Coptisine, the Characteristic Constituent from Coptis chinensis, Exhibits Significant Therapeutic Potential in Treating Cancers, Metabolic and Inflammatory Diseases

Naturally derived alkaloids belong to a class of quite significant organic compounds. Coptisine, a benzyl tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid, is one of the major bioactive constituents in Coptis chinensis Franch., which is a famous traditional Chinese medicine. C. chinensis possesses many kinds of functions, including the ability to eliminate heat, expel dampness, purge fire, and remove noxious substances. In Asian countries, C. chinensis is traditionally employed to treat carbuncle and furuncle, diabetes, jaundice, stomach and intestinal disorders, red eyes, toothache, and skin disorders. Up to now, there has been plenty of research of coptisine with respect to its pharmacology. Nevertheless, a comprehensive review of coptisine-associated research is urgently needed. This paper was designed to summarize in detail the progress in the research of the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, safety, and formulation of coptisine. The related studies included in this paper were retrieved from the following academic databases: The Web of Science, PubMed, Google scholar, Elsevier, and CNKI. The cutoff date was January 2023. Coptisine manifests various pharmacological actions, including anticancer, antimetabolic disease, anti-inflammatory disease, and antigastrointestinal disease effects, among others. Based on its pharmacokinetics, the primary metabolic site of coptisine is the liver. Coptisine is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal system, and most of it is expelled in the form of its prototype through feces. Regarding safety, coptisine displayed potential hepatotoxicity. Some novel formulations, including the [Formula: see text]-cyclodextrin-based inclusion complex and nanocarriers, could effectively enhance the bioavailability of coptisine. The traditional use of C. chinensis is closely connected with the pharmacological actions of coptisine. Although there are some disadvantages, including poor solubility, low bioavailability, and possible hepatotoxicity, coptisine is still a prospective naturally derived drug candidate, especially in the treatment of tumors as well as metabolic and inflammatory diseases. Further investigation of coptisine is necessary to facilitate the application of coptisine-based drugs in clinical practice.

Coptisine inhibits the malignancy of bladder carcinoma cells and regulates XPO1 expression

This work is performed to investigate the effect of coptisine (COP) on the malignant biological behaviors of bladder carcinoma cells and its underlying mechanism. Bladder carcinoma cell lines were treated with different concentrations of COP in vitro. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), scratch healing assay, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry were used to detect cell growth, migration, invasion, and cell cycle progression. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to predict the molecular targets of COP. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot were adopted to determine the expression levels of exportin 1 (XPO1) mRNA and protein, respectively. Gene set enrichment analysis was applied to predict the signaling pathways related to XPO1. This study showed that COP treatment markedly suppressed the malignant biological behaviors of bladder carcinoma cells. XPO1 was identified as a downstream molecular target of COP in bladder carcinoma, and COP treatment inhibited the expression of XPO1 in bladder carcinoma cell lines. Overexpression of XPO1 reversed the impacts of COP on the malignant biological behaviors of bladder carcinoma cells. COP treatment modulated the expression level of cyclin D1 and CYP450 via XPO1. In summary, COP represses the malignant biological behaviors of bladder carcinoma cells and regulates XPO1 expression, which is promising to be a complementary drug for bladder carcinoma treatment.

The Use of San-Huang-Xie-Xin-Tang Reduces the Mortality Rate among Breast Cancer Patients

Globally, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths. In Taiwan, it is the most prevalent cancer among females. Since San-Huang-Xie-Xin-Tang (SHXXT) exerts not only an anti-inflammatory but an immunomodulatory effect, it may act as a potent anti-tumor agent. Herein, the study aimed to explore the influence of SHXXT and its constituents on the mortality rate among breast cancer patients in Taiwan regarding the component effect and the dose-relationship effect. By using the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) Research Database (NHIRD), the study analyzed 5387 breast cancer patients taking Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and 5387 breast cancer patients not using CHM. CHM means SHXXT and its constituents in the study. The Kaplan-Meier method was utilized to determine the mortality probabilities among patients. Whether the CHM influences the mortality rate among patients was estimated by Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. The use of CHM could lower the cancer mortality rate by 59% in breast cancer patients. The protective effect was parallel to the cumulative days of CHM use and the annual average CHM dose. In addition, the mortality rate was lower in patients who used SHXXT compared to those who only used one of its constituents. SHXXT and its constituents were all promising therapeutic weapons against breast cancer.

