large amount of published reports indicate the interest of researchers and clinicians about plant secondary metabolites as potentially useful therapeutic tools due to their lower presence of side effects coupled with their high potency and efficacy. Published evidence was reported in most cases through in vitro studies but also, with a growing body of evidence, through in vivo investigations. Our aim was, therefore, to review the published studies focused on the most interesting phytochemicals whose immunomodulatory activities and/or mechanisms of actions were demonstrated and applied to melanoma models.

The Antioxidant and Proapoptotic Effects of Sternbergia clusiana Bulb Ethanolic Extract on Triple-Negative and Estrogen-Dependent Breast Cancer Cells In Vitro

BACKGROUND

Sternbergia clusiana belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family and is recognized for the valuable biological activity of its major bioactive compounds. The aim of the current is to evaluate the anticancer effects of the ethanolic bulb extract of Sternbergia clusiana (ScBEE) on breast cancer cells in vitro and to further reveal the underlying cellular mechanism.

METHODS

An MTS cell viability assay was performed on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells, along with cell cycle analysis, cell death ELISA, Western blot analysis and an ROS production assay to decipher the mechanism of death. LC-MS/MS was also performed to identify the chemical composition of this ethanolic extract.

RESULTS

The results show a selective antiproliferative effect on both cell lines with no effect on normal mesenchymal stem cells. Further analysis suggested the activation of the apoptotic pathway as reflected by the increase in cellular and DNA fragmentation and alterations in apoptotic proteins such as Bax, Bcl-2 and c-PARP. ScBEE was also found to exhibit antioxidant effect, as shown by a decrease in ROS production. The underlying mechanism of action was explained by the presence of several bioactive compounds identified by LC-MS/MS, including alkaloids, terpenoids and phenols, which are elaborated in the manuscript.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the antioxidant and anticancerous properties of S.clusiana for breast cancer treatment.

The Inhibitory Effects and Cytotoxic Activities of the Stem Extract of Sarracenia purpurea against Melanoma Cells and the SsbA Protein

The Staphylococcus aureus SsbA protein (SaSsbA) is a single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB) that is categorically required for DNA replication and cell survival, and it is thus an attractive target for potential antipathogen chemotherapy. In this study, we prepared the stem extract of Sarracenia purpurea obtained from 100% acetone to investigate its inhibitory effect against SaSsbA. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of this extract on the survival, apoptosis, proliferation, and migration of B16F10 melanoma cells were also examined. Initially, myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, dihydroquercetin, dihydrokaempferol, rutin, catechin, β-amyrin, oridonin, thioflavin T, primuline, and thioflavin S were used as possible inhibitors against SaSsbA. Of these compounds, dihydrokaempferol and oridonin were capable of inhibiting the ssDNA-binding activity of SaSsbA with respective IC50 values of 750 ± 62 and 2607 ± 242 μM. Given the poor inhibition abilities of dihydrokaempferol and oridonin, we screened the extracts of S. purpurea, Nepenthes miranda, and Plinia cauliflora for SaSsbA inhibitors. The stem extract of S. purpurea exhibited high anti-SaSsbA activity, with an IC50 value of 4.0 ± 0.3 μg/mL. The most abundant compounds in the stem extract of S. purpurea were identified using gas chromatography−mass spectrometry. The top five most abundant contents in this extract were driman-8,11-diol, deoxysericealactone, stigmast-5-en-3-ol, apocynin, and α-amyrin. Using the MOE-Dock tool, the binding modes of these compounds, as well as dihydrokaempferol and oridonin, to SaSsbA were elucidated, and their binding energies were also calculated. Based on the S scores, the binding capacity of these compounds was in the following order: deoxysericealactone > dihydrokaempferol > apocynin > driman-8,11-diol > stigmast-5-en-3-ol > oridonin > α-amyrin. Incubation of B16F10 cells with the stem extract of S. purpurea at a concentration of 100 μg/mL caused deaths at the rate of 76%, reduced migration by 95%, suppressed proliferation and colony formation by 99%, and induced apoptosis, which was observed in 96% of the B16F10 cells. Overall, the collective data in this study indicate the pharmacological potential of the stem extract of S. purpurea for further medical applications.

Inhibition of Tumor Growth and Modulation of Antioxidant Activity of Rhodoxanthin Isolated from Taxus baccata Aril against B16F10 Murine Malignant Melanoma

Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer, and due to the numerous limitations of current treatment methods, there is an urgent need to develop novel approaches for both the prevention and treatment of malignant melanoma, with research-oriented bioactive substances representing a notable first step. The current study decided to expand on previous rhodoxanthin research by investigating the possible anti-tumor effect as well as the effect on the antioxidant status in the case of murine melanoma in an experimental model. The 21-day study was carried out on female C57BL/6J mice. On the first day of the experiment, they were subcutaneously inoculated with 106 B16F10 cells and were given rhodoxanthin orally until the end of the study. Rhodoxanthin supplementation significantly reduced tumor growth (42.18%) and weight (15.74%). Furthermore, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) activity was reduced and the concentration of 8-OHdG dropped in the treated melanoma-bearing mice compared to the untreated ones, demonstrating the role of rhodoxanthin in slowing tumor growth, one of the mechanisms being the reduction of EGF level and the decrease of DNA oxidation. The administration of rhodoxanthin determined variations in antioxidant enzymes, both at the plasma level and at the tissue level.