The germacranolide sesquiterpene lactone neurolenin B of the medicinal plant Neurolaena lobata (L.) R.Br. ex Cass inhibits NPM/ALK-driven cell expansion and NF-κB-driven tumour intravasation.

BACKGROUND: The t(2;5)(p23;q35) chromosomal translocation results in the expression of the fusion protein NPM/ALK that when expressed in T-lymphocytes gives rise to anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL). In search of new therapy options the dichloromethane extract of the ethnomedicinal plant Neurolaena lobata (L.) R.Br. ex Cass was shown to inhibit NPM/ALK expression. PURPOSE: Therefore, we analysed whether the active principles that were recently isolated and found to inhibit inflammatory responses specifically inhibit growth of NPM/ALK+ ALCL, leukaemia and breast cancer cells, but not of normal cells, and the intravasation through the lymphendothelial barrier. METHODS: ALCL, leukaemia and breast cancer cells, and normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were treated with isolated sesquiterpene lactones and analysed for cell cycle progression, proliferation, mitochondrial activity, apoptosis, protein and mRNA expression, NF-κB and cytochrome P450 activity, 12(S)-HETE production and lymphendothelial intravasation. RESULTS: In vitro treatment of ALCL by neurolenin B suppressed NPM/ALK, JunB and PDGF-Rß expression, inhibited the growth of ALCL cells late in M phase, and induced apoptosis via caspase 3 without compromising mitochondrial activity (as a measure of general exogenic toxicity). Moreover, neurolenin B attenuated tumour spheroid intravasation probably through inhibition of NF-κB and CYP1A1. CONCLUSION: Neurolenin B specifically decreased pro-carcinogenic NPM/ALK expression in ALK+ ALCL cells and, via the inhibition of NF-kB signalling, attenuated tumour intra/extravasation into the lymphatics. Hence, neurolenin B may open new options to treat ALCL and to manage early metastatic processes to which no other therapies exist.

Lobatin B inhibits NPM/ALK and NF-κB attenuating anaplastic-large-cell-lymphomagenesis and lymphendothelial tumour intravasation.

An apolar extract of the traditional medicinal plant Neurolaena lobata inhibited the expression of the NPM/ALK chimera, which is causal for the majority of anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCLs). Therefore, an active principle of the extract, the furanoheliangolide sesquiterpene lactone lobatin B, was isolated and tested regarding the inhibition of ALCL expansion and tumour cell intravasation through the lymphendothelium. ALCL cell lines, HL-60 cells and PBMCs were treated with plant compounds and the ALK inhibitor TAE-684 to measure mitochondrial activity, proliferation and cell cycle progression and to correlate the results with protein- and mRNA-expression of selected gene products. Several endpoints indicative for cell death were analysed after lobatin B treatment. Tumour cell intravasation through lymphendothelial monolayers was measured and potential causal mechanisms were investigated analysing NF-κB- and cytochrome P450 activity, and 12(S)-HETE production. Lobatin B inhibited the expression of NPM/ALK, JunB and PDGF-Rß, and attenuated proliferation of ALCL cells by arresting them in late M phase. Mitochondrial activity remained largely unaffected upon lobatin B treatment. Nevertheless, caspase 3 became activated in ALCL cells. Also HL-60 cell proliferation was attenuated whereas PBMCs of healthy donors were not affected by lobatin B. Additionally, tumour cell intravasation, which partly depends on NF-κB, was significantly suppressed by lobatin B most likely due to its NF-κB-inhibitory property. Lobatin B, which was isolated from a plant used in ethnomedicine, targets malignant cells by at least two properties: I) inhibition of NPM/ALK, thereby providing high specificity in combating this most prevalent fusion protein occurring in ALCL; II) inhibition of NF-κB, thereby not affecting normal cells with low constitutive NF-κB activity. This property also inhibits tumour cell intravasation into the lymphatic system and may provide an option to manage this early step of metastatic progression.

