Gallic Acid Hindered Lung Cancer Progression by Inducing Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in A549 Lung Cancer Cells via PI3K/Akt Pathway

Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken: unravelling therapeutic potential and navigating toxicity

Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken, a multipurpose medicinal herb, has drawn much interest for its therapeutic qualities from both traditional and modern medicine systems. Many active secondary metabolites, such as bufadienolides, triterpenes, phenols, alkaloids, glycosides, lipids, flavonoids, and organic acids, are responsible for the plant's curative properties. B. pinnatum exhibits a noteworthy significance in oncological research by exhibiting its ability to modify numerous pathways, which may suggest a potential anticancer impact. The herb is recommended for treating lithiasis, a common cause of renal failure, due to its effectiveness in dissolving stones and avoiding crystal formation. The plant has a major impact on diabetes, especially type II diabetes. Moreover, the versatility of B. pinnatum extends to its examination in connection to COVID-19. However, caution is warranted, as B. pinnatum has been reported to possess toxicity attributed to the presence of bufadienolides in its metabolic profile. A comprehensive investigation is essential to thoroughly understand and confirm the synthesis of potentially hazardous compounds. This is crucial for minimizing their presence and ensuring the safe consumption of B. pinnatum among diverse populations of organisms. This review highlights the various medical uses of B. pinnatum, including its ability to effectively treat kidney and liver diseases, as well as its anti-leishmanial, neuropharmacological, antibacterial, immunosuppressive, anti-tumour, and cytotoxic effects. While extensively employed in both traditional and scientific domains, the plant's complete medicinal potential, molecular mechanisms, safety profile, and pharmacodynamics remain ambiguous, rendering it an ideal candidate for pioneering research endeavours.

Main chemical constituents and mechanism of anti-tumor action of Solanum nigrum L

OBJECTIVE

Solanum nigrum L. (SNL) is a natural drugwith diverse bioactive components and multi-targeted anti-tumor effects, gaining increasing attention in clinical application.

METHOD AND RESULTS

This paper reviews the studies on SNL by searching academic databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct,and Web of Science, among others), analyzing its chemical compositions (alkaloids, saponins, polysaccharides, and polyphenols, among others), andbriefly describes the anti-tumor mechanisms of the main components.

DISCUSSION

This paper discusses the shortcomings of the current research on SNL and proposes corresponding solutions, providing theoretical support for further research on its biological functions and clinical efficacy.

Research progress on antitumor effects of sea buckthorn, a traditional Chinese medicine homologous to food and medicine

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae Fructus), as a homologous species of medicine and food, is widely used by Mongolians and Tibetans for its anti-tumor, antioxidant and liver-protecting properties. In this review, the excellent anti-tumor effect of sea buckthorn was first found through network pharmacology, and its active components such as isorhamnetin, quercetin, gallic acid and protocatechuic acid were found to have significant anti-tumor effects. The research progress and application prospect of sea buckthorn and its active components in anti-tumor types, mechanism of action, liver protection, anti-radiation and toxicology were reviewed, providing theoretical basis for the development of sea buckthorn products in the field of anti-tumor research and clinical application.

Network-based analysis identifies potential therapeutic ingredients of Chinese medicines and their mechanisms toward lung cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors around the world, which has the highest mortality rate among all cancers. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has attracted increased attention in the field of lung cancer treatment. However, the abundance of ingredients in Chinese medicines presents a challenge in identifying promising ingredient candidates and exploring their mechanisms for lung cancer treatment. In this work, two network-based algorithms were combined to calculate the network relationships between ingredient targets and lung cancer targets in the human interactome. Based on the enrichment analysis of the constructed disease module, key targets of lung cancer were identified. In addition, molecular docking and enrichment analysis of the overlapping targets between lung cancer and ingredients were performed to investigate the potential mechanisms of ingredient candidates against lung cancer. Ten potential ingredients against lung cancer were identified and they may have similar effect on the development of lung cancer. The results obtained from this study offered valuable insights and provided potential avenues for the development of novel drugs aimed at treating lung cancer.

