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Wang B, Wu Z, Li W, Liu G, Tang Y. Insights into the molecular mechanisms of Huangqi decoction on liver fibrosis via computational systems pharmacology approaches. Chin Med 2021; 16:59. [PMID: 34301291 PMCID: PMC8306236 DOI: 10.1186/s13020-021-00473-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The traditional Chinese medicine Huangqi decoction (HQD) consists of Radix Astragali and Radix Glycyrrhizae in a ratio of 6: 1, which has been used for the treatment of liver fibrosis. In this study, we tried to elucidate its action of mechanism (MoA) via a combination of metabolomics data, network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. METHODS Firstly, we collected prototype components and metabolic products after administration of HQD from a publication. With known and predicted targets, compound-target interactions were obtained. Then, the global compound-liver fibrosis target bipartite network and the HQD-liver fibrosis protein-protein interaction network were constructed, separately. KEGG pathway analysis was applied to further understand the mechanisms related to the target proteins of HQD. Additionally, molecular docking simulation was performed to determine the binding efficiency of compounds with targets. Finally, considering the concentrations of prototype compounds and metabolites of HQD, the critical compound-liver fibrosis target bipartite network was constructed. RESULTS 68 compounds including 17 prototype components and 51 metabolic products were collected. 540 compound-target interactions were obtained between the 68 compounds and 95 targets. Combining network analysis, molecular docking and concentration of compounds, our final results demonstrated that eight compounds (three prototype compounds and five metabolites) and eight targets (CDK1, MMP9, PPARD, PPARG, PTGS2, SERPINE1, TP53, and HIF1A) might contribute to the effects of HQD on liver fibrosis. These interactions would maintain the balance of ECM, reduce liver damage, inhibit hepatocyte apoptosis, and alleviate liver inflammation through five signaling pathways including p53, PPAR, HIF-1, IL-17, and TNF signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS This study provides a new way to understand the MoA of HQD on liver fibrosis by considering the concentrations of components and metabolites, which might be a model for investigation of MoA of other Chinese herbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biting Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Zengrui Wu
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Weihua Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Guixia Liu
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yun Tang
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
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Wang H, Mao J, Huang Y, Zhang J, Zhong L, Wu Y, Huang H, Yang J, Wei Y, Tang J. Prognostic roles of miR-124-3p and its target ANXA7 and their effects on cell migration and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY 2020; 13:357-370. [PMID: 32269673 PMCID: PMC7137028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have indicated that ANXA7 promotes progression and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study we found a significant negative correlation between the levels of miR-124-3p and ANXA7 protein in HCC. Level of miR-124-3p in tumor tissues was negatively correlated, while ANXA7 protein was positively correlated, with TNM stage and tumor metastasis. Furthermore, we confirmed ANXA7 was a target gene of miR-124-3p by a dual luciferase reporter assay. In vitro, up-regulation of miR-124-3p promotes apoptosis and inhibits migration and invasion of Hca-F. Bcl-2 correlates X protein (Bax) protein level was up-regulated, while ANXA7, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) and C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12) protein levels were suppressed relative to miR-124-3p over-expression. In vivo, up-regulation of miR-124-3p suppresses lymph node metastasis (LNM) and tumorigenicity of Hca-F cells. The expression of ANXA7, MMP-9, and CXCL12 protein in transplanted tumors was suppressed relative to miR-124-3p overexpression. In addition, we found the levels of Bcl-2, MMP-9, and CXCL12 in Hca-F cells decreased significantly after transfection of shRNA-Anxa7 in vitro. In conclusion, our study revealed miR-124-3p inhibits tumor growth, invasion, and lymphatic metastasis in HCC by down-regulation of ANXA7 gene, thereby reducing the expression of Bcl-2, MMP-9, and CXCL12.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honghai Wang
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Jun Mao
- Teaching Laboratory of Morphology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Yuhong Huang
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, Liaoning Province, China
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Metastasis and Intervention of Liaoning ProvinceDalian, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, Liaoning Province, China
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Metastasis and Intervention of Liaoning ProvinceDalian, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Lin Zhong
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, China
| | - Ying Wu
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, Liaoning Province, China
| | - He Huang
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Jiayu Yang
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Yuanyi Wei
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, Liaoning Province, China
