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Campanelli G, Francois E, Parupathi P, Devarakonda LS, Yang C, Kumar A, Levenson AS. The Therapeutic Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of Gnetin C, a Natural Compound from the Melinjo Plant, in a Preclinical Mouse Model of Advanced Prostate Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1344. [PMID: 38611022 PMCID: PMC11010822 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16071344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The metastasis-associated protein 1/protein kinase B (MTA1/AKT) signaling pathway has been shown to cooperate in promoting prostate tumor growth. Targeted interception strategies by plant-based polyphenols, specifically stilbenes, have shown great promise against MTA1-mediated prostate cancer progression. In this study, we employed a prostate-specific transgenic mouse model with MTA1 overexpression on the background of phosphatase and tensin homolog (Pten) null (R26MTA1; Ptenf/f) and PC3M prostate cancer cells which recapitulate altered molecular pathways in advanced prostate cancer. Mechanistically, the MTA1 knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of MTA1 by gnetin C (dimer resveratrol) in cultured PC3M cells resulted in the marked inactivation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. In vivo, mice tolerated a daily intraperitoneal treatment of gnetin C (7 mg/kg bw) for 12 weeks without any sign of toxicity. Treatment with gnetin C markedly reduced cell proliferation and angiogenesis and promoted apoptosis in mice with advanced prostate cancer. Further, in addition to decreasing MTA1 levels in prostate epithelial cells, gnetin C significantly reduced mTOR signaling activity in prostate tissues, including the activity of mTOR-target proteins: p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K) and eukaryotic translational initiation factor 4E (elF4E)-binding protein 1 (4EBP1). Collectively, these findings established gnetin C as a new natural compound with anticancer properties against MTA1/AKT/mTOR-activated prostate cancer, with potential as monotherapy and as a possible adjunct to clinically approved mTOR pathway inhibitors in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisella Campanelli
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548, USA; (G.C.); (C.Y.)
| | - Ekniel Francois
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA; (E.F.); (P.P.); (L.S.D.)
| | - Prashanth Parupathi
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA; (E.F.); (P.P.); (L.S.D.)
| | - Lakshmi Sirisha Devarakonda
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA; (E.F.); (P.P.); (L.S.D.)
| | - Ching Yang
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548, USA; (G.C.); (C.Y.)
| | - Avinash Kumar
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA; (E.F.); (P.P.); (L.S.D.)
| | - Anait S. Levenson
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548, USA; (G.C.); (C.Y.)
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Kabir T, Yoshiba H, Agista AZ, Sultana H, Ohsaki Y, Yeh CL, Hirakawa R, Tani H, Ikuta T, Nochi T, Yang SC, Shirakawa H. Protective Effects of Gnetin C from Melinjo Seed Extract against High-Fat Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis and Liver Fibrosis in NAFLD Mice Model. Nutrients 2023; 15:3888. [PMID: 37764672 PMCID: PMC10538079 DOI: 10.3390/nu15183888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common form of chronic liver disease, can progress to hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and advanced fibrosis, increasing the risk of cirrhosis. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, is beneficial in treating multiple metabolic diseases. Gnetin C, a resveratrol derivative obtained from Melinjo seed extract (MSE), shares similar health-promoting properties. We investigated the role of gnetin C in preventing NAFLD in a mouse model and compared it with resveratrol. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a control diet (10% calories from fat), a high-fat choline-deficient (HFCD) diet (46% calories from fat) and HFCD diet supplemented with gnetin C (150 mg/kg BW·day-1) or resveratrol (150 mg/kg BW·day-1) for 12 weeks. Gnetin C supplementation reduced body and liver weight, and improved blood glucose levels and insulin sensitivity. Both gnetin C- and resveratrol reduced hepatic steatosis, with gnetin C also decreasing liver lipid content. Gnetin C and resveratrol ameliorated HFCD diet-induced hepatic fibrosis. The mRNA expression results, and western blot analyses showed that gnetin C and, to some extent, resveratrol downregulated fibrosis markers in the TGF-β1 signaling pathway, indicating a possible safeguarding mechanism against NAFLD. These results suggest that gnetin C supplementation may protect against lipid deposition and hepatic fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tohfa Kabir
- Laboratory of Nutrition, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
| | - Haruki Yoshiba
- Laboratory of Nutrition, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
| | - Afifah Zahra Agista
- Laboratory of Nutrition, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
| | - Halima Sultana
- Laboratory of Nutrition, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
| | - Yusuke Ohsaki
- Laboratory of Nutrition, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
- International Education and Research Center for Food Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
| | - Chiu-Li Yeh
- Laboratory of Nutrition, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
- School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Ryota Hirakawa
- Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
| | - Hiroko Tani
- Institute for Bee Products and Health Science, Yamada Bee Company, Inc., Okayama 708-0393, Japan
| | - Tomoki Ikuta
- Institute for Bee Products and Health Science, Yamada Bee Company, Inc., Okayama 708-0393, Japan
| | - Tomonori Nochi
- International Education and Research Center for Food Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
- Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
| | - Suh-Ching Yang
- School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Hitoshi Shirakawa
- Laboratory of Nutrition, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
