Suppressive effect of sinomenine combined with 5-fluorouracil on colon carcinoma cell growth

Fe3O4 Nanoparticles in Combination with 5-FU Exert Antitumor Effects Superior to Those of the Active Drug in a Colon Cancer Cell Model

(1) Background: Colon cancer is one of the most common cancer types, and treatment options, unfortunately, do not continually improve the survival rate of patients. With the unprecedented development of nanotechnologies, nanomedicine has become a significant direction in cancer research. Indeed, chemotherapeutics with nanoparticles (NPs) in cancer treatment is an outstanding new treatment principle. (2) Methods: Fe3O4 NPs were synthesized and characterized. Caco-2 colon cancer cells were treated during two different periods (24 and 72 h) with Fe3O4 NPs (6 μg/mL), various concentrations of 5-FU (4−16 μg/mL), and Fe3O4 NPs in combination with 5-FU (4−16 μg/mL) (Fe3O4 NPs + 5-FU). (3) Results: The MTT assay showed that treating the cells with Fe3O4 NPs + 5-FU at 16 µg/mL for 24 or 72 h decreased cell viability and increased their LDH release (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Furthermore, at the same treatment concentrations, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was decreased (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively), and total oxidant status (TOS) increased (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Moreover, after treatment with Fe3O4-NPs + 5-FU, the IL-10 gene was downregulated and PTEN gene expression was upregulated (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) compared with those of the control. (4) Conclusions: Fe3O4 NPs exert a synergistic cytotoxic effect with 5-FU on Caco-2 cells at concentrations below the active drug threshold levels.

Synthesis, Antitumor of Sinomenine Derivatives and Apoptotic Induction via IL-6/PI3K/Akt/NF-κB Signaling Pathway in MCF-7 Cells

Natural products have been widely considered as an important resource for new drugs or lead compounds. Sinomenine (SIN) and its derivatives exert antitumor activity via regulation of inflammatory mediators. For these reasons we synthesized three series of SIN derivatives (compounds 4a-i, 7a-c and 11a-c) as antitumor agents from this natural product. All compounds were prepared by the modification at the C1 and C4 positions of A ring, the C4 position of A ring and the C6 and C7 positions of C ring, respectively. All the derivatives were subjected to in vitro antitumor activity against HeLa, A549, HepG-2, MCF-7 and HT-29 cell lines. To observe the apoptotic induction of SIN derivatives and its mechanism, fluorescent staining and western bolt were carried out for active compound against MCF-7. Based on the screening results, most of SIN derivatives showed better antitumor activity than SIN. Some of them were found to possess broad spectrum antitumor activity. Most notably, 11c exhibited obvious antitumor activity in both cell lines with IC50 value less than 11 μM. Besides, 11c induced apoptosis of MCF-7 in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot assay demonstrated that 11c inhibited IL-6-mediated activation of PI3K/Akt pathway. A docking study revealed that 11c had stronger binding interaction with the residues of IL-6 than SIN. All these results indicate that 11c may be a potential anti-breast cancer agent by directly targeting IL-6.

Preparation, Synergism, and Biocompatibility of in situ Liquid Crystals Loaded with Sinomenine and 5-Fluorouracil for Treatment of Liver Cancer

PURPOSE

Transarterial chemoembolization is the preferred treatment for patients with middle and advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, most hepatic artery embolization agents have various disadvantages. The purpose of this study was to evaluate phytantriol-based liquid crystal injections for potential use in treatment of HCC.

METHODS

Using sinomenine (SN) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as model drugs, three precursor in situ liquid crystal injections based on phytantriol (P1, P2, and P3) were prepared, and their in vitro biocompatibility, anticancer activity, and drug release investigated, to evaluate their feasibility for use in treatment of HCC. The properties of the precursor injections and subsequent cubic liquid crystal gels were observed by visual and polarizing microscopy, in an in vitro gelation experiment. Biocompatibility was evaluated by in vitro hemolysis, histocompatibility, and cytotoxicity assays.

RESULTS

Precursor injections were colorless liquids that formed transparent cubic liquid crystal gels on addition of excess water. The three precursor injections all caused slight hemolysis, without agglutination, and were mildly cytotoxic. Histocompatibility experiments showed that P1 had good histocompatibility, while P2 and P3 resulted in strong inflammatory responses, which subsequently resolved spontaneously. In vitro anti-cancer testing showed that SN and 5-FU inhibited HepG2 cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner and had synergistic effects. Further, in vitro release assays indicated that all three preparations had sustained release effects, with cumulative release of >80% within 48 h.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that SN and 5-FU have synergistic inhibitory effects on HepG2 cells, which has not previously been reported. Moreover, we describe a biocompatible precursor injection, useful as a drug carrier for the treatment of liver cancer, which can achieve targeting, sustained release, synergistic chemotherapy, and embolization. These data indicate that precursor injections containing SN and 5-FU have great potential for use in therapy for liver cancer.

