Steroidal glycosides with antiproliferative activities from Digitalis trojana.

The phytochemical investigation of Digitalis trojana led to the isolation of two cardiac glycosides (1, 2), one pregnane glycoside (3), three furostanol type saponins (4-6), along with three cleroindicins (7-9), four phenylethanoid glycosides (10-13), two flavonoids (14, 15) and two phenolic acid derivatives (16, 17). The structure elucidation of the isolates was carried out by NMR experiments as well as ESI-MS. The cytotoxic activity of compounds 1-13 against a small panel of cancer cell lines, namely MCF-7, T98G, HT-29, PC-3, A375 and SH-SY5Y, was investigated. Compounds 1-6 showed antiproliferative activity against human breast MCF-7 and colon HT-29 cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 8.3 to 50 µM. In order to understand the mechanism involved in the cell death, the active compounds were tested as pro-apoptotic agents using propidium iodide staining by flow cytometry method. No significant increase was observed in the apoptosis of the MCF-7 and HT-29 cancer cells. Moreover, the effects of the active compounds on cell proliferation were assessed on the same cancer cell lines by cell cycle analysis of DNA content using flow cytometry. No significative changes were observed in the cell cycle of MCF-7, while significant changes in G2 /M cell cycle phase of HT-29 cells were observed after treatment with digitalin (1), cariensoside (3) and 22-O-methylparvispinoside B (6) at 10 µM.

IKK{gamma} protein is a target of BAG3 regulatory activity in human tumor growth.

BAG3, a member of the BAG family of heat shock protein (HSP) 70 cochaperones, is expressed in response to stressful stimuli in a number of normal cell types and constitutively in a variety of tumors, including pancreas carcinomas, lymphocytic and myeloblastic leukemias, and thyroid carcinomas. Down-regulation of BAG3 results in cell death, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are still elusive. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism of BAG3-dependent survival in human osteosarcoma (SAOS-2) and melanoma (M14) cells. We show that bag3 overexpression in tumors promotes survival through the NF-kappaB pathway. Indeed, we demonstrate that BAG3 alters the interaction between HSP70 and IKKgamma, increasing availability of IKKgamma and protecting it from proteasome-dependent degradation; this, in turn, results in increased NF-kappaB activity and survival. These results identify bag3 as a potential target for anticancer therapies in those tumors in which this gene is constitutively expressed. As a proof of principle, we show that treatment of a mouse xenograft tumor model with bag3siRNA-adenovirus that down-regulates bag3 results in reduced tumor growth and increased animal survival.

HPLC-ESIMS(n) profiling, isolation, structural elucidation, and evaluation of the antioxidant potential of phenolics from Paepalanthus geniculatus.

The methanol extract of the flowers of Paepalanthus geniculatus Kunth. showed radical-scavenging activity in the TEAC assay. An analytical approach based on HPLC-ESIMS(n) was applied to obtain the metabolite profile of this extract and led to the rapid identification of 19 polyphenolic compounds comprising flavonoids and naphthopyranones. The new naphthopyranone (10, 16), quercetagetin (1, 5, 7, 13), and galetine derivatives (9, 11, 17, 19), and a flavonol glucoside cyclodimer in the truxillate form (12), were identified. Compounds 2, 6, and 7 showed the highest antioxidant capacity and ability to affect the levels of intracellular ROS in human prostate cancer cells (PC3).

Triterpene glycosides from Astragalus angustifolius.

Six new cycloartane-type (1- 6) and four new oleanane-type (7- 10) triterpene glycosides were isolated from Astragalus angustifolius Lam., together with five known triterpene glycosides. Their structures were established by the extensive use of 1D and 2D-NMR experiments along with ESIMS and HRMS analysis. Compounds 1- 3 are glycosides of cycloastragenol, while compounds 4- 6 show the C-24 epimer of cycloastragenol as aglycone, encountered for the first time in nature. All compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity in Hela, H-446, HT-29, and U937 cell lines. Only compound 8 displayed a weak activity with IC (50) values of 36 and 50 µM against Hela and HT-29 cell lines, respectively.

Concerted BAG3 and SIRPα blockade impairs pancreatic tumor growth.

The BAG3- and SIRPα- mediated pathways trigger distinct cellular targets and signaling mechanisms in pancreatic cancer microenvironment. To explore their functional connection, we investigated the effects of their combined blockade on cancer growth in orthotopic allografts of pancreatic cancer mt4-2D cells in immunocompetent mice. The anti-BAG3 + anti-SIRPα mAbs treatment inhibited (p = 0.007) tumor growth by about the 70%; also the number of metastatic lesions was decreased, mostly by the effect of the anti-BAG3 mAb. Fibrosis and the expression of the CAF activation marker α-SMA were reduced by about the 30% in animals treated with anti-BAG3 mAb compared to untreated animals, and appeared unaffected by treatment with the anti-SIRPα mAb alone; however, the addition of anti-SIRPα to anti-BAG3 mAb in the combined treatment resulted in a > 60% (p < 0.0001) reduction of the fibrotic area and a 70% (p < 0.0001) inhibition of CAF α-SMA positivity. Dendritic cells (DCs) and CD8+ lymphocytes, hardly detectable in the tumors of untreated animals, were modestly increased by single treatments, while were much more clearly observable (p < 0.0001) in the tumors of the animals subjected to the combined treatment. The effects of BAG3 and SIRPα blockade do not simply reflect the sum of the effects of the single blockades, indicating that the two pathways are connected by regulatory interactions and suggesting, as a proof of principle, the potential therapeutic efficacy of a combined BAG3 and SIRPα blockade in pancreatic cancer.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor R-roscovitine down-regulates Mcl-1 to override pro-inflammatory signalling and drive neutrophil apoptosis.