- International Education and Research Center for Food Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
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Parupathi P, Campanelli G, Deabel RA, Puaar A, Devarakonda LS, Kumar A, Levenson AS. Gnetin C Intercepts MTA1-Associated Neoplastic Progression in Prostate Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14246038. [PMID: 36551523 PMCID: PMC9775406 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14246038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutritional chemoprevention is particularly suitable for prostate cancer. Gnetin C, a resveratrol dimer found abundantly in the melinjo plant (Gnetum gnemon), may possess more potent biological properties compared to other stilbenes. We examined the effects of gnetin C in a high-risk premalignant transgenic mouse model overexpressing tumor-promoting metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) on the background of Pten heterozygosity (R26MTA1; Pten+/f; Pb-Cre+). Mice were fed diets supplemented with the following compounds: pterostilbene (70 mg/kg diet); gnetin C, high dose (70 mg/kg diet); and gnetin C, low dose (35 mg/kg diet). Prostate tissues were isolated after 17 weeks and examined for histopathology and molecular markers. Serum was analyzed for cytokine expression. Gnetin C-supplemented diets substantially delayed the progression of preneoplastic lesions compared to other groups. Prostate tissues from gnetin C-fed mice showed favorable histopathology, with decreased severity and number of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) foci, reduced proliferation, and angiogenesis. A decreased level of MTA1, concurrent with the trend of increasing phosphatase and tensin homolog expression and reduced interleukin 2 (IL-2) levels in sera, were also detected in gnetin C-fed mice. Importantly, gnetin C did not exert any visible toxicity in mice. Our findings demonstrate that a gnetin C-supplemented diet effectively blocks MTA1-promoted tumor progression activity in high-risk premalignant prostate cancer, which indicates its potential as a novel form of nutritional interception for prostate cancer chemoprevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prashanth Parupathi
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Gisella Campanelli
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Rabab Al Deabel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Professions and Nursing, Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548, USA
| | - Anand Puaar
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Lakshmi Sirisha Devarakonda
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Avinash Kumar
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Anait S. Levenson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548, USA
- Correspondence:
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Narayanan NK, Kunimasa K, Yamori Y, Mori M, Mori H, Nakamura K, Miller G, Manne U, Tiwari AK, Narayanan B. Antitumor activity of melinjo (Gnetum gnemon L.) seed extract in human and murine tumor models in vitro and in a colon-26 tumor-bearing mouse model in vivo. Cancer Med 2015; 4:1767-80. [PMID: 26408414 PMCID: PMC4674003 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Revised: 08/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon L.) seed extract (MSE) and its active ingredient gnetin C (GC), a resveratrol dimer, have been shown to possess a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities. In this study, we investigated the antitumor activity of MSE and GC using human and murine tumor cell culture models in vitro. The antitumor activity of GC was compared with trans-resveratrol (tRV), a stilbenoid polyphenol. Our results show that MSE and GC at clinically achievable concentrations significantly inhibited the proliferation of pancreatic, prostate, breast, and colon cancer cell types (P < 0.05), without affecting normal cells. Interestingly, GC exerts enhanced antitumor activity than that of tRV (P < 0.05). MSE and GC significantly induced apoptosis in all the cancer cells, indicating MSE and GC inhibit tumor cell growth by inducing apoptosis (P < 0.001). Our findings provide evidence that MSE might induce apoptosis in cancer cells via caspase-3/7-dependent and -independent mechanisms. However, GC might trigger both early and late stage apoptosis in cancer cells, at least in part by activating caspase 3/7-dependent mechanisms. Furthermore, the antitumor efficacy of MSE observed in vitro was also validated in a widely used colon-26 tumor-bearing mouse model. Oral administration of MSE at 50 and 100 mg/kg per day significantly inhibited tumor growth, intratumoral angiogenesis, and liver metastases in BALB/c mice bearing colon-26 tumors (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our findings provide evidence that MSE and GC have potent antitumor activity. Most importantly, we provide the first evidence that MSE inhibits tumor growth, intratumoral angiogenesis, and liver metastasis in a colon-26 tumor-bearing mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narayanan K Narayanan
- Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Kazuhiro Kunimasa
- Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Institution for World Health Development, Mukogawa Women's University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Yukio Yamori
- Institution for World Health Development, Mukogawa Women's University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Mari Mori
- Institution for World Health Development, Mukogawa Women's University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Hideki Mori
- Institution for World Health Development, Mukogawa Women's University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Kazuki Nakamura
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mukogawa Women's University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan
| | - George Miller
- Departments of Surgery and Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Upender Manne
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Amit K Tiwari
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio
| | - Bhagavathi Narayanan
- Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
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