1
|
Plehn S, Wagle S, Rupasinghe HV. Chaga mushroom triterpenoids as adjuncts to minimally invasive cancer therapies: A review. Curr Res Toxicol 2023; 5:100137. [PMID: 38046279 PMCID: PMC10692653 DOI: 10.1016/j.crtox.2023.100137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer has become the second leading cause of death in the world. Integrative cancer therapy management is continuously evolving to enhance treatment outcomes. Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) is a parasitic fungus acclaimed to contain pharmaceutical and nutraceutical value in the fight against cancer. In particular, triterpenoid constituents derived from Chaga mushrooms have been recognized for their anti-cancer activity after distinguished cytotoxicity was repeatedly observed in cancer cells treated in vitro with lipophilic fractions of extract compared to aqueous ones. Studies that investigate the anti-cancer activity of Chaga mushroom triterpenoids are reviewed in this article to determine which cancer cell lines demonstrate the greatest susceptibility to them while highlighting the structure-activity relationships that are involved. Triterpenoid supplementation as an adjunct to cancer treatment may be a viable option as inotodiol and 3-β-22 α-dihydroxylanosta-8, 25-diene-24-one have been shown to exhibit anti-cancer activity similar to that of conventional drugs. Advances in addressing bioavailability challenges are also included in this review as studies include in vivo components.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Selina Plehn
- Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia, B2N 5E3, Canada
| | - Sajeev Wagle
- Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia, B2N 5E3, Canada
| | - H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe
- Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia, B2N 5E3, Canada
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4H7, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Novel Triterpenic Acid—Benzotriazole Esters Act as Pro-Apoptotic Antimelanoma Agents. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23179992. [PMID: 36077389 PMCID: PMC9456456 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pentacyclic triterpenes, such as betulinic, ursolic, and oleanolic acids are efficient and selective anticancer agents whose underlying mechanisms of action have been widely investigated. The introduction of N-bearing heterocycles (e.g., triazoles) into the structures of natural compounds (particularly pentacyclic triterpenes) has yielded semisynthetic derivatives with increased antiproliferative potential as opposed to unmodified starting compounds. In this work, we report the synthesis and biological assessment of benzotriazole esters of betulinic acid (BA), oleanolic acid (OA), and ursolic acid (UA) (compounds 1–3). The esters were obtained in moderate yields (28–42%). All three compounds showed dose-dependent reductions in cell viability against A375 melanoma cells and no cytotoxic effects against healthy human keratinocytes. The morphology analysis of treated cells showed characteristic apoptotic changes consisting of nuclear shrinkage, condensation, fragmentation, and cellular membrane disruption. rtPCR analysis reinforced the proapoptotic evidence, showing a reduction in anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression and upregulation of the pro-apoptotic Bax. High-resolution respirometry studies showed that all three compounds were able to significantly inhibit mitochondrial function. Molecular docking showed that compounds 1–3 showed an increase in binding affinity against Bcl-2 as opposed to BA, OA, and UA and similar binding patterns compared to known Bcl-2 inhibitors.
Collapse
|
3
|
Anticancer Activity of the Acetylenic Derivative of Betulin Phosphate Involves Induction of Necrotic-Like Death in Breast Cancer Cells In Vitro. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26030615. [PMID: 33503929 PMCID: PMC7865664 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26030615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Betulin (BT) is a natural pentacyclic lupane-type triterpene exhibiting anticancer activity. Betulin derivatives bearing propynoyloxy and phosphate groups were prepared in an effort to improve the availability and efficacy of the drug. In this study, a comparative assessment of the in vitro anticancer activity of betulin and its four derivatives was carried out using two human breast cancer cell lines: SK-BR-3 and MCF-7. In both studied cell lines, 30-diethoxyphosphoryl-28-propynoylbetulin (compound 4) turned out to be the most powerful inhibitor of growth and inducer of cellular death. Detailed examination of that derivative pertained to the mechanisms underlying its anticancer action. Treatment with compound 4 decreased DNA synthesis and up-regulated p21WAF1/Cip1 mRNA and protein levels in both cell lines. On the other hand, that derivative caused a significant increase in cell death, as evidenced by increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and ethidium homodimer uptake. Shortly after the compound addition, an increased generation of reactive oxygen species and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential were detected. The activation of caspase-3 and fragmentation of genomic DNA suggested an apoptotic type of cell death. However, analysis of cellular morphology did not reveal any nuclear features typical of apoptosis. Despite necrosis-like morphology, dead cells exhibited activation of the cascade of caspases. These observations have led to the conclusion that compound 4 pushed cells to undergo a form of necrotic-like regulated cell demise.
