Glioma progression is suppressed by Naringenin and APO2L combination therapy via the activation of apoptosis in vitro and in vivo.

Naringenin (NG) is a natural antioxidant flavonoid which is isolated from citrus fruits, and has been reported to inhibit colon cancer proliferation. However, the effects of NG treatment on glioma remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to explore the effects of NG on glioma in vitro and in vivo. Also, the interactions between NG and APO2 ligand (APO2L; also known as tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) were investigated in glioma. A synergistic effect of NG and APO2L combination on apoptotic induction was observed, though glioma cells were insensitive to APO2L alone. After NG treatment, glioma cells resumed the sensitivity to APO2L and cell apoptosis was induced via the activation of caspases, elevation of decoy receptors 4 and 5 (DR4 and DR5) and induction of p53. Coadministration of NG and APO2L decreased levels of anti-apoptotic B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family members Bcl-2 and Bcl-extra large (Bcl-xL), while increased levels of proapoptotic factors Bcl-2-associated agonist of cell death (Bad) and Bcl-2 antagonist/killer 1 (Bak). Furthermore, an in vivo mouse xenograft model demonstrated that NG and APO2L cotreatment markedly suppressed glioma growth by activating apoptosis in tumor tissues when compared with NG or APO2L monotherapy. The present study provides a novel therapeutic strategy for glioma by potentiating APO2L-induced apoptosis via the combination with NG in glioma tumor cells.

Estrogenic effects of ginsenoside Rg1 in endometrial cells in vitro were not observed in immature CD-1 mice or ovariectomized mice model.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to determine whether ginsenoside Rg1 could exert selective estrogenic effects by using both cell lines and an animal model. METHODS: The endometrial Ishikawa cells and preosteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with a different dose of Rg1. Immature CD-1 mice and ovariectomized (OVX) C57BL/6J mice were used to study the short-term and long-term estrogenic effects of Rg1, respectively. RESULTS: Rg1 significantly increased estrogen receptor-dependent alkaline phosphatase activity, activated estrogen response element-luciferase activity, and induced the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, extracellular-regulated kinase, and estrogen receptor-α in Ishikawa cells. In contrast, Rg1 did not induce any estrogenic responses in MC3T3-E1 cells. Administration of Rg1 to immature CD-1 mice did not alter their uterine weight or the estrogen-regulated gene expressions in the uterus. Treatment of OVX C57BL/6J mice with Rg1 via mini-osmotic pumps for 3 months did not alter the uterine weight or induce any transcriptional activation of estrogen receptor in the uterus. Rg1 induced Bcl-2 messenger RNA expression in the left ventricular tissue and striatum but failed to alter the bone mineral density in the femur and tibia of the OVX mice. CONCLUSIONS: Rg1 exerted potent estrogenic effects in endometrial cells in vitro as well as in heart and brain tissues in vivo. However, it did not exert any estrogenic effects on reproductive tissues in vivo, nor did it stimulate bone tissues in vitro or in vivo. Our results suggest that the estrogenic effects of Rg1 are distinct from those of estradiol and are cell type and tissue selective.

Sodium/myo-inositol cotransporter 1 and myo-inositol are essential for osteogenesis and bone formation.

myo-Inositol (MI) plays an essential role in several important processes of cell physiology, is involved in the neural system, and provides an effective treatment for some psychiatric disorders. Its role in osteogenesis and bone formation nonetheless is unclear. Sodium/MI cotransporter 1 (SMIT1, the major cotransporter of MI) knockout (SMIT1(-/-)) mice with markedly reduced tissue MI levels were used to characterize the essential roles of MI and SMIT1 in osteogenesis. SMIT1(-/-) embryos had a dramatic delay in prenatal mineralization and died soon after birth owing to respiratory failure, but this could be rescued by maternal MI supplementation. The rescued SMIT1(-/-) mice had shorter limbs, decreased bone density, and abnormal bone architecture in adulthood. Deletion of SMIT1 resulted in retarded postnatal osteoblastic differentiation and bone formation in vivo and in vitro. Continuous MI supplementation partially restored the abnormal bone phenotypes in adult SMIT1(-/-) mice and strengthened bone structure in SMIT1(+/+) mice. Although MI content was much lower in SMIT1(-/-) mesenchymal cells (MSCs), the I(1,4,5)P(3) signaling pathway was excluded as the means by which SMIT1 and MI affected osteogenesis. PCR expression array revealed Fgf4, leptin, Sele, Selp, and Nos2 as novel target genes of SMIT1 and MI. SMIT1 was constitutively expressed in multipotential C3H10T1/2 and preosteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells and could be upregulated during bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2)-induced osteogenesis. Collectively, this study demonstrated that deficiency in SMIT1 and MI has a detrimental impact on prenatal skeletal development and postnatal bone remodeling and confirmed their essential roles in osteogenesis, bone formation, and bone mineral density (BMD) determination.