Sinomenine sensitizes human gastric cancer cells to cisplatin through negative regulation of PI3K/AKT/Wnt signaling pathway

Sinomenine (SIN) has been reported its antitumor effects on various types of human cancers, but there is no available information regarding the antitumor effects of SIN and cisplatin on gastric cancer. Here, we examined the antitumor effects of SIN combined with cisplatin on gastric cancer cells as well as the underlying biological mechanisms. CCK-8 assay and Calcusyn 2.0 software analysis, Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry, transwell assay showed that SIN and cisplatin synergistically inhibited growth, induced apoptosis, and suppressed invasion than did either drug alone in gastric cancer cells. Interestingly, no change in the AKT level was found, whereas SIN and cisplatin led to a dramatic decrease in p-AKT level compared with either alone treatment. SIN and cisplatin further decreased the Bcl-2, procaspase-3, and β-catenin, but increased Bax, cleaved dcaspase 3, MMP9, and MMP2 in combined group than in either alone group. Immunofluorescence staining showed again a significant decrease in nucleus β-catenin was found in combined group. These data suggested that SIN sensitizes human gastric cancer cells to cisplatin through negative regulation of PI3K/AKT/Wnt signaling pathway. In conclusion, SIN and cisplatin exerted synergistic antitumor effects in gastric cancer cells and might constitute a promising therapeutic approach for gastric cancer.

Sinomenine Induces G1-Phase Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Malignant Glioma Cells Via Downregulation of Sirtuin 1 and Induction of p53 Acetylation

Sinomenine, a bioactive alkaloid isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Sinomenium acutum, possesses antiinflammatory, antinociceptive, antifibrotic, and antitumorigenic properties. In this work, we sought to explore the biological effects of sinomenine on glioma cells. It was found that sinomenine caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of viability in both U87 and U251 glioma cells. Sinomenine at 16 μmol/L caused 55% to 60% reduction in the proliferation of U87 and U251 cells. Moreover, sinomenine treatment induced a G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Mechanistically, sinomenine promoted p53 expression and acetylation and reduced the expression of sirtuin 1. Ectopic expression of sirtuin 1 significantly prevented sinomenine-induced p53 acetylation and growth suppression in glioma cells. Moreover, sinomenine inhibited the growth of U87 xenograft tumors in vivo and raised the p53 protein expression. Collectively, sinomenine shows antiproliferative effects against glioma cells which is mediated through downregulation of sirtuin 1 and induction of p53 activity.

Enhancing conventional chemotherapy drug cisplatin-induced anti-tumor effects on human gastric cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo by Thymoquinone targeting PTEN gene

Combination chemotherapy regimen with several anti-tumor drugs is a strategy to improve outcome. Thymoquinone (TQ) has been reported to exert biological activity on various types of human cancers without obvious toxicity. However, only few studies showed the anti-tumor effects of TQ combination with cisplatin on gastric cancer (GC). Here, we showed pretreatment with 5μM TQ significantly increased the apoptotic effects induced by cisplatin on GC cell lines. Combined treatment of cisplatin with TQ represented a significantly superior tumor suppression effect than either agent alone in a xenograft tumor mouse model. Interestingly, TQ pretreatment following cisplatin caused a significant increase in the levels of PTEN, an obvious decrease in p-AKT, CyclinD1, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), meanwhile, TQ and cisplatin also led to an increase in Bax, Cyt C, AIF, cleaved caspase 9, and cleaved caspase 3, and a decrease in Bcl-2, procaspase-9, procaspase-3. Moreover, results in vitro, showed that a combination of TQ and cisplatin represents a more effective anti-tumor agent than either agent alone in a xenograft tumor mouse model. In conclusion, TQ significantly augments cisplatin-induced anti-tumor effects on gastric cancer both in vitro and in vivo, through inhibiting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, activating the mitochondrial pathway, and down-regulating P-glycoprotein by up-regulating PTEN gene. TQ might be as a promising candidate as a cancer chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agent for antineoplastic combination therapy and merits further clinical investigation.

Recent Trends in Pharmacological Activity of Alkaloids in Animal Colitis: Potential Use for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and disrupted inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD have two main conditions, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and have been extensively investigated in recent years. Antibiotics derived from salicylates, steroids, immunosuppressors, and anti-TNF therapy are part of the therapeutic arsenal for IBD. However, very often patients stop responding to treatments over the time. In this context, searching for alternative agents is crucial for IBD clinical management. Natural products derived from medicinal plants are an interesting therapeutic alternative, since several studies have proven effective treatments in animal models of intestinal inflammation. Several naturally occurring compounds are potent antioxidants, both as free radical scavengers and as modulators of antioxidant enzymes expression and activity. A number of natural compounds have also been proved to inhibit the release of proinflammatory cytokines, decreasing the activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), which is important to the inflammatory response in IBD. The alkaloids are substances of a very diverse class of plant secondary metabolites; an extensive list of biological activities has been attributed to alkaloids, such as being anticholinergic, antitumor, diuretic, antiviral, antihypertensive, antiulcer, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory. In the present work, studies on the pharmacological activity of alkaloids in experimental models of IBD were reviewed.