Collapse
|
4
|
Han YH, Mun JG, Jeon HD, Kee JY, Hong SH. Betulin Inhibits Lung Metastasis by Inducing Cell Cycle Arrest, Autophagy, and Apoptosis of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Cells. Nutrients 2019; 12:nu12010066. [PMID: 31887988 PMCID: PMC7019271 DOI: 10.3390/nu12010066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the diseases with high prevalence and mortality worldwide. In particular, metastatic CRC shows low probability of surgery and lacks proper treatment. In this study, we conducted experiments to investigate the inhibitory effect of betulin against metastatic CRC and related mechanisms. Methods: Water-soluble tetrazolium assay was used to determine the effect of betulin on metastatic CRC cell viability. Flow cytometry and TUNEL assay were performed to confirm whether betulin can induce apoptosis, autophagy, and cell cycle arrest. A lung metastasis mouse model was employed to estimate the anti-metastatic effect of betulin. Results: betulin decreased viability of metastatic CRC cells, including CT26, HCT116, and SW620 cell lines. Through PI3K/Akt/mTOR inactivation, betulin induced AMPK-mediated G0/G1 phase arrest and autophagy of CT26 and HCT116 cells. In addition, betulin occurred caspase-dependent apoptosis via the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway in metastatic CRC cells. Moreover, orally administered betulin significantly inhibited metastasis of CT26 cells to the lung. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the anti-metastatic effect and therapeutic potential of betulin in metastatic CRC treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ji-Ye Kee
- Correspondence: (J.-Y.K.); (S.-H.H.); Tel.: +82-63-850-6801 (J.-Y.K.); +82-63-850-6805 (S.-H.H.)
| | - Seung-Heon Hong
- Correspondence: (J.-Y.K.); (S.-H.H.); Tel.: +82-63-850-6801 (J.-Y.K.); +82-63-850-6805 (S.-H.H.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhang T, He B, Yuan H, Feng G, Chen F, Wu A, Zhang L, Lin H, Zhuo Z, Wang T. Synthesis and Antitumor Evaluation in Vitro of NO-Donating Ursolic Acid-Benzylidene Derivatives. Chem Biodivers 2019; 16:e1900111. [PMID: 30977577 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.201900111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Antitumor activity of triterpenoid and its derivatives has attracted great attention recently. Our previous efforts led to the discovery of a series of NO-donor betulin derivatives with potent antitumor activity. Herein, we prepared eight compounds derived from ursolic acid (UA). All the compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines (HepG-2, MCF-7, HT-29 and A549). Among the compounds tested, compound 4a was found to be most active against HT-29 (IC50 =4.28 μm). Further biological assays demonstrated that compound 4a could induce cell cycle arrest at G1 phase and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, compound 4a was found to upregulate pro-apoptotic Bax, p53 and downregulate anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. All these results suggested that compound 4a is a potential candidate drug for the therapy of colon cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Te Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Baoen He
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Huan Yuan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Gaili Feng
- Research and Development Office, Yangling Chairisma Bio-Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Xianyang, 712100, P. R. China
| | - Fenglian Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Aizhi Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Lili Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Huiran Lin
- Laboratory Animal Management Office, Public Technology Service Platform, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, P. R. China
| | - Zhenjian Zhuo
- School of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Tao Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ai X, Xiang L, Huang Z, Zhou S, Zhang S, Zhang T, Jiang T. Overexpression of PIK3R1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Biol Res 2018; 51:52. [PMID: 30497511 PMCID: PMC6264640 DOI: 10.1186/s40659-018-0202-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Phosphoinositide-3-kinase, regulatory subunit 1 (PIK3R1) could regulate cancer cell proliferation important for cancer cell proliferation; however, its role in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the role of PIK3R1 in HCC and examined the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods The expression of PIK3R1 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR in a series of HCC tissues. The mRNA and protein expression of PIK3R1 was used by qRT-PCR and western blot assays in a series of human HCC cell lines, and then we choose MHCC97H and HCCLM3 cells as a model to investigate the effect of PIK3R1 on HCC progression. The effects of PIK3R1 knowdown on cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis of HCC were assessed by the MTT assay, clonogenic assays, wound healing assay and flow cytometry in vitro. Western blot assay was performed to assess the expression changes of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Results Our results found that PIK3R1 was highly expressed in HCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Knockdown of PIK3R1 inhibited the proliferation, migration and promoted apoptosis of HCC cell lines. In addition, we proved that knockdown of PIK3R1 downregulated p-PI3K, p-AKT, and p-mTOR expressions in MHCC97H and HCCLM3 cells. Conclusions In conclusion, PIK3R1 providing potential novel targets for the treatment of HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuejun Ai
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550002, China.,Department of Digestive, Guiyang First People's Hospital, Guiyang, 550001, China
| | - Lei Xiang
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Zhi Huang
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550002, China.,Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Shi Zhou
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Shuai Zhang
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550002, China. .,Department of Digestive, Guiyang First People's Hospital, Guiyang, 550001, China.
| | - Tianpeng Jiang
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550002, China. .,Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550002, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
The Ethanol Supernatant Extracts of Liushenwan Could Alleviate Nanodiethylnitrosamine-Induced Liver Cancer in Mice. Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018; 2018:6934809. [PMID: 30356380 PMCID: PMC6178154 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6934809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancerous deaths worldwide. At present, the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be a problem globally. Liushenwan (LSW), an ancient Chinese medicine previously used to treat localized infections, was recently reported to possess anticancer activity. Here in this study, we aim to examine the effect of LSW-ET (LSW-ET is the supernatant fraction of LSW from ultrasound assisted ethanol extraction) in prevention and treatment on nanodiethylnitrosamine- (nanoDEN-) induced HCC in mice. In nanoDEN-induced HCC mice treated with LSW-ET by oral (po) or intragastric gavage (ig), we observed an alleviation of serum ALT and AST levels, amelioration in histopathological stainings, and an inhibition in liver tumor growth. In addition, compared with the nanoDEN group, downregulation of multiple pivotal factors (COX-2, β-catenin, PCNA, and HMGB-1) was observed in LSW-ET-po and LSW-ET-ig groups. Taken together, the delivery of LSW-ET by oral could be a potential prevention and treatment of liver cancer.
Collapse
|