Unraveling the Role of Scutellaria baicalensis for the Treatment of Breast Cancer Using Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Scutellaria baicalensis is often used to treat breast cancer, but the molecular mechanism behind the action is unclear. In this study, network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation are combined to reveal the most active compound in Scutellaria baicalensis and to explore the interaction between the compound molecule and the target protein in the treatment of breast cancer. In total, 25 active compounds and 91 targets were screened out, mainly enriched in lipids in atherosclerosis, the AGE-RAGE signal pathway of diabetes complications, human cytomegalovirus infection, Kaposi-sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection, the IL-17 signaling pathway, small-cell lung cancer, measles, proteoglycans in cancer, human immunodeficiency virus 1 infection, and hepatitis B. Molecular docking shows that the two most active compounds, i.e., stigmasterol and coptisine, could bind well to the target AKT1. According to the MD simulations, the coptisine-AKT1 complex shows higher conformational stability and lower interaction energy than the stigmasterol-AKT1 complex. On the one hand, our study demonstrates that Scutellaria baicalensis has the characteristics of multicomponent and multitarget synergistic effects in the treatment of breast cancer. On the other hand, we suggest that the best effective compound is coptisine targeting AKT1, which can provide a theoretical basis for the further study of the drug-like active compounds and offer molecular mechanisms behind their roles in the treatment of breast cancer.

Coptidis Rhizoma Suppresses Metastatic Behavior by Inhibiting TGF-β-Mediated Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in 5-FU-Resistant HCT116 Cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most lethal malignancy worldwide. The high mortality rate of CRC is largely due to cancer metastasis. Recently, suppressing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been considered a promising strategy for treating metastatic cancer, especially drug-resistant metastatic cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the antimetastatic effect of Coptidis Rhizoma, as well as the potential underlying mechanisms, using a 5-fluorouracil-resistant colon tumor cell model (HCT116/R). Coptidis Rhizoma 30% ethanol extract (CRE) significantly inhibited HCT116/R cells migration and invasion. CRE effectively inhibited EMT in HCT116/R cells by upregulating the expression of an epithelial marker (E-cadherin) and downregulating the expression of mesenchymal markers (vimentin, Snail, and ZEB2) at both the protein and gene levels. Immunofluorescence assays also confirmed consistent patterns in the levels of E-cadherin and vimentin. In addition, the anti-EMT activity of CRE and its related effects were associated with the CRE-mediated suppression of the TGF-β pathway, as shown by changes in the levels of downstream molecules (phosphorylated Akt and p38), and inhibition of migration, invasion, and protein expression of TGF-β after treatment/cotreatment with a TGF-β inhibitor (SB431542). In conclusion, Coptidis Rhizoma exerts an antimetastatic effect, especially in the treatment of drug-resistant cancer, and the possible mechanisms are associated with inhibiting EMT via TGF-β signaling. Thus, Coptidis Rhizoma will likely become a potential therapeutic candidate for simultaneously mitigating drug resistance and metastasis in CRC.

Peanut Rotation and Flooding Induce Rhizobacteriome Variation With Opposing Influences on the Growth and Medicinal Yield of Corydalis yanhusuo

Corydalis yanhusuo, a precious herb of the Papaveraceae family, is widely used in multiple traditional Chinese medicines for the treatment of many painful conditions, and its medicinal part is the dried tuber. Yet how to improve this plant's medicinal yield as well as its economic efficiency remains a key problem in its cultivation. The planting of C. yanhusuo in rotation with peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) aims to improve land utilization efficiency, but the total production of tubers is severely reduced relative to fields without rotation. However, an increased yield was observed in C. yanhusuo plants grown in previously flooded fields (HR field) compared to the ones grown in the fields that had been used to cultivate peanut (PL field) or in fields without rotation or flooding (N field). Based on these phenomena, in this study, we explored the potential factors responsible for the altered growth/yield of C. yanhusuo under different field conditions. Soil physicochemical properties and the diversity and community of rhizobacteriome of C. yanhusuo were both analyzed. By testing several soil physicochemical properties, we found that the cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), and pH value differed significantly among these three types of fields. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed stark differences in the composition, diversity, and potential functions of the bacterial community in the rhizosphere of C. yanhusuo plants grown in field with the peanut rotation or flooding. Notably, the Acidobacteria were enriched in the HR field, while Actinobacteria were enriched in the PL field. More importantly, further analysis showed that changed soil physicochemical properties could be one reason for why the rhizospheric bacterial community has changed; hence, soil physicochemical properties might also be affecting plant performance indirectly by regulating the rhizospheric bacterial community. The RDA analysis distinguished CEC as the most important soil physicochemical property influencing the structure and composition of the C. yanhusuo rhizobacteriome. In summary, our results suggest peanut rotation- and flooding-induced soil physicochemical properties changes would further impact the rhizobacteriome of C. yanhusuo albeit differentially, culminating in opposite effects upon the plant growth and medicinal yield of C. yanhusuo.