An update on the potential mechanism of gallic acid as an antibacterial and anticancer agent

Drug resistance to antibacterial and anticancer drugs is one of the most important global problems in the treatment field that is constantly expanding and hinders the recovery and survival of patients. Therefore, it is necessary to identify compounds that have antibacterial and anticancer properties or increase the effectiveness of existing drugs. One of these approaches is using natural compounds that have few side effects and are effective. Gallic acid (GA) has been identified as one of the most important plant polyphenols that health-promoting effects in various aspects such as bacterial and viral infections, cancer, inflammatory, neuropsychological, gastrointestinal, and metabolic disease. Various studies have shown that GA inhibits bacterial growth by altering membrane structure, and bacterial metabolism, and inhibits biofilm formation. Also, GA inhibits cancer cell growth by targeting different signaling pathways in apoptosis, increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, targeting the cell cycle, and inhibiting oncogenes and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression. Due to the powerful function of GA against bacteria and cancer cells. In this review, we describe the latest findings in the field of the sources and chemical properties of GA, its pharmacological properties and bioavailability, the antibacterial and anticancer activities of GA, and its derivatives alone, in combination with other drugs and in the form of nanoformulation. This review can be a comprehensive perspective for scientists to use medicinal compounds containing GA in future research and expand its clinical applications.

Anticancer Effect of Gallic Acid on Acidity-Induced Invasion of MCF7 Breast Cancer Cells

The acidic tumor environment has emerged as a crucial factor influencing the metastatic potential of cancer. We investigated the effect of an acidic environment on the acquisition of metastatic properties in MCF7 breast cancer cells and explored the inhibitory effects of gallic acid. Prolonged exposure to acidic culture conditions (over 12 weeks at pH 6.4) induced the acquisition of migratory and invasive properties in MCF7 cells, accompanied by increased expression of Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 and 9 (MMP2 and MMP9, respectively), together with alterations in E-cadherin, vimentin, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers. Gallic acid effectively inhibited the survival of acidity-adapted MCF7 (MCF7-6.4/12w) cells at high concentrations (>30 μM) and reduced metastatic characteristics induced by acidic conditions at low concentration ranges (5-20 μM). Moreover, gallic acid suppressed the PI3K/Akt pathway and the nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, which were elevated in MCF7-6.4/12w cells. These findings highlight the potential of gallic acid as a promising therapeutic agent for metastatic traits in breast cancer cells under acidic conditions.

Formulating co-loaded nanoliposomes with gallic acid and quercetin for enhanced cancer therapy

Cancer is considered one of the top global causes of death. Natural products have been used in oncology medicine either in crude form or by utilizing isolated secondary metabolites. Biologically active phytomolecules such as gallic acid and quercetin have confirmed antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and neoplastic properties. There is an agreement that microorganisms could mediate oncogenesis or alter the immune system. This research project aims to develop a novel formulation of co-loaded gallic acid and quercetin into nanoliposomes and investigate the efficacy of the free and combined agents against multiple cancerous cell lines and bacterial strains. Thin-film hydration technique was adopted to synthesize the nanocarriers. Particle characteristics were measured using a Zetasizer. The morphology of nanoliposomes was examined by scanning electron microscopy, Encapsulation efficiency and drug loading were evaluated using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. Cytotoxicity was determined against Breast Cancer Cells MCF-7, Human Carcinoma Cells HT-29, and A549 Lung Cancer Cells. The antibacterial activities were evaluated against Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. Therapeutic formulas were categorized into groups: free gallic acid, free quercetin, free-mix, and their nano-counterparts. Findings revealed that drug loading capacity was 0.204 for the mix formula compared to 0.092 and 0.68 for free gallic acid and quercetin, respectively. Regarding the Zeta potential, the mix formula showed more amphiphilic charge than the free quercetin and free gallic acid formulas (P-values 0.003 and 0.002 receptively). On the contrary, no significant difference in polydispersity indices was reported. Lung cancerous cells were the most affected by the treatments. The best estimated IC50 values were observed in breast and lung cancer lines for the nano-gallic acid and co-loaded particles. The nano-quercetin formula exhibited the least cytotoxicity with an IC50 value of ≥200 μg/mL in both breast (MCF-7) and colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (HT-29) with no activity against the lung. A remarkable improvement in the efficacy of quercetin was measured after mixing it with gallic acid against the breast and lungs. The tested therapeutic agents exhibited antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria. Nano-liposomes can either enhance or reduce the cytotoxicity activity of active compounds depending on the physical and chemical properties of drug-loaded and type of cancer cells.

