ABSTRACT
Zanthoxyli Radix is a traditional Chinese medicine. It can be used for the treatment of wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, muscle and bone pain, fall fracture, hernia, sore throat, toothache and other diseases. Due to possessing many excellent and mild pharmacological properties, there are lots of reports about Zanthoxyli Radix worldwide. At present, more than 100 bioactive components have been extracted and purified from Zanthoxyli Radix. Nitidine chloride (NC), one of the most important alkaloids in Zanthoxyli Radix, has the activities of anti-tumor, anti-inflammation, anti-bacteria, etc. In this review, we summarize the chemical components of Zanthoxyli Radix, pharmacological activity and mechanism of action of NC to provide references for further research and utilization of Zanthoxyli Radix.
ABSTRACT
We investigated the inhibitory effect and mechanism of action of bruceantin (BCT) on the proliferation, invasion and migration of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. The cytotoxic activity of BCT was measured by MTT assay; a colony forming assay, wound healing assay, and a Transwell assay were used to investigate the anti-proliferative, anti-migration, and anti-invasion effects, respectively; immunoblotting and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of related proteins, miRNA, and mRNA, respectively, that were involved in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Two gene prediction websites were used to predict the downstream target gene of miRNA. Our results show that BCT has a potent cytotoxic effect on NSCLC cell lines, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of BCT against H1299, PC-9, and A549 of 0.12 ± 0.02, 0.31 ± 0.20, and 2.07 ± 0.70 μmol·L-1, respectively. When H1299 cells were treated with 0.03, 0.15, and 0.75 μmol·L-1 BCT for 24 h, the proliferation, migration, and invasive ability were inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner. It is worth noting that the expression level of miRNAs related to cell migration and invasion, such as miR-29a-3p, miR-21-3p, miR-183-5p, and miR-34b-5p increased with the concentration of BCT, especially for miR-29a-3p. Using the two gene prediction websites, we predict that integrin β1 (ITGB1) may be the target gene of miR-29a-3p; immunoblot results further show that a variety of proteins related to cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, such as various proteins of the integrin family, β-catenin, p-Src, and vascular endothelial growth factor, all decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, among which the reduction of ITGB1 protein was the most obvious. RT-qPCR results showed that there was no change in ITGB1 mRNA expression. We speculate that BCT might inhibit the expression of ITGB1 protein by up-regulating miR-29a-3p independent of its mRNA level. The in-depth mechanism needs to be further explored. This study suggests that BCT has the potential for further development in the treatment of NSCLC.
ABSTRACT
This research explored the synergistic effects and the mechanism of parthenolide (PTL) and vorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, SAHA) on the proliferation of A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells. The combination effect of PTL and SAHA was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays. Scratch test was performed to detect cell migration. Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer/propidium iodide (FITC/PI) flow cytometry and Western blot analyses were used to determine cell apoptosis and its mechanism. The results showed that combination of PTL and SAHA inhibited the proliferation and migration of A549 with a synergistic effect compared to the single-drug groups. The combination of PTL and SAHA had synergistic effect to induce cell apoptosis by regulating p53 and c-myc pathways, and affected the expression levels of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase (caspase)-9, and caspase-3. Taken together, this study shows that combination of PTL and SAHA has synergistic effect, induces cell apoptosis and inhibits A549 proliferation, which is likely to be a novel strategy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
ABSTRACT
Snow lotus is a medicinal plant with a wide range of pharmacological activities. It has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, cough with cold, stomach ache, dysmenorrhea, and altitude sickness in traditional medicine. This review summarizes the bioactive components in six species of snow lotus including flavonoids, lignans, phenolic compounds, phenylpropanoids, and sesquiterpenes present in Saussurea involucrate (SI), Saussurea obvallata (SO), Saussurea laniceps (SL), Saussurea medusa (SM), Saussurea stella (SS) and Saussurea tridactyla (ST). We review the pharmacological and related molecular mechanisms by which these components exert antineoplastic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects and promote lipid catabolism, and provide a reference for the future study of the traditional Chinese medicinal chemistry and pharmacological activities of snow lotus.
ABSTRACT
The incidence and mortality of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are increasing year by year, which are causing massive social and financial burdens around the world. An increasing number of investigations indicate the possibility of COPD transforming into lung cancer. The pathogenesis of these two diseases have some common aspects, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, chronic inflammation, DNA damage, impaired immune system, oxidative stress and tumor angiogenesis, which are heavily complicated. This review summarizes the epidemiological connection between COPD and lung cancer, the molecular-level transformation mechanism as well as the therapeutic strategy. Exploring the transformation mechanism and related signaling pathway of COPD to lung cancer can contribute to block the risk factors for the transformation and provide guidance for the novel drug development and drug therapy.
ABSTRACT
non-coding RNA (ncRNA) is a kind of non-protein coding RNA, which plays a vital role in the initiation and development of tumor. The immune system also exhibits more complex function in tumor development. It can not only inhibit the development of tumor, but also create conditions for tumor growth. As an important means of tumor therapy, tumor immunotherapy can be regulated by non-coding RNA to achieve the goal of treatment. This article summarizes the regulation of tumor immunity by non-coding RNA.