Current Advances in Coptidis Rhizoma for Gastrointestinal and Other Cancers

Cancer is a serious disease with an increasing number of reported cases and high mortality worldwide. Gastrointestinal cancer defines a group of cancers in the digestive system, e.g., liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and gastric cancer. Coptidis Rhizoma (C. Rhizoma; Huanglian, in Chinese) is a classical Chinese medicinal botanical drug for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and has been shown to have a wide variety of pharmacological activity, including antifungal, antivirus, anticancer, antidiabetic, hypoglycemic, and cardioprotective effects. Recent studies on C. Rhizoma present significant progress on its anticancer effects and the corresponding mechanisms as well as its clinical applications. Herein, keywords related to C. Rhizoma, cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and omics were searched in PubMed and the Web of Science databases, and more than three hundred recent publications were reviewed and discussed. C. Rhizoma extract along with its main components, berberine, palmatine, coptisine, magnoflorine, jatrorrhizine, epiberberine, oxyepiberberine, oxyberberine, dihydroberberine, columbamine, limonin, and derivatives, are reviewed. We describe novel and classic anticancer mechanisms from various perspectives of pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry, and pharmaceutics. Researchers have transformed the chemical structures and drug delivery systems of these components to obtain better efficacy and bioavailability of C. Rhizoma. Furthermore, C. Rhizoma in combination with other drugs and their clinical application are also summarized. Taken together, C. Rhizoma has broad prospects as a potential adjuvant candidate against cancers, making it reasonable to conduct additional preclinical studies and clinical trials in gastrointestinal cancer in the future.

Induction of Apoptosis by Coptisine in Hep3B Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells through Activation of the ROS-Mediated JNK Signaling Pathway

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high mortality rate worldwide, and treatment is very limited due to its high recurrence and low diagnosis rate, and therefore there is an increasing need to develop more effective drugs to treat HCC. Coptisine is one of the isoquinoline alkaloids, and it has various pharmacological effects. However, the evidence for the molecular mechanism of the anticancer efficacy is still insufficient. Therefore, this study investigated the antiproliferative effect of coptisine on human HCC Hep3B cells and identified the action mechanism. Our results showed that coptisine markedly increased DNA damage and apoptotic cell death, which was associated with induction of death receptor proteins. Coptisine also significantly upregulated expression of proapoptotic Bax protein, downregulated expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, and activated caspase-3, -8, and -9. In addition, coptisine remarkably increased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. However, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, significantly attenuated the apoptosis-inducing effect of coptisine. It is worth noting that coptisine significantly upregulated phosphorylation of ROS-dependent c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), whereas treatment with JNK inhibitor could suppress an apoptosis-related series event. Taken together, our results suggest that coptisine has an anticancer effect in Hep3B cells through ROS-mediated activation of the JNK signaling pathway.

Coptisine alleviates ischemia/reperfusion-induced myocardial damage by regulating apoptosis-related proteins

Coptisine is an alkaloid with many biological functions, but studies on its mechanism in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury are less reported. Hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) -treated cardiomyocytes injury and I/R-induced myocardial tissues damage were created in rat models with or without the pre-treatment of coptisine. The proliferation and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and changes of myocardial tissues were observed after the pre-treatment of coptisine. The pre-treatment of coptisine promoted cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of H/R-injured cardiomyocytes, and alleviated the myocardial tissue injury caused by I/R in rats. Moreover, coptisine promoted the expressions of anti-apoptotic proteins and inhibited the expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins in vivo and in vitro. The current study found that coptisine had protective effects on I/R-induced myocardial damage, which may provide a new insight into the treatment of I/R.