Bone sialoprotein promotes lung cancer osteolytic bone metastasis via MMP14-dependent mechanisms

Bone metastases during lung cancer are common. Bone sialoprotein (BSP), a non-collagenous bone matrix protein, plays important functions in bone mineralization processes and in integrin-mediated cell-matrix interactions. Importantly, BSP induces bone metastasis in lung cancer, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study therefore sought to determine the intracellular signaling pathways responsible for BSP-induced migration and invasion of lung cancer cells to bone. Analyses of the Kaplan-Meier, TCGA, GEPIA and GENT2 databases revealed that high levels of BSP expression in lung tissue samples were associated with significantly decreased overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.17; p=0.014) and with a more advanced clinical disease stage (F-value = 2.38, p<0.05). We also observed that BSP-induced stimulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-14 promoted lung cancer cell migration and invasion via the PI3K/AKT/AP-1 signaling pathway. Notably, BSP promoted osteoclastogenesis in RAW 264.7 cells exposed to RANKL and BSP neutralizing antibody reduced osteoclast formation in conditioned medium (CM) from lung cancer cell lines. Finally, at 8 weeks after mice were injected with A549 cells or A549 BSP shRNA cells, the findings revealed that the knockdown of BSP expression significantly reduced metastasis to bone. These findings suggest that BSP signaling promotes lung bone metastasis via its direct downstream target gene MMP14, which reveals a novel potential therapeutic target for lung cancer bone metastases.

An insight into the neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory effects and mechanisms of Moringa oleifera

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are sporadic maladies that affect patients' lives with progressive neurological disabilities and reduced quality of life. Neuroinflammation and oxidative reaction are among the pivotal factors for neurodegenerative conditions, contributing to the progression of NDs, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS) and Huntington's disease (HD). Management of NDs is still less than optimum due to its wide range of causative factors and influences, such as lifestyle, genetic variants, and environmental aspects. The neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory activities of Moringa oleifera have been documented in numerous studies due to its richness of phytochemicals with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This review highlights up-to-date research findings on the anti-neuroinflammatory and neuroprotective effects of M. oleifera, including mechanisms against NDs. The information was gathered from databases, which include Scopus, Science Direct, Ovid-MEDLINE, Springer, and Elsevier. Neuroprotective effects of M. oleifera were mainly assessed by using the crude extracts in vitro and in vivo experiments. Isolated compounds from M. oleifera such as moringin, astragalin, and isoquercitrin, and identified compounds of M. oleifera such as phenolic acids and flavonoids (chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, (-)-epicatechin, and isoquercitrin) have been reported to have neuropharmacological activities. Therefore, these compounds may potentially contribute to the neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory effects. More in-depth studies using in vivo animal models of neurological-related disorders and extensive preclinical investigations, such as pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and bioavailability studies are necessary before clinical trials can be carried out to develop M. oleifera constituents into neuroprotective agents.

Dietary Phenolic Compounds as Anticancer Natural Drugs: Recent Update on Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Trials

Given the stochastic complexity of cancer diseases, the development of chemotherapeutic drugs is almost limited by problems of selectivity and side effects. Furthermore, an increasing number of protective approaches have been recently considered as the main way to limit these pathologies. Natural bioactive compounds, and particularly dietary phenolic compounds, showed major protective and therapeutic effects against different types of human cancers. Indeed, phenolic substances have functional groups that allow them to exert several anti-cancer mechanisms, such as the induction of apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle arrest at different stages, and the inhibition of telomerase. In addition, in vivo studies show that these phenolic compounds also have anti-angiogenic effects via the inhibition of invasion and angiogenesis. Moreover, clinical studies have already highlighted certain phenolic compounds producing clinical effects alone, or in combination with drugs used in chemotherapy. In the present work, we present a major advance in research concerning the mechanisms of action of the different phenolic compounds that are contained in food medicinal plants, as well as evidence from the clinical trials that focus on them.

Polyphenols as Potent Epigenetics Agents for Cancer

Human diseases such as cancer can be caused by aberrant epigenetic regulation. Polyphenols play a major role in mammalian epigenome regulation through mechanisms and proteins that remodel chromatin. In fruits, seeds, and vegetables, as well as food supplements, polyphenols are found. Compounds such as these ones are powerful anticancer agents and antioxidants. Gallic acid, kaempferol, curcumin, quercetin, and resveratrol, among others, have potent anti-tumor effects by helping reverse epigenetic changes associated with oncogene activation and tumor suppressor gene inactivation. The role dietary polyphenols plays in restoring epigenetic alterations in cancer cells with a particular focus on DNA methylation and histone modifications was summarized. We also discussed how these natural compounds modulate gene expression at the epigenetic level and described their molecular targets in cancer. It highlights the potential of polyphenols as an alternative therapeutic approach in cancer since they modulate epigenetic activity.

