Matrine inhibits the migratory and invasive properties of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

Elucidating the pharmacological effects of Compound Kushen injection on MYC-P15-CCND1 signaling pathway in nasopharyngeal carcinoma - An in vitro study

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Compound Kushen injection (CKI) is a representative medication of Chinese herbal injection and is often used in the adjuvant treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but its antitumor mechanism is poorly understood.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To preliminarily elucidate the effects and possible mechanisms of CKI on NPC.

METHODS

In this work, we explored the possible molecular mechanisms of CKI against NPC by using network pharmacology and molecular docking. In addition, proteomics was used to explore the localization and quantitative information of protein in NPC C666-1 cells after the intervention of CKI, and enrichment analysis was used to obtain the potential targets and pathways. Finally, the effect and the core targets of CKI in the intervention of NPC were explored in vitro experiments.

RESULTS

Network pharmacology analysis identified three active components of CKI and 13 key targets. Molecular docking analysis showed that TNF, PTEN, CCND1, MAPK3, IL6, HIF1A, MYC had high affinity with corresponding components. Then the key pathway, cell cycle and the core targets MYC, CCND1, and P15 related to the key pathway were obtained. The results of in vitro experiments showed that CKI could inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NPC 5-8F cells and C666-1 cells, induce apoptosis of C666-1 cells, and arrest cell cycle G0/G1 phase. In addition, RT-qPCR and western blot showed that the expression of P15 was up-regulated and E2F4, E2F5, c-Myc, CCND1, and P107 was down-regulated in 5-8F cells and C666-1 cells intervened by CKI.

CONCLUSION

The key pathway, cell cycle and the corresponding core targets MYC, CCND1, and P15 were obtained from network pharmacology, molecular docking, and proteomics. CKI could inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NPC cells, induce apoptosis of C666-1 cells. Especially CKI may arrest cell cycle G0/G1 phase through regulating targets MYC/P15/CCND1 of cell cycle pathway.

Research progress of matrine's anticancer activity and its molecular mechanism

BACKGROUND

and ethnopharmacological relevance: Matrine (MT), a type of alkaloid extracted from the Sophora family of traditional Chinese medicine, has been documented to exert a variety of pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-viral, anti-fibrosis, and cardiovascular protection. Sophora flavescens Aiton is a traditional Chinese medicine that is bitter and cold. Additionally, it also exhibits the effects of clearing heat, eliminating dampness, expelling insects, and promoting urination. Malignant tumors are the most important medical issue and are also the second leading cause of death worldwide. Numerous natural substances have recently been revealed to have potent anticancer properties, and several have been used in clinical trials.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

To summarize the antitumor effects and associated mechanisms of MT, we compiled this review by combining a huge body of relevant literature and our previous research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

As demonstrated, we grouped the pharmacological effects of MT via a PubMed search. Further, we described the mechanism and current pharmacological research on MT's antitumor activity.

RESULTS

Additionally, extensive research has demonstrated that MT possesses superior antitumor properties, including accelerating cell apoptosis, inhibiting tumor cell growth and proliferation, inducing cell cycle arrest, inhibiting cancer metastasis and invasion, inhibiting angiogenesis, inducing autophagy, reversing multidrug resistance and inhibiting cell differentiation, thus indicating its significant potential for cancer treatment and prognosis.

CONCLUSION

This article summarizes current advances in research on the anticancer properties of MT and its molecular mechanism, to provide references for future research.

New Insights into LINC00346 and its Role in Disease

Accumulating evidence has shown that long intergenic non-protein-coding RNA 346 (LINC00346) functions as an oncogene in the tumorigenesis of several cancers. The expression level of LINC00346 has been shown to be obviously correlated with prognosis, lymphoma metastasis, histological grade, TNM stage, tumor size and pathologic stage. LINC00346 has been found to regulate specific cellular functions by interacting with several molecules and signaling pathways. In this review, we summarize recent evidence concerning the role of LINC00346 in the occurrence and development of diseases. We also discuss the potential clinical utility of LINC00346, thereby providing new insight into the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In addition, we further discuss the potential clinical utility of LINC00346 in the diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment of diseases.