Coptisine suppresses proliferation and inhibits metastasis in human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells

The effects of coptisine against advanced stage of human pancreatic carcinoma PANC-1 cells was investigated in vitro. Coptisine (25-150 μM) treatment for 48 h caused dose-dependent cell growth inhibition by using CCK-8 assay. Additionally, coptisine was found to inhibit PANC-1 cells metastasis by the wound healing assay. Flow cytometry data indicated that coptisine (25-100 μM) exhibited dose-dependent G1 phase arrest and moderate reduction of S phase. Coptisine was also found to inhibit ERK phosphorylation and total ERK levels. Our research suggested that coptisine would be a potential therapeutic drug for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Quality Evaluation of Corydalis yanhusuo by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Fingerprinting Coupled with Multicomponent Quantitative Analysis

Corydalis Rhizoma is the tuber of Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang, which has been long used in traditional Chinese medicine. Herein, the quality of C. yanhusuo samples collected from 23 regions of three provinces in China is evaluated through high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprinting coupled with similarity, hierarchical clustering, and principal component analyses. Sample similarities are evaluated according to the State Food and Drug Administration requirements by selection of 18 characteristic chromatographic fingerprint peaks and are found to vary between 0.455 and 0.999. Moreover, common patterns of a typical local variety of C. yanhusuo sourced in the Panan County are established. The obtained results show that the combination of quantitative analysis and chromatographic fingerprint analysis can be readily utilized for quality control purposes, offering a comprehensive strategy for quality evaluation of C. yanhusuo and related products.

Putative mechanism for anticancer properties of Ag-PP (NPs) extract

One of the most important challenges in treating cancer is the invasion and the angiogenesis of cancer cells. The synthesis of green nanoparticles (NPs) and their use in therapeutic fields is one of the most effective methods with minimal side effects in cancer treatment. In this study, cytotoxic and anti-angiogenic effects of silver NPs (AgNPs) coated with palm pollen extract [Ag-PP(NPs)] were evaluated. For this purpose, the cells were treated with NPs and then were subjected to trypan blue testing (48 h). Then, the cancer invasion was evaluated by the scratch procedure and the expressions of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor (VEGF-R) genes were estimated using real-time PCR assay. Also, the angiogenesis effect of the NPs was investigated with chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. The Ag-PP(NPs) induced cytotoxicity on MCF7 cells. The findings also showed that Ag-PP(NPs) inhibit invasive cancer cells and reduce the expression of VEGF and VEGF-R and significantly reduced the number and vessels lengths and the lengths and weights of the embryos in CAM assay. Ag-PP(NPs) with the induction of cytotoxic effects, metastatic inhibition and anti-angiogenesis properties should be considered as an appropriate option for treatment of cancer.

Coptidis Rhizoma: a comprehensive review of its traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology

CONTEXT

Coptidis rhizome (CR), also known as Huanglian in Chinese, is the rhizome of Coptis chinensis Franch., C. deltoidea C.Y. Cheng et Hsiao, or C. teeta Wall (Ranunculaceae). It has been widely used to treat bacillary dysentery, diabetes, pertussis, sore throat, aphtha, and eczema in China.

OBJECTIVES

The present paper reviews the latest advances of CR, focusing on the botany, phytochemistry, traditional usages, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and toxicology of CR and its future perspectives.

METHODS

Studies from 1985 to 2018 were reviewed from books; PhD. and MSc. dissertations; the state and local drug standards; PubMed; CNKI; Scopus; the Web of Science; and Google Scholar using the keywords Coptis, Coptidis Rhizoma, Huanglian, and goldthread.

RESULTS

Currently, 128 chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from CR. Alkaloids are the characteristic components, together with organic acids, coumarins, phenylpropanoids and quinones. The extracts/compounds isolated from CR cover a wide pharmacological spectrum, including antibacterial, antivirus, antifungal, antidiabetic, anticancer and cardioprotective effects. Berberine is the most important active constituent and the primary toxic component of CR.

CONCLUSIONS

As an important herbal medicine in Chinese medicine, CR has the potential to treat various diseases. However, further research should be undertaken to investigate the clinical effects, toxic constituents, target organs and pharmacokinetics, and to establish criteria for quality control, for CR and its related medications. In addition, the active constituents, other than alkaloids, in both raw and processed products of CR should be investigated.

