Psoralidin prevents caffeine-induced damage and abnormal differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via the classical estrogen receptor pathway

Background

Caffeine is broadly present in tea, coffee, and cocoa, and is commonly consumed. The bone microenvironment might be damaged by excessive caffeine, which has been shown to exert negative effects on human health. In this study, we sought to determine whether excessive caffeine could damage the biological functions of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and induce bone loss in mice, and further investigate effective therapeutic methods.

Methods

BMSCs were treated with different concentrations of caffeine (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mM) for 48 h. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis were performed to detect the cell viability, proliferation, migration, and pluripotency of BMSCs, respectively. Alizarin red S (ARS) staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, oil red O (ORO) staining, and qRT-PCR assay were applied to assess the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs. BMSCs were treated with caffeine and further exposed to different concentrations of psoralidin (PL) (0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 µM) for 48 h. Micro-computed tomography (µCT) scanning was used to evaluate the bone mass of mice. 7α-(7-((4,4,5,5,5-Pentafluoropentyl)-sulfiny)nonyl)estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,17β-diol (ICI 182,780, ICI) was applied to examine whether the classical estrogen receptor (ER) pathway was involved.

Results

The CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay, and qRT-PCR analysis indicated that caffeine (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 mM) attenuated the cell viability, proliferation, migration and pluripotency of BMSCs, respectively, in a concentration-dependent manner. Caffeine treatment inhibited osteogenic differentiation but promoted adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, ARS staining, ALP staining, ORO staining, and qRT-PCR assay showed that excessive caffeine induced bone loss and osteoporosis (OP) in mice by regulating the osteogenesis and adipogenesis of BMSCs. Also, PL treatment could reverse the caffeine-induced dysfunctions and aberrant differentiation of BMSCs via the ER pathway.

Conclusions

Our results revealed a novel molecular mechanism for the therapeutic effects of PL in treating excessive caffeine-induced OP, which might shed new light on the clinical application of PL for caffeine-related OP.

[Potential role of estrogens in colorectal tumour development]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancers worldwide. The incidence of sporadic CRC is lower in individuals below 50 years and increases with age, furthermore, it shows typical clinical, macroscopic and molecular differences between females and males. According to the results of epidemiological and molecular biology studies, the estradiol-regulating signaling pathway plays an important role in the development and prognosis of CRC, predominantly through estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), which is dominant in the colonic epithelium. Estradiol has multiple gastrointestinal effects, which were confirmed by in vitro and in vivo studies on histologically intact and cancerous cells as well. In contrast to estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), the activation of ERβ inhibits cell proliferation and enhances apoptosis, nevertheless, the expression of estrogen receptor beta can change both during physiological ageing and in colorectal disorders. The ERβ-mediated antitumour effects of estradiol may be exerted through inhibition of cell proliferation, stimulation of apoptosis, inhibition of metastasis formation and its anti-inflammatory activity. Based on the results of cell culture and animal studies, selective modulators of estrogen receptor beta (selective estrogen receptor modulator [SERM]) and phytoestrogens can be new, additional therapeutic options in the treatment of colorectal diseases characterized by chronic inflammation and uncontrolled cell proliferation. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(14): 532-543.

Histone H3 lysine 4 acetylation and methylation dynamics define breast cancer subtypes

The onset and progression of breast cancer are linked to genetic and epigenetic changes that alter the normal programming of cells. Epigenetic modifications of DNA and histones contribute to chromatin structure that result in the activation or repression of gene expression. Several epigenetic pathways have been shown to be highly deregulated in cancer cells. Targeting specific histone modifications represents a viable strategy to prevent oncogenic transformation, tumor growth or metastasis. Methylation of histone H3 lysine 4 has been extensively studied and shown to mark genes for expression; however this residue can also be acetylated and the specific function of this alteration is less well known. To define the relative roles of histone H3 methylation (H3K4me3) and acetylation (H3K4ac) in breast cancer, we determined genomic regions enriched for both marks in normal-like (MCF10A), transformed (MCF7) and metastatic (MDA-MB-231) cells using a genome-wide ChIP-Seq approach. Our data revealed a genome-wide gain of H3K4ac associated with both early and late breast cancer cell phenotypes, while gain of H3K4me3 was predominantly associated with late stage cancer cells. Enrichment of H3K4ac was over-represented at promoters of genes associated with cancer-related phenotypic traits, such as estrogen response and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition pathways. Our findings highlight an important role for H3K4ac in predicting epigenetic changes associated with early stages of transformation. In addition, our data provide a valuable resource for understanding epigenetic signatures that correlate with known breast cancer-associated oncogenic pathways.

Gene signatures of estrogen and progesterone receptor pathways predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer

The associations of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) pathways with the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) are still controversial. The aim of this study was to readdress these issues by introducing a gene signature-based approach to semiquantitate pathway activity. In this approach, the ER and PR pathway activities in CRC were computed based on the expression profiles of the signature genes of ER and PR pathways, respectively. The results showed that the ER pathway activity was progressively significantly decreased from normal colorectal mucosa, colorectal adenoma to CRC. ER pathway signaling was a favorable factor for the presence of microsatellite stability (MSS) in CRC in seven cohorts tested, while was an unfavorable factor for cancer recurrence in all four CRC cohorts tested (n = 1122; overall HR: 0.311, 95% CI: 0.199-0.488, P < 0.001). Subset stratification in stage II patients showed that ER pathway remained significantly inversely associated with recurrence. PR pathway was also suppressed in colorectal tumors and inversely associated with recurrence of CRC, but to a much lesser extent than ER pathway. Moreover, the inverse association of PR pathway with cancer recurrence was more likely observed in CRC with high ER pathway activity, suggesting the interactions between the two pathways. PR pathway was not associated with MSS in CRC, but it was more significant than ER pathway associated with advance cancer stages and cancer response to adjuvant chemotherapy. These results suggested the potential application of the gene signatures of ER and PR pathways, especially the former, as novel markers for prognosis and management of CRC.