MiR-21 and let-7 cooperation in the regulation of lung cancer

Background

Lung cancer occurs and develops as a result of a complicated process involving numerous genes; therefore, single-gene regulation has a limited therapeutic effect. We discovered that miR-21 expression was high in lung cancer tissues and cells, whereas let-7 expression was low, and it is unclear whether their combined regulation would be superior to therapy involving single regulation. The goal of our research was to investigate this situation and the regulatory mechanism that exists between these genes.

Methods

To regulate the levels of miR-21 and let-7 in these two types of lung cancer cells, we transfected miRNA mimics or inhibitors into A549 and H460 cells. Lung cancer cells were tested for proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. The results were verified using a Western blot and a qRT-PCR assay. Bioinformatics was used to investigate their potential regulatory pathways, and luciferase assays were used to confirm the binding sites.

Results

The expression of miR-21 was increased and that of let-7 was decreased in lung cancer tissues and cells compared with paracancerous tissues and normal lung cells (p < 0.01). Tumor cells were inhibited by downregulation of miR-21 and upregulation of let-7, and cooperative regulation showed a better effect. Upregulation of miR-21 and downregulation of let-7 promoted tumor cells, and this tumor-promoting effect was amplified by cooperative regulation. MiR-21 regulated lung cancer cells directly via the Wnt/-catenin pathway, and let-7 exerted its effects via the PLAG1/GDH1 pathway. MiR-21 and let-7 cooperated to regulate lung cancer cells via the K-ras pathway.

Conclusions

The effect of cooperative regulation of miR-21 and let-7 on lung cancer is greater than that of a single miRNA. MiR-21 and let-7 are important differentially expressed genes in lung cancer that are regulated by the K-ras pathway. As a result, for multigene lung cancer, the cooperative regulation of two miRNAs will provide a new target and direction for lung cancer treatment in the future.

Potential of Kalanchoe pinnata as a Cancer Treatment Adjuvant and an Epigenetic Regulator

Cancer is a global public health problem that is related to different environmental and lifestyle factors. Although the combination of screening, prevention, and treatment of cancer has resulted in increased patient survival, conventional treatments sometimes have therapeutic limitations such as resistance to drugs or severe side effects. Oriental culture includes herbal medicine as a complementary therapy in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This study aimed to identify the bioactive ingredients in Kalanchoe pinnata, a succulent herb with ethnomedical applications for several diseases, including cancer, and reveal its anticancer mechanisms through a molecular approach. The herb contains gallic acid, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, quercetin, quercitrin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, bersaldegenin, bryophyllin a, bryophyllin c, bryophynol, bryophyllol and bryophollone, stigmasterol, campesterol, and other elements. Its phytochemicals participate in the regulation of proliferation, apoptosis, cell migration, angiogenesis, metastasis, oxidative stress, and autophagy. They have the potential to act as epigenetic drugs by reverting the acquired epigenetic changes associated with tumor resistance to therapy-such as the promoter methylation of suppressor genes, inhibition of DNMT1 and DNMT3b activity, and HDAC regulation-through methylation, thereby regulating the expression of genes involved in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Nrf2/Keap1, MEK/ERK, and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. All of the data support the use of K. pinnata as an adjuvant in cancer treatment.

Phytochemical Profiles, Antioxidant Activity and Antiproliferative Mechanism of Rhodiola rosea L. Phenolic Extract

The phenolic profiles, antioxidant activity, antiproliferative property and the underlying molecular mechanisms of cell apoptosis of Rhodiola rosea free phenolic (RFE) were analyzed in this work. Overall, Rhodiola rosea rhizome phenolic extract (RE) contained Rhodiola rosea rhizome free phenolic extract (RFE) and Rhodiola rosea rhizome bound phenolic extract (RBE). Compared with RBE, RFE contained higher phenolic contents and possessed stronger antioxidant activity. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results demonstrated that the main phenolics of were epigallocatechin (EGC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), gallic acid (GA) and catechin. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis found that Rhodiola rosea L. was rich in volatile phytochemicals. In addition, many types of vitamin E and a few kinds of carotenoids were found in Rhodiola rosea. In addition, the main compounds in RFE (GA, EGC, EGCG) and RFE all exhibited excellent antiproliferative activity, indicating the antiproliferative activity of RFE was partly attributed to the synergy effects of the main compounds. Further study confirmed that RFE could block 16.99% of HepG2 cells at S phase and induce 20.32% programmed cell death compared with the control group. Specifically, RFE dose-dependently induced cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest via modulating the p53 signaling pathway including up-regulation of the expression of p53 and Bax while down-regulation of the Bcl-2, cyclin D1 and CDK4 levels. Therefore, RFE exhibited the potential of being developed as an auxiliary antioxidant and a therapeutic agent for cancer.