Coptisine from Coptis chinensis exerts diverse beneficial properties: A concise review

Coptisine is a natural small-molecular compound extracted from Coptis chinensis (CC) with a history of using for thousands of years. This work aimed at summarizing coptisine's activity and providing advice for its clinical use. We analysed the online papers in the database of SciFinder, Web of Science, PubMed, Google scholar and CNKI by setting keywords as 'coptisine' in combination of 'each pivotal pathway target'. Based on the existing literatures, we find (a) coptisine exerted potential to be an anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, CAD ameliorating or anti-bacterial drug through regulating the signalling transduction of pathways such as NF-κB, MAPK, PI3K/Akt, NLRP3 inflammasome, RANKL/RANK and Beclin 1/Sirt1. However, we also (b) observe that the plasma concentration of coptisine demonstrates obvious non-liner relationship with dosage, and even the highest dosage used in animal study actually cannot reach the minimum concentration level used in cell experiments owing to the poor absorption and low availability of coptisine. We conclude (a) further investigations can focus on coptisine's effect on caspase-1-involved inflammasome assembling and pyroptosis activation, as well as autophagy. (b) Under circumstance of promoting coptisine availability by pursuing nano- or microrods strategies or applying salt-forming process to coptisine, can it be introduced to clinical trial.

Molecular size-dependent specificity of hyaluronan on functional properties, morphology and matrix composition of mammary cancer cells

High levels of hyaluronan (ΗΑ), a major extracellular matrix (ECM) glycosaminoglycan, have been correlated with poor clinical outcome in several malignancies, including breast cancer. The high and low molecular weight HΑ forms exert diverse biological functions. Depending on their molecular size, ΗΑ forms either promote or attenuate signaling cascades that regulate cancer progression. In order to evaluate the effects of different ΗΑ forms on breast cancer cells' behavior, ΗΑ fragments of defined molecular size were synthesized. Breast cancer cells of different estrogen receptor (ER) status - the low metastatic, ERα-positive MCF-7 epithelial cells and the highly aggressive, ERβ-positive MDA-MB-231 mesenchymal cells - were evaluated following treatment with HA fragments. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that HA fragments critically affect the morphology of breast cancer cells in a molecular-size dependent mode. Moreover, the ΗΑ fragments affect cell functional properties, the expression of major ECM mediators and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (ΕΜΤ) markers. Notably, treatment with 200 kDa ΗΑ increased the expression levels of the epithelial marker Ε-cadherin and reduced the expression levels of HA synthase 2 and mesenchymal markers, like fibronectin and snail2/slug. These novel data suggest that the effects of HA in breast cancer cells depend on the molecular size and the ER status. An in-depth understanding on the mechanistic basis of these effects may contribute on the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the pharmacological targeting of aggressive breast cancer.

Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Modeling for Coptisine Challenge of Inflammation in LPS-Stimulated Rats

Pro-inflammatory factors are important indicators for assessing inflammation severity and drug efficacy. Coptisine has been reported to inhibit LPS-induced TNF-α and NO production. In this study, we aim to build a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model to quantify the coptisine time course and potency of its anti-inflammatory effect in LPS-stimulated rats. The plasma and lung coptisine concentrations, plasma and lung TNF-α concentrations, plasma NO concentration, and lung iNOS expression were measured in LPS-stimulated rats after intravenous injection of three coptisine doses. The coptisine disposition kinetics were described by a two-compartment model. The coptisine distribution process from the plasma to the lung was described by first-order dynamics. The dynamics of plasma TNF-α generation and elimination followed zero-order kinetics and the Michaelis-Menten equation. A first-order kinetic model described the TNF-α diffusion process from the plasma to the lung. A precursor-pool indirect response model was used to describe the iNOS and NO generation induced by TNF-α. The inhibition rates of TNF-α production by coptisine (54.73%, 26.49%, and 13.25%) calculated from the simulation model were close to the decline rates of the plasma TNF-α AUC (57.27%, 40.33%, and 24.98%, respectively). Coptisine suppressed plasma TNF-α generation in a linear manner, resulting in a cascading reduction of iNOS and NO. The early term TNF-α response to stimulation is a key factor in the subsequent inflammatory cascade. In conclusion, this comprehensive PK-PD model provided a rational explanation for the interlocking relationship among TNF-α, iNOS and NO production triggered by LPS and a quantitative evaluation method for inhibition of TNF-α production by coptisine.