Investigation on the Efficiency of Chinese Herbal Injections combined with Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Treating Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma based on Multidimensional Bayesian Network Meta-analysis

Introduction: Given the wide utilization of Chinese herbal injections in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), this network meta-analysis (NMA) was devised to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of different Chinese herbal injections combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) against NPC.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved from seven electronic databases from the date of database establishment to October 5, 2020. Study selection and data extraction conformed to a priori criteria. Focusing on clinical effective rate, performance status, grade ≥3 oral mucositis, nausea and vomiting, leukopenia, and thrombopenia, this NMA was performed with Review Manager 5.3.5, Stata 13.1, WinBUGS 1.4.3, and R 4.0.3 software.

Results: Ten inventions from 37 RCTs involving 2,581 participants with NPC that evaluated the clinical effective rate, nausea and vomiting, leukopenia, thrombopenia, and grade ≥3 oral mucositis were included. Compared with CCRT alone, Elemene injection and Compound Kushen injection were associated with significantly improved clinical effective rates, and Elemene injection plus CCRT had the highest probability in terms of clinical effective rate (78.07%) compared with the other interventions. Shenqifuzheng injection, Xiaoaiping injection, and Shenmai injection ranked the best in terms of performance status (79.02%), nausea and vomiting (86.35%), and grade ≥3 oral mucositis (78.14%) when combined with CCRT. Kangai injection combined with CCRT ranked ahead of the other injections in terms of leukopenia (90.80%) and thrombopenia (91.04%), and had a better impact on improving performance status and reducing leukopenia, thrombopenia, grade ≥3 oral mucositis, and nausea and vomiting in the multidimensional cluster analysis.

Conclusion: Current clinical evidence indicates that Elemene injection combined with CCRT has the best clinical effective rate and that Kangai injection might have a comprehensively better impact on improving performance status and reducing adverse reactions against NPC. Additionally, due to the limitations of this NMA, more multicenter, high-quality, and head-to-head RCTs are needed to properly support our findings.

A Systematic Review of the Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacokinetics of Matrine

Matrine (MT) is a naturally occurring alkaloid and an bioactive component of Chinese herbs, such as Sophora flavescens and Radix Sophorae tonkinensis. Emerging evidence suggests that MT possesses anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-fibrotic, anti-allergic, antinociceptive, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective properties. These pharmacological properties form the foundation for its application in the treatment of various diseases, such as multiple types of cancers, hepatitis, skin diseases, allergic asthma, diabetic cardiomyopathy, pain, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and central nervous system (CNS) inflammation. However, an increasing number of published studies indicate that MT has serious adverse effects, the most obvious being liver toxicity and neurotoxicity, which are major factors limiting its clinical use. Pharmacokinetic studies have shown that MT has low oral bioavailability and short half-life in vivo. This review summarizes the latest advances in research on the pharmacology, toxicology, and pharmacokinetics of MT, with a focus on its biological properties and mechanism of action. The review provides insight into the future of research on traditional Chinese medicine.

Matrine: A Promising Natural Product With Various Pharmacological Activities

Matrine is an alkaloid isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Sophora flavescens Aiton. At present, a large number of studies have proved that matrine has an anticancer effect can inhibit cancer cell proliferation, arrest cell cycle, induce apoptosis, and inhibit cancer cell metastasis. It also has the effect of reversing anticancer drug resistance and reducing the toxicity of anticancer drugs. In addition, studies have reported that matrine has a therapeutic effect on Alzheimer's syndrome, encephalomyelitis, asthma, myocardial ischemia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and the like, and its mechanism is mainly related to the inhibition of inflammatory response and apoptosis. Its treatable disease spectrum spans multiple systems such as the nervous system, circulatory system, and immune system. The antidisease effect and mechanism of matrine are diverse, so it has high research value. This review summarizes recent studies on the pharmacological mechanism of matrine, with a view to providing reference for subsequent research.

Mechanisms of Compound Kushen Injection for the Treatment of Lung Cancer Based on Network Pharmacology

Background

Compound Kushen Injection (CKI) is a Chinese patent drug that shows good efficacy in treating lung cancer (LC). However, its underlying mechanisms need to be further clarified.