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Metastasis and Intervention of Liaoning ProvinceDalian, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Jianwu Tang
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, Liaoning Province, China
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Metastasis and Intervention of Liaoning ProvinceDalian, Liaoning Province, China
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Li C, Huang Z, Zhu L, Yu X, Gao T, Feng J, Hong H, Yin H, Zhou T, Qi W, Yang Z, Liu C, Yang X, Gao G. The contrary intracellular and extracellular functions of PEDF in HCC development. Cell Death Dis 2019; 10:742. [PMID: 31582735 PMCID: PMC6776659 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-019-1976-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), a classic angiogenic inhibitor, has been reported to function as a tumor suppression protein and to downregulate in many types of solid tumors. However, the expression level of PEDF and its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are contradictory. The present study investigates the expression and different activities of secreted and intracellular PEDF during HCC development, as well as the underlying mechanism of PEDF on HCC lipid disorders. We found that PEDF had no association with patients' prognosis, although PEDF was highly expressed and inhibited angiogenesis in HCC tumor tissues. The animal experiments indicated that full-length PEDF exhibited equalizing effects on tumor growth activation and tumor angiogenesis inhibition in the late stage of HCC progression. Importantly, the pro-tumor activity was mediated by the intracellular PEDF, which causes accumulation of free fatty acids (FFAs) in vivo and in vitro. Based on the correlation analysis of PEDF and lipid metabolic indexes in human HCC tissues, we demonstrated that the intracellular PEDF led to the accumulation of FFA and eventually promoted HCC cell growth by inhibiting the activation of AMPK via ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated degradation, which causes increased de novo fatty acid synthesis and decreased FFA oxidation. Our findings revealed why elevated PEDF did not improve the patients' prognosis as the offsetting intracellular and extracellular activities. This study will lead to a comprehensive understanding of the diverse role of PEDF in HCC and provide a new selective strategy by supplement of extracellular PEDF and downregulation of intracellular PEDF for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cen Li
- Program of Molecular Medicine, Affiliated Guangzhou Women and Children's Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Zhijian Huang
- Program of Molecular Medicine, Affiliated Guangzhou Women and Children's Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liuqing Zhu
- Program of Molecular Medicine, Affiliated Guangzhou Women and Children's Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xianhuan Yu
- Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tianxiao Gao
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juan Feng
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Honghai Hong
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haofan Yin
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ti Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weiwei Qi
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhonghan Yang
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chao Liu
- Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Xia Yang
- Program of Molecular Medicine, Affiliated Guangzhou Women and Children's Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Gene Manipulation and Biomacromolecular Products, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Guoquan Gao
- Program of Molecular Medicine, Affiliated Guangzhou Women and Children's Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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Pigment epithelium-derived factor promotes tumor metastasis through an interaction with laminin receptor in hepatocellular carcinomas. Cell Death Dis 2017; 8:e2969. [PMID: 28771223 PMCID: PMC5596550 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2017.359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) has complex functions in tumor metastasis, but little is known about the roles of PEDF and its receptors in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we found that high expression of PEDF is associated with shorter overall survival in HCC patients. Forced expression of PEDF enhanced HCC cell aggressive behavior in vitro and in vivo, whereas silencing PEDF expression reduced migration and invasion. Furthermore, PEDF expression led to changes in cell morphology and the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers via ERK1/2 signaling pathway, including the upregulation of N-cadherin and slug, and the downregulation of E-cadherin in HCC cells. Our results further showed that PEDF could interact with laminin receptor (LR) and LR knockdown attenuated PEDF-induced migration, invasion and the change of EMT-related markers. More importantly, in clinical HCC specimens, we found that PEDF expression was correlated with subcellular localization of LR, and that high expression of PEDF and positive expression of LR predicted a poor prognosis. In conclusion, our results demonstrate a novel functional role of PEDF/LR axis in driving metastasis through ERK1/2-mediated EMT in HCC and provided a promising prognostic marker in HCC.
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