8-Cetylcoptisine, a new coptisine derivative, induces mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in human A549 cells

Lung cancer is the worldwide leading cause of cancer-related death. Here, we described the synthesis and the anticancer activity of a novel coptisine derivative 8-cetylcoptisine (CCOP) on lung carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. CCOP inhibited the cell viability of A549, BGC-823, MDA-MB-231, HCT-116 and HepG2 cell lines. In A549 cells, CCOP induced apoptosis, G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis showed that CCOP increased the expression of Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cleaved caspase 3 and 9, while decreased B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), cyclins D and E, cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) 2, 4 and 6, along with the inactivation of the upstream phosphoinositide 3-kinase (Pi3k)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling. Further in vivo studies showed that CCOP (10 mg/kg) significantly delayed tumor growth in A549 xenograft nude mice, which is stronger than that of coptisine (100 mg/kg). These data suggested that CCOP could be a candidate for lung cancer therapy.

Coptisine-induced apoptosis in human colon cancer cells (HCT-116) is mediated by PI3K/Akt and mitochondrial-associated apoptotic pathway

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the word. Coptisine (COP), an isoquinoline alkaloid derived from Coptis chinensis Franch, possesses a wide variety of pharmacological effects. However, its anti-proliferative effect on colon cancer is not fully elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to ascertain whether COP inhibits HCT-116 cell growth and to further explore the molecular mechanism in vitro and in vivo.

METHODS

Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Cell migration was detected using wound healing assay. Apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ_m) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was analysis via flow cytometry. Hoechst 33342 was used for morphology observation. The expression levels of proteins related to mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic pathway were detected by western blotting. In addition, the antitumor ability of COP was further measured in athymic nude mice.

RESULTS

COP significantly decreased cell viability and migration in HCT-116 cells. Flow cytometry and Hoechst 33342 analysis confirmed that COP suppressed cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis. COP decreased Δψ_m dose-dependently and induced intracellular ROS production time-dependently. Western blotting showed that COP activated mitochondrial-associated apoptosis by down-regulating Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, pro-caspase 3, XIAP level and up-regulating Bax, Bad, cytochrome c, Apaf-1, AIF and cleaved caspase-3 expression. In addition, COP also attenuated PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. In vivo study showed that 150 mg/kg COP significantly delayed the tumor development in BALB/c nude mice. Immunohistochemical analysis also confirmed the activated apoptosis in tumor tissue.

CONCLUSION

The results demonstrated that COP induces apoptosis in HCT-116 cells through PI3K/Akt and mitochondrial-associated apoptotic pathway. Our findings suggest that COP has potential to be a therapeutic candidate for colon cancer patients.

Novel Inhibitor Discovery of Staphylococcus aureus Sortase B and the Mechanism Confirmation via Molecular Modeling

SortaseB (SrtB) plays a critical role in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections. According to the reports in the literature, SrtB can anchor the IsdC to the cell wall to capture iron from the host to achieve a successful invasion. On the other hand, SrtB could also affect the adhesion of S. aureus to host cells based on previous studies. Here, we report about a novel SrtB inhibitor, coptisine, a natural compound that does not exhibit antibacterial activity but can inhibit the SrtB activity in vitro. A cytotoxicity test indicated that coptisine protects human lung epithelial cells from S. aureus. In addition, coptisine can reduce the adhesion of S. aureus to human lung epithelial cells based on the result of plate colony counting assay. Molecular dynamics simulation revealed that coptisine can bind to the active pocket of SrtB, leading to its activity loss. Through the calculation of binding free energy between ligand and protein, site-directed mutagenesis and fluorescence spectroscopy quenching methods, it was confirmed that residues of Arg115, Asn116, and Ile182 played a vital role in the interaction of SrtB with coptisine. These data provide the theoretical basis for the therapy option to the infections caused by S. aureus.

Heterogeneous network propagation for herb target identification

BACKGROUND

Identifying targets of herbs is a primary step for investigating pharmacological mechanisms of herbal drugs in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Experimental targets identification of herbs is a difficult and time-consuming work. Computational method for identifying herb targets is an efficient approach. However, how to make full use of heterogeneous network data about herbs and targets to improve the performance of herb targets prediction is still a dilemma.

