Exploring the mechanism of cordycepin combined with doxorubicin in treating glioblastoma based on network pharmacology and biological verification

Application and research progress of cordycepin in the treatment of tumours (Review)

Cordycepin is a nucleoside molecule found in Cordyceps sinensis and can be obtained through chemical synthesis and biotransformation. Cordycepin has been extensively studied and has been shown to have antitumour activity. This activity includes effects on the autophagy process and inhibition of the MAPK/ERK and Hedgehog pathways. Ultimately, the inhibitory effect of cordycepin on tumour cells is due to the interplay of these effects. Cordycepin was shown to enhance the therapeutic effects of radiotherapy. There is increasing evidence indicating that cordycepin plays an anticancer role in the treatment of various cancers. The present review aims to provide a clear understanding of the antitumour mechanisms of cordycepin and discuss its present application in the treatment of tumours. This information can be an important theoretical basis and provide clinical guidance for the further development of cordycepin as an antitumour drug.

The role and mechanisms of cordycepin in inhibiting cancer cells

With the escalating incidence and mortality rates of cancer, there is an ever-growing emphasis on the research of anticancer drugs. Cordycepin, the primary nucleoside antibiotic isolated from Cordyceps militaris, has emerged as a remarkable agent for cancer prevention and treatment. Functioning as a natural targeted antitumor drug, cordycepin assumes an increasingly pivotal role in cancer therapy. This review elucidates the mechanisms of cordycepin in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis, as well as its capabilities in suppressing angiogenesis and metastasis. Moreover, the immunomodulatory effects of cordycepin in cancer treatment are explored. Additionally, the current status, challenges, and future prospects of cordycepin application in clinical trials are briefly discussed. The objective is to provide a valuable reference for the utilization of cordycepin in cancer treatment.

The therapeutic potential of natural products for treating pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most malignant tumors of the digestive tract, with the poor prognosis and low 5-year survival rate less than 10%. Although surgical resection and chemotherapy as gemcitabine (first-line treatment) has been applied to the pancreatic cancer patients, the overall survival rates of pancreatic cancer are quite low due to drug resistance. Therefore, it is of urgent need to develop alternative strategies for its treatment. In this review, we summarized the major herbal drugs and metabolites, including curcumin, triptolide, Panax Notoginseng Saponins and their metabolites etc. These compounds with antioxidant, anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic activities can inhibit the progression and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Expecting to provide comprehensive information of potential natural products, our review provides valuable information and strategies for pancreatic cancer treatment.

Establishment of fingerprint and mechanism of anti-myocardial ischemic effect of Syringa pinnatifolia

OBJECTIVE

To establish the fingerprint of Syringa pinnatifolia Hemsl. (SP), analyze the blood components of SP, and explore the possible mechanism of SP's anti-myocardial ischemia, so as to provide scientific basis for the follow-up development and research of SP and lay a foundation for its clinical application.

METHODS

The fingerprint of SP was established by UPLC-QE-MS and GC-MS. A rat Myocardial infarction (MI) was constructed by ligating the left anterior descending branch (LAD) of the rat coronary artery, and SP alcohol extract was administered to evaluate its anti-myocardial ischemic effect. We analyzed the blood components of SP, screened the active compounds, established a database of SP anti-myocardial ischemic targets, and explored the possible mechanism of SP in treating MI by bioinformatics. The rats were examined by echocardiography, serum biomarkers were determined, and pathological changes were observed by histopathological examination. TUNEL staining was performed to detect the apoptotic level of cells, and western blot and qRT-PCR were performed to detect the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 in heart tissues.

RESULTS

In the fingerprint of SP, 24 common peaks were established, and the similarity evaluation results of 10 batches of SP were all > 0.9. UPLC-QE-MS and GC-MS detected a total of 17 active ingredients in the drug-containing serum, including terpenoids, flavonoids, phenols, phenylpropanoids and phenolic acids, the most abundant of which was resveratrol. Enrichment analysis of SP targets against myocardial ischemia revealed that key candidate targets of SP were significantly enriched in multiple pathways associated with apoptosis. Resveratrol was administered to the successfully modeled rats, and the results showed that the resveratrol group significantly reduced LVEDd and LVEDs and significantly increased EF and FS in all groups compared with the model group. Resveratrol significantly reduced the levels of CK-MB and LDH in serum compared to the model group (p < 0.001). Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining of rat myocardial tissue showed that all lesions were reduced under microscopic observation in the resveratrol group compared with the model group. RT-PCR and western blot results showed that resveratrol group down-regulated the expression of the pro-apoptotic factor Bax, up-regulated the expression of the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2, and decreased the expression of Caspase-3.

CONCLUSION

The established fingerprints are accurate, reliable and reproducible, and can be used as an effective method for the quality control of the herbs. The anti-myocardial ischemia effect of SP may be that resveratrol can improve cardiac function and inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis to protect cardiomyocytes. The present study provides ample evidence for the clinical use of SP, suggesting that this drug has great potential in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.