Methods

In this study, we adopted a network pharmacology method to gather compounds, predict targets, construct networks, and analyze biological functions and pathways. Moreover, molecular docking simulation was employed to assess the binding potential of selected target-compound pairs.

Results

Four networks were established, including the compound-putative target network, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of LC targets, compound-LC target network, and herb-compound-target-pathway network. Network analysis showed that 8 targets (CHRNA3, DRD2, PRKCA, CDK1, CDK2, CHRNA5, MMP1, and MMP9) may be the therapeutic targets of CKI in LC. In addition, molecular docking simulation indicated that CHRNA3, DRD2, PRKCA, CDK1, CDK2, MMP1, and MMP9 had good binding activity with the corresponding compounds. Furthermore, enrichment analysis indicated that CKI might exert a therapeutic role in LC by regulating some important pathways, namely, pathways in cancer, proteoglycans in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, non-small-cell lung cancer, and small cell lung cancer.

Conclusions

This study validated and predicted the mechanism of CKI in treating LC. Additionally, this study provides a good foundation for further experimental studies and promotes the reasonable application of CKI in the clinical treatment of LC.

MMP-1 is overexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer tissues and the knockdown of MMP-1 expression inhibits tumor cell malignant behaviors in vitro

Matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) is a member of the zinc-dependent endopeptidase family, which cleaves the extracellular matrix. The present study investigated the functional role of MMP-1 in breast cancer ex vivo and in vitro in order to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms. The levels of MMP-1 were analyzed in 99 breast cancer specimens using immunohistochemistry and western blotting. A stable short hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown of MMP-1 expression was performed in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, and the effects were examined using MTT and colony formation assays, as well as migration and invasion assays, while western blotting was used to detect the activation of intracellular signaling. The MMP-1 protein was more highly expressed in triple-negative breast cancer tissues than in estrogen receptor(+) and human epidermal growth factor 2 receptor(3+) breast cancer tissues (P<0.05). Furthermore, the MMP-1 levels were significantly higher in the tumor and tumor stromal cells of lymph node metastatic breast cancer tissues than in those of non-metastatic tissues. The knockdown of MMP-1 expression in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells using MMP-1 shRNA significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and the expression of the Myc proto-oncogene protein, phosphorylated and total RAC-α serine/threonine-protein kinase 1, and B-cell lymphoma 2, but increased the protein levels of apoptosis regulator BAX and caspase 3. In conclusion, the data suggest that MMP-1 serves an important role in breast cancer development and metastasis. Future studies should assess MMP-1 as a prognostic marker for patients with breast cancer and its inhibition as a novel strategy for controlling breast cancer.

The new 6q27 tumor suppressor DACT2, frequently silenced by CpG methylation, sensitizes nasopharyngeal cancer cells to paclitaxel and 5-FU toxicity via β-catenin/Cdc25c signaling and G2/M arrest

BACKGROUND

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is prevalent in South China, including Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, constantly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Epigenetic etiology attributed to EBV plays a critical role in NPC pathogenesis. Through previous CpG methylome study, we identified Disheveled-associated binding antagonist of beta-catenin 2 (DACT2) as a methylated target in NPC. Although DACT2 was shown to regulate Wnt signaling in some carcinomas, its functions in NPC pathogenesis remain unclear.

METHODS

RT-PCR, qPCR, MSP, and BGS were applied to measure expression levels and promoter methylation of DACT2 in NPC. Transwell, flow cytometric analysis, colony formation, and BrdU-ELISA assay were used to assess different biological functions affected by DACT2. Immunofluorescence, Western blot, and dual-luciferase reporter assay were used to explore the mechanisms of DACT2 functions. Chemosensitivity assay was used to measure the impact of DACT2 on chemotherapy drugs.

RESULTS

We found that DACT2 is readily expressed in multiple normal adult tissues including upper respiratory tissues. However, it is frequently downregulated in NPC and correlated with promoter methylation. DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine restored its expression in NPC cells. DACT2 methylation was further detected in 29/32 (91%) NPC tumors but not in any (0/8) normal nasopharyngeal tissue samples. Ectopic expression of DACT2 in NPC cells suppressed their proliferation, migration, and invasion through downregulating matrix metalloproteinases. DACT2 expression also induced G2/M arrest in NPC cells through directly suppressing β-catenin/Cdc25c signaling, which sensitized NPC cells to paclitaxel and 5-FU, but not cisplatin.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that DACT2 is frequently inactivated epigenetically by CpG methylation in NPC, while it inhibits NPC cell proliferation and metastasis via suppressing β-catenin/Cdc25c signaling. Our study suggests that DACT2 promoter methylation is a potential epigenetic biomarker for the detection and chemotherapy guidance of NPC.