METHODS

In our study, a random walk algorithm on the heterogeneous herb-target network (named heNetRW) has been proposed to identify protein targets of herbs. By building a heterogeneous herb-target network involving herbs, targets and their interactions and simulating random walk algorithm on the network, the candidate targets of the given herb can be predicted.

RESULTS

The experimental results on large-scale dataset showed that heNetRW had higher performance of targets prediction than PRINCE (improved F1-score by 0.08 and Hit@1 by 21.34% in one validation setting, and improved F1-score by 0.54 and Hit@1 by 69.08% in the other validation setting). Furthermore, we evaluated novel candidate targets of two herbs (rhizoma coptidis and turmeric), which showed our approach could generate potential targets that are valuable for further experimental investigations.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with PRINCE algorithm, heNetRW algorithm can fuse more known information (such as, known herb-target associations and pathway-based similarities of protein pairs) to improve prediction performance. Experimental results also indicated heNetRW had higher performance than PRINCE. The prediction results not only can be used to guide the selection of candidate targets of herbs, but also help to reveal the molecule mechanisms of herbal drugs.

Development and Validation of a HPLC-ESI-MS/MS Method for Simultaneous Quantification of Fourteen Alkaloids in Mouse Plasma after Oral Administration of the Extract of Corydalis yanhusuo Tuber: Application to Pharmacokinetic Study

The tuber of Corydalis yanhusuo is a famous traditional Chinese medicine and found to have potent pharmacological effects, such as antinociceptive, antitumor, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-depressive activities. Although there are several methods to be developed for the analysis and detection of the bioactive ingredients’ alkaloids, so far, only few prominent alkaloids could be quantified, and in vitro and in vivo changes of comprehensive alkaloids after oral administration are still little known. In this study, we first developed a simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method to quantify the comprehensive alkaloids of extracts of C. yanhusuo in mouse plasma, using nitidine chloride as an internal standard. As results, at least fourteen alkaloids, including an aporphine (oxoglaucine), a protopine (protopine), five tertiary alkaloids (corydaline, tetrahydroberberine, tetrahydropalmatine, tetrahydrocolumbamine, and tetrahydrocoptisine) and seven quaternary alkaloids (columbamine, palmatine, berberine, epiberberine, coptisine, jatrorrhizine, and dehydrocorydaline) could be well quantified simultaneously in mouse plasma. The lower limits of quantification were greater than, or equal to, 0.67 ng/mL, and the average matrix effects ranged from 96.4% to 114.3%. The mean extraction recoveries of quality control samples were over 71.40%, and the precision and accuracy were within the acceptable limits. All the analytes were shown to be stable under different storage conditions. Then the established method was successfully applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics of these alkaloids after oral administration of the extract of Corydalis yanhusuo in mice. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first document to report the comprehensive and simultaneous analyses of alkaloids of C. yanhusuo in mouse plasma. It was efficient and useful for comprehensive pharmacokinetic and metabolomic analyses of these complex alkaloids after drug administration.

Coptisine-induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and reactive oxygen species-dependent mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in non-small-cell lung cancer A549 cells

This study aimed to explore the effect of coptisine on non-small-cell lung cancer and its mechanism through various in vitro cellular models (A549). Results claimed significant inhibition of proliferation by coptisine against A549, H460, and H2170 cells with IC₅₀ values of 18.09, 29.50, and 21.60 µM, respectively. Also, coptisine exhibited upregulation of pH2AX, cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, and downregulation of the expression of cyclin B1, cdc2, and cdc25C and upregulation of p21 dose dependently. Furthermore, induction of apoptosis in A549 cells by coptisine was characterized by the activation of caspase 9, caspase 8, and caspase 3, and cleavage of poly adenosine diphosphate ribose polymerase. In addition, coptisine was found to increase reactive oxygen species generation, upregulate Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, disrupt mitochondrial membrane potential, and cause cytochrome c release into the cytosol. Besides, treatment with a reactive oxygen species inhibitor (N-acetyl cysteine) abrogated coptisine-induced growth inhibition, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species generation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Thus, the mediation of reactive oxygen species in the apoptosis-induced effect of coptisine in A549 cells was corroborated. These findings have offered new insights into the effect and mechanisms of action of coptisine against non-small-cell lung cancer.