Successful resolution of inflammation requires inflammatory cells such as neutrophils to undergo apoptosis prior to non-inflammatory phagocytosis by professional phagocytes. Recently, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors (e.g. R-roscovitine) have been shown to induce neutrophil apoptosis and enhance the resolution of inflammation. Interestingly, NF-kappaB and MAPK pathways and key endogenous survival proteins (typified by Mcl-1) are involved in the regulation of neutrophil apoptosis and, in cancer-cell lines, have been implicated as possible targets of CDK inhibitors. Here, we demonstrate that R-roscovitine over-rides TNF-alpha and LPS-induced survival (determined by morphological examination and binding of fluorescently labelled annexin-V) of isolated peripheral blood neutrophils. This effect did not appear to be mediated via effects on early markers of neutrophil activation (e.g. surface marker expression, shape change, aggregation and superoxide anion generation), by direct inhibition of NF-kappaB activation (assessed by cytoplasmic IkappaBalpha proteolysis and NF-kappaB p65 subunit translocation) and ERK activation (determined by specific ERK phosphorylation) but due to down-regulation (at protein and mRNA level) of the survival protein Mcl-1 but not the pro-apoptotic bcl-2 homologue Bim. These findings suggest that key endogenous survival proteins may be the targets of CDK inhibitors and consequently may be of critical importance in the resolution of inflammation.

Triterpenoid constituents from the roots of Paeonia rockii ssp. rockii.

An investigation of a chloroform-soluble extract from the roots of Paeonia rockii ssp. rockii yielded three new noroleanane triterpenoids (1-3) together with 19 known compounds. Their structures were established by analysis of the spectroscopic data. The effects of this chloroform-soluble extract and its major constituents on cell proliferation and apoptosis of a panel of human cancer cell lines (melanoma M-14, colon cancer HT-29, breast cancer MCF-7) were evaluated by the MTT bioassay and propidium iodide staining, respectively, in comparison with normal human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293). Two of the triterpenoids, betulinic acid (4) and oleanolic acid (5), and the crude extract were cytotoxic and induced apoptosis selectively in the M-14 melanoma cell line. This effect was reversed by the caspase-inhibitor z-VAD-fmk, suggesting that such action is mediated by caspase-3 activation.

Xanthohumol induces apoptosis in human malignant glioblastoma cells by increasing reactive oxygen species and activating MAPK pathways.

The effect of the biologically active prenylated chalcone and potential anticancer agent xanthohumol (1) has been investigated on apoptosis of the T98G human malignant glioblastoma cell line. Compound 1 decreased the viability of T98G cells by induction of apoptosis in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Apoptosis induced by 1 was associated with activation of caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP cleavage and was mediated by the mitochondrial pathway, as exemplified by mitochondrial depolarization, cytochrome c release, and downregulation of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein. Xanthohumol induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), an effect that was reduced by pretreatment with the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). Intracellular ROS production appeared essential for the activation of the mitochondrial pathway and induction of apoptosis after exposure to 1. Oxidative stress due to treatment with 1 was associated with MAPK activation, as determined by ERK1/2 and p38 phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 was attenuated using NAC to inhibit ROS production. After treatment with 1, ROS provided a specific environment that resulted in MAPK-induced cell death, with this effect reduced by the ERK1/2 specific inhibitor PD98059 and partially inhibited by the p38 inhibitor SB203580. These findings suggest that xanthohumol (1) is a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme.

Saponins and polyphenols from Fadogia ancylantha (makoni tea).

Three new saponins (1-3) and a known saponin, together with four known polyphenolic compounds, have been isolated from the fermented and dried leaves of Fadogia ancylantha (Makoni tea). The structures of compounds 1-3 were established by analysis of their spectroscopic data. Both an ethanol-water extract of F. ancylantha and its phenolic constituents showed significant free-radical-scavenging and antimicrobial activities. No cytotoxicity, as evaluated by analysis of hypodiploid nuclei in HUVEC cells using propidium iodide staining, was observed for either the plant crude extract or its constituents.

Sesquiterpene coumarins from Ferula gumosa.

A new sesquiterpene coumarin, gumosin (1), two new sesquiterpene coumarin glycosides, gumosides A (2) and B (3), and 10 known compounds, namely, cauferoside (4), feselol (5), conferoside, ferilin, ferocaulidin, ligupersin A, conferol, and daucosterol, and the phenolic compounds acantrifoside E and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid 4-(6-O-sulfo)glucopyranoside, were isolated from a methanolic extract of Ferula gumosa roots. The structures of 1-3 were elucidated by spectroscopic data interpretation. The cytotoxic activity of the sesquiterpene coumarin derivatives was evaluated against a small panel of cancer cell lines.