Matrine suppresses the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells by inhibiting PAX2-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the major cause of deaths among all the cancer types worldwide. Most of the NSCLC is diagnosed at an advanced stage and the 5-year overall survival rate is low. The reason for the low survival rate of patients with NSCLC is mainly due to distant metastasis. Matrine, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown a significant anti-proliferation and anti-invasive effect in tumors. However, little is known on the anti-invasive mechanism of matrine in lung cancer. Therefore, we tried to investigate the molecular mechanism of matrine on the invasive ability of NSCLC cells in vitro. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to evaluate the cell viability. Transwell assay was used to detect the migration and invasion abilities. Microarray assay was used to analyze the differentiated expression genes with or without matrine treatment. Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction were applied to detect the expressions of PAX2, E-cadherin and N-cadherin. Our study showed that matrine could suppress the proliferative activity of NSCLC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further investigation discovered that the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells were significantly inhibited by treatment with different concentrations of matrine. Microarray assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting showed that matrine could significantly decrease the expression of PAX2. In addition, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and related proteins were decreased. In conclusion, matrine may block PAX2 expression to interfere with epithelial-mesenchymal transition signaling pathway that ultimately inhibit the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells in vitro. Matrine might serve as a potential agent for NSCLC treatment.

Immunotherapy of Dual-Function Vector with Both Immunostimulatory and B-Cell Lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-Silencing Effects on Gastric Carcinoma

BACKGROUND Tumorigenesis is a kind of pathology marked by infinite proliferation and restrained apoptosis compared with normal cells. The abnormal expression of some proto-oncogenes and apoptosis inhibition are essential for tumor growth, which has been confirmed by molecular biologic and immunologic studies. The hypofunction of the host immune system also drives the development and metastasis of malignant tumors. Bcl-2, which has a critical role in regulating apoptosis, is overexpressed in several cancers. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, we constructed a dual-function small hairpin RNA (shRNA) vector containing an Bcl-2-silencing shRNA and a TLR7-stimulating ssRNA and examined it effect on tumor cell growth and proliferation. RESULTS Stimulation with this bi-functional vector in vitro promoted significant apoptosis of MFC cells by regulating the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and induced secretion of type I IFNs. Most importantly, this bi-functional vector more effectively inhibited subcutaneous MFC cell growth than did single shRNA and ssRNA treatment in vivo. Natural killer (NK) and CD4+ T cells were required for effective tumor suppression, and TLR7 was shown to play a helper role in the activation of NK cells and CD4+ T cells, possibly by regulating the expression of receptors or secretion of cytokines. CONCLUSIONS This bi-functional vector that contained ssRNA and shRNA may represent a promising approach for tumor therapy.

Matrine induces Akt/mTOR signalling inhibition-mediated autophagy and apoptosis in acute myeloid leukaemia cells

Pharmacological modulation of autophagy has been referred to as a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer. Matrine, a main alkaloid extracted from Sophora flavescens Ait, has antitumour activity against acute myelocytic leukaemia (AML). Whether autophagy is involved in antileukaemia activity of matrine remains unobvious. In this study, we demonstrated that matrine inhibited cell viability and colony formation via inducing apoptosis and autophagy in AML cell lines HL‐60, THP‐1 and C1498 as well as primary AML cells. Matrine promoted caspase‐3 and PARP cleavage dose‐dependently. Matrine up‐regulated the level of LC3‐II and down‐regulated the level of SQSTM1/p62 in a dose‐dependent way, indicating that autophagy should be implicated in anti‐AML effect of matrine. Furthermore, the autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin A1 relieved the cytotoxicity of matrine by blocking the autophagic flux, while the autophagy promoter rapamycin enhanced the cytotoxicity of matrine. Additionally, matrine inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR and their downstream substrates p70S6K and 4EBP1, which led to the occurrence of autophagy. In vivo study demonstrated that autophagy was involved in antileukaemia effect of matrine in C57BL/6 mice bearing murine AML cell line C1498, and the survival curves showed that mice did benefit from treatment with matrine. Collectively, our findings indicate that matrine exerts antitumour effect through apoptosis and autophagy, and the latter one might be a potential therapeutic strategy for AML.