Coptisine Prevented IL-β-Induced Expression of Inflammatory Mediators in Chondrocytes

Interleukin 1β (IL-1β) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a critical role in the development of osteoarthritis (OA). Coptisine is an isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Coptidis rhizome and has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory activity. However, the anti-inflammatory effects of coptisine on interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)-stimulated chondrocytes have not been reported. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of coptisine on IL-1β-induced inflammation in human articular chondrocytes. Our results showed that coptisine greatly inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), as well as suppressed the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in human OA chondrocytes induced by IL-1β. It also inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) and MMP-13 in IL-1β-stimulated human OA chondrocytes. Furthermore, coptisine significantly inhibited the IL-1β-induced NF-kB activation in human OA chondrocytes. Taken together, these data suggest that coptisine inhibits the IL-1β-induced inflammatory response by suppressing the NF-kB signaling pathway. Thus, coptisine may be a potential agent in the treatment of OA.

Coptis japonica Makino extract suppresses angiogenesis through regulation of cell cycle-related proteins

Angiogenesis, neovascularization from pre-existing vessels, is a key step in tumor growth and metastasis, and anti-angiogenic agents that can interfere with these essential steps of cancer development are a promising strategy for human cancer treatment. In this study, we characterized the anti-angiogenic effects of Coptis japonica Makino extract (CJME) and its mechanism of action. CJME significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated HUVECs. Furthermore, CJME suppressed VEGF-induced tube formation in vitro and VEGF-induced microvessel sprouting ex vivo. According to our study, CJME blocked VEGF-induced cell cycle transition in G1. CJME decreased expression of cell cycle-regulated proteins, including Cyclin D, Cyclin E, Cdk2, and Cdk4 in response to VEGF. Taken together, the results of our study indicate that CJME suppresses VEGF-induced angiogenic events such as proliferation, migration, and tube formation via cell cycle arrest in G1.

Metastatic Inhibitory and Radical Scavenging Efficacies of Saponins Extracted from the Brittle Star (Ophiocoma erinaceus)

Echinodermata use saponins in chemical defense against pathogens and predators. The molecular mechanisms of antimetastatic effects of brittle star saponins are still unknown. The present study examined antioxidant capacity and invasive ability in HeLa carcinoma cells exposed to brittle star crude saponins. Discolorating methods with DPPH and ABTS and expression of SOD-2 with RT-PCR were used to estimate the antioxidant activity. The anti-invasive activity of extracted saponins was examined through adhesion of HeLa cells to extracellular matrix, wound healing and evaluation of the mRNA levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 by real time-PCR. The results showed that extracted saponins had cytotoxicity against cervical cancer cells and ABTS and DPPH scavenging properties with IC50 values of 604.5, 1012 μg/ml, respectively. Further, we found that, in wound healing assay, brittle star saponins could prevent invasion of HeLa cells in a concentration dependent manner. Furthermore, cell adhesion assay demonstrated blockage of cell attachment to extracellular matrix with an IC50 concentration of 16.1μg/ml. The significant dose dependent down regulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in treated cells demonstrated that isolated saponins can decline tumor metastasis in vitro. The brittle star saponins remarkably prevented cervical cancer invasion and migration associated with down regulation of matrix metalloproteinase expression. Therefore, saponins could be suggested as an anti-invasive candidate against cervical cancer and an antioxidant as well.

Hypermethylation of TET1 promoter is a new diagnosic marker for breast cancer metastasis

Breast cancer metastasis is a major cause of cancer-related death in women. However, markers for diagnosis of breast cancer metastasis are rare. Here, we reported that TET1, a tumor suppressor gene, was downregulated and hypermethylated in highly metastatic breast cancer cell lines. Moreover, silencing of TET1 in breast cancer cells increased the migration and spreading of breast cancer cells. In breast cancer clinical samples, TET1 expression was reduced in LN metastases compared with primary tissues. Besides, the methylation level of the TET1 promoter was increased significantly in LN metastases. Taken together, these findings indicate that promoter hypermethylation may contribute to the downregulation of TET1 and could be used as a promising marker for diagnosis in patients with breast cancer metastasis.