Sinomenine inhibits A549 human lung cancer cell invasion by mediating the STAT3 signaling pathway

Increasing evidence suggests that the failure of lung cancer treatment may occur as a result of tumor invasion and metastasis. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), an epithelial-mesenchymal transition-inducing transcription factor, is a key signaling molecule involved in the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. Sinomenine is an alkaloid compound with an antineoplastic potential against a variety of cancer cells. The aim of the present study was to assess the antitumor mechanisms of sinomenine in the A549 human lung cancer cell line. The results demonstrated that sinomenine manifested dose-dependent cytotoxicity and induced apoptosis in A549 cells. The protein expression of Janus kinase 2, STAT3, phosphorylated-STAT3, Snail, N-cadherin and vimentin decreased in sinomenine-treated cells, while E-cadherin protein expression increased. The regulation of STAT3, N-cadherin and E-cadherin by sinomenine was further confirmed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescent staining. It was demonstrated that sinomenine exerts inhibitory effects on A549 human lung cancer cell invasion, possibly through the inhibition of STAT3 signaling. These results provide a novel insight into the role of sinomenine in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

Sinomenine prevents metastasis of human osteosarcoma cells via S phase arrest and suppression of tumor-related neovascularization and osteolysis through the CXCR4-STAT3 pathway

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of the bone. The long-term survivals continue to be unsatisfactory for patients with metastatic and recurrent disease. Metastasis is still a severe challenge in osteosarcoma treatment. Sinomenine, an alkaloid from traditional Chinese medicine, has been proved to possess potent antitumor and anti-invasion effect on various cancers. However, the effect of sinomenine on human osteosarcoma and the underlying mechanisms remains unknown. We report here that sinomenine inhibited proliferation by inducing S phase arrest and suppressing the clone formation. Significant inhibitory effects were found in invasion and metastasis in osteosarcoma, but little cytotoxicity was observed in tested concentrations. Exposure to sinomenine resulted in suppression of invasion and migration in osteosarcoma cells as well as tube formation ability in the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and U2OS cells. Furthermore, it demonstrated that CXCR4 played a key role contributing to invasion in osteosarcoma which is considered to be a core target site in sinomenine treatment. Sinomenine inhibited invasion by suppressing CXCR4 and STAT3 phosphorylation then downregulating the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, RANKL, VEGF downstream. In addition, then RANKL-mediated bone destruction stimulated by osteoclastogenesis and VEGF-related neovascularization were restrained. Importantly, in vivo, sinomenine suppressed proliferation, osteoclastogenesis and bone destruction. Through these various comprehensive means, sinomenine inhibits metastasis in osteosarcoma. Taken together, our results revealed that sinomenine caused S phase arrest, inhibited invasion and metastasis via suppressing the CXCR4-STAT3 pathway and then osteoclastogenesis-mediated bone destruction and neovascularization in osteosarcoma. Sinomenine is therefore a promising adjuvant agent for metastasis control in osteosarcoma.

Preparation and in vitro evaluation of 5-fluorouracil-loaded PCL nanoparticles for colon cancer treatment

Nanoparticles loaded with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for colon cancer therapies were prepared using the solvent evaporation technique, which involved lyophilization by freeze-drying. Formulations produced a substantially high encapsulation efficiency of approximately 93%. A positive correlation was seen when increasing polycaprolactone (PCL) and/or PVA concentrations and the size of nanoparticles produced. Increasing PCL concentration had a considerable influence on PDI while increasing PVA concentration had a lesser effect. All nanoparticles possessed a negative zeta potential, particularly in formulations with low polymer and polymer emulsifier concentrations. The formulation with the lowest PCL and PVA concentration was characterized by the most optimal properties; which accounts for the desirable delayed release profile of the active drug in dissolution testing indicating an improved targeting capability and enhanced bioavailability at the action site. Cytotoxicity studies showed that 5-FU loaded PCL nanoparticles had higher antiproliferative effect than free 5-FU on Caco-2 cell line (p < 0.05). The encouraging results obtained offer reasons for optimism regarding the future of 5-FU nanoparticles as a promising drug delivery system which could be further improved by including either enteric coating or encapsulating the nanoparticles onto microparticles to overcome unanticipated degradation.