Green tea-derived theabrownin suppresses human non-small cell lung carcinoma in xenograft model through activation of not only p53 signaling but also MAPK/JNK signaling pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

According to the theory and practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the pathogenesis of lung carcinoma is associated with many syndromes, such as "sputum stasis", "cough", "lung fever", "lung toxin", and "hemoptysis", which should be removed for therapeutic purpose. Tea is not only a world-wide beverage, but also a TCM herb, possessing activities against the above syndromes. Recently, green tea extract exerted inhibitory effects on a variety of tumor cells. As a pigment active substance of green tea, theabrownin (TB) has been found to inhibit many cancer cells.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study focused on the efficacy and mechanism of TB on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. The in vivo efficacy of TB on p53-deficient NSCLC (H1299) cells and p53-wild type NSCLC (A549) cells NSCLC cells were determined, and its mechanism of action was explored.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In vivo, two lung cancer cell lines, H1299 (p53-deficient) and A549 (p53-wild type) were selected to establish xenograft models of larval zebrafish, respectively. For in vitro experiments, wound healing assay, DAPI staining, TUNEL assay, immunofluorescence assay, and flow cytometry were conducted in these two cell lines. RNA sequencing (RNAseq), real time PCR (qPCR) and Western blot (WB) were performed for the mechanism study.

RESULTS

The in vivo results showed that TB significantly inhibited the H1299 and the A549 xenograft tumor growth in larval zebrafish (dosage ranged from 2.13 to 21.3 μg/ml). Wound healing assay results showed that TB suppressed the migration of H1299 cells. DAPI staining, TUNEL assay, and immunofluorescence assay results showed that TB inhibited the growth of H1299 cells by inducing apoptosis. RNAseq, qPCR and WB data showed that TB significantly up-regulated the MAPK/JNK pathway-related proteins (ASK-1, JNK and c-JUN) through phosphorylation activation, accompanying with down-regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated genes (N-CADHERIN, SLUG, FIBROWNECTIN and ZEB1) and anti-apoptotic molecules (BCL-2), and up-regulation of the metastasis-related gene HSPA6 and the pro-apoptotic molecules (BIM, BAX, PARP, c-PARP, γ-H2A.X, c-CASP3, c-CASP8, c-CASP9, DDIT3 and DUSP8).

CONCLUSION

This study determined the in vivo efficacy of green tea-derived TB on p53-deficient NSCLC (H1299) cells and p53-wild type NSCLC (A549) cells and clarified its p53-independent mechanism mediated by the activation of MAPK/JNK signaling pathway.

Role of Plant-Derived Active Constituents in Cancer Treatment and Their Mechanisms of Action

Despite significant technological advancements in conventional therapies, cancer remains one of the main causes of death worldwide. Although substantial progress has been made in the control and treatment of cancer, several limitations still exist, and there is scope for further advancements. Several adverse effects are associated with modern chemotherapy that hinder cancer treatment and lead to other critical disorders. Since ancient times, plant-based medicines have been employed in clinical practice and have yielded good results with few side effects. The modern research system and advanced screening techniques for plants’ bioactive constituents have enabled phytochemical discovery for the prevention and treatment of challenging diseases such as cancer. Phytochemicals such as vincristine, vinblastine, paclitaxel, curcumin, colchicine, and lycopene have shown promising anticancer effects. Discovery of more plant-derived bioactive compounds should be encouraged via the exploitation of advanced and innovative research techniques, to prevent and treat advanced-stage cancers without causing significant adverse effects. This review highlights numerous plant-derived bioactive molecules that have shown potential as anticancer agents and their probable mechanisms of action and provides an overview of in vitro, in vivo and clinical trial studies on anticancer phytochemicals.