Matrine suppresses invasion of castration-resistant prostate cancer cells by downregulating MMP-2/9 via NF-κB signaling pathway

Matrine is an alkaloid from Sophora flavescens that exhibits multiple protective effects on cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms of anti-metastatic effects of matrine on castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remain unknown. This study investigated the anti-metastatic effects of matrine on CRPC to identify the underlying mechanisms. The effects of matrine on the cell viability of DU145 and PC-3 cells were measured using MTS assay. The impact of matrine on expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, MMP-2, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) subunit p65 and phosphorylated p65 in cells untreated or treated with matrine were analyzed by western blotting. The inhibitory effects of matrine on cell migration and invasion were examined by Transwell assay. The impact of matrine on tumorigenesis in male Balb/c nude mice inoculated subcutaneously with cells were investigated in vivo. We found that matrine inhibited the growth of DU145 and PC3 cells time- and dose-dependently both in vitro and in vivo. Migration and invasion capabilities of cells were also suppressed by matrine. At the same time, matrine markedly reduced the expression levels of MMP-9, MMP-2 and p-p65 in both cell lines. Further experiments revealed that matrine exhibited inhibitory effects of migration and invasion of CRPC by downregulating MMP-2/9 through NF-κB pathway. Matrine inhibits invasion of CRPC by reducing levels of MMP-9 and MMP-2 through NF-κB pathway. Therefore, it may be a potential anti-metastatic therapeutic agent for CRPC.

Matrine inhibited proliferation and increased apoptosis in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells via upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2

PURPOSE

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of matrine on proliferation and apoptosis in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and its relevant molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

Breast carcinoma cell line MCF-7 was cultured with series concentrations of Matrine in vitro. The proliferation and apoptosis of MCF-7 cells were investigated by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, flow cytometry, and Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) measurements. The expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins were detected by Annexin V/propidium iodide coupled staining. The morphological changes of MCF-7 cell were examined.

RESULTS

The inhibition rates of MCF-7 cells were 6.01%-37.01%, 7.56%-53.92%, and 10.86%-70.23% for 24, 48, and 72 hours after Matrine treatment, respectively. The proliferation of MCF-7 cells was significantly inhibited by Matrine administration, with a time and dose dependent manner. The rates apoptotic cells was between 4.17±0.25% and 19.63±0.17% in 0.25-2.0 mg/ml Matrine groups, which had significant increased compare with the control groups (1.10±0.08%, P<0.05). Meanwhile, increased Bax expression, but decreased Bcl-2 expression was observed in MCF-7 cell line. MMP were significantly decreased by Matrine treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Matrine significantly inhibited the growth and induced apoptosis in breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells, which is related to Bax, Bcl-2 signaling and MMP.

Ethanolic Extracts of Pluchea indica Induce Apoptosis and Antiproliferation Effects in Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells

Pluchea indica is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of lumbago, ulcer, tuberculosis and inflammation. The anti-cancer activities and the underlying molecular mechanisms of the ethanolic extracts of P. indica root (PIRE) were characterized in the present study. PIRE strongly inhibited the viability of the human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (NPC-TW 01 and NPC-TW 04) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Migration of cancer cells was also suppressed by PIRE. In addition, PIRE significantly increased the occurrence of the cells in sub-G1 phase and the extent of DNA fragmentation in a dose-dependent manner, which indicates that PIRE significantly increased apoptosis in NPC cells. The apoptotic process triggered by PIRE involved up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax protein and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, consequently increasing the ratios of Bax/Bcl-2 protein levels. Moreover, the p53 protein was up-regulated by PIRE in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, PIRE could induce the apoptosis-signaling pathway in NPC cells by activation of p53 and by regulation of apoptosis-related proteins.