Pharmacophore-based discovery of FXR-agonists. Part II: identification of bioactive triterpenes from Ganoderma lucidum.

The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) belonging to the metabolic subfamily of nuclear receptors is a ligand-induced transcriptional activator. Its central function is the physiological maintenance of bile acid homeostasis including the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. Accessible structural information about its ligand-binding domain renders FXR an attractive target for in silico approaches. Integrated to natural product research these computational tools assist to find novel bioactive compounds showing beneficial effects in prevention and treatment of, for example, the metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and type 2 diabetes. Virtual screening experiments of our in-house Chinese Herbal Medicine database with structure-based pharmacophore models, previously generated and validated, revealed mainly lanostane-type triterpenes of the TCM fungus Ganoderma lucidum Karst. as putative FXR ligands. To verify the prediction of the in silico approach, two Ganoderma fruit body extracts and compounds isolated thereof were pharmacologically investigated. Pronounced FXR-inducing effects were observed for the extracts at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. Intriguingly, five lanostanes out of 25 secondary metabolites from G. lucidum, that is, ergosterol peroxide (2), lucidumol A (11), ganoderic acid TR (12), ganodermanontriol (13), and ganoderiol F (14), dose-dependently induced FXR in the low micromolar range in a reporter gene assay. To rationalize the binding interactions, additional pharmacophore profiling and molecular docking studies were performed, which allowed establishing a first structure-activity relationship of the investigated triterpenes.

Oxidized phospholipids negatively regulate dendritic cell maturation induced by TLRs and CD40.

Maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) induced by pathogen-derived signals via TLRs is a crucial step in the initiation of an adaptive immune response and therefore has to be well controlled. In this study, we demonstrate that oxidized phospholipids (ox-PLs), which are generated during infections, apoptosis, and tissue damage, interfere with DC activation, preventing their maturation. ox-PLs blocked TLR-3- and TLR-4-mediated induction of the costimulatory molecules CD40, CD80, CD83, and CD86, the cytokines IL-12 and TNF, as well as lymphocyte stimulatory capacity. CD40 and TLR-2-mediated cytokine production was also inhibited, whereas up-regulation of costimulatory molecules via these receptors was not affected by ox-PLs. Thus, formation of ox-PLs during the course of an inflammatory response may represent a negative-feedback loop preventing excessive and sustained immune reactions through regulating DC maturation.

Epoxycyclopentenone-containing oxidized phospholipids restore endothelial barrier function via Cdc42 and Rac.

After an acute phase of inflammation or injury, restoration of the endothelial barrier is important to regain vascular integrity and to prevent edema formation. However, little is known about mediators that control restoration of endothelial barrier function. We show here that oxidized phospholipids that accumulate at sites of inflammation and tissue damage are potent regulators of endothelial barrier function. Oxygenated epoxyisoprostane-containing phospholipids, but not fragmented oxidized phospholipids, exhibited barrier-protective effects mediated by small GTPases Cdc42 and Rac and their cytoskeletal, focal adhesion, and adherens junction effector proteins. Oxidized phospholipid-induced cytoskeletal rearrangements resulted in a unique peripheral actin rim formation, which was mimicked by coexpression of constitutively active Cdc42 and Rac, and abolished by coexpression of dominant-negative Rac and Cdc42. Thus, oxidative modification of phospholipids during inflammation leads to the formation of novel regulators that may be critically involved in restoration of vascular barrier function.

Analysis of inflammatory gene induction by oxidized phospholipids in vivo by quantitative real-time RT-PCR in comparison with effects of LPS.

Oxidized phospholipids are thought to play a role in the development of atherosclerosis and other chronic inflammatory processes. In this study, we analyzed the expression of inflammatory genes induced by oxidized L-alpha-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholin (OxPAPC) in vitro and in vivo using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and monocyte-like U937 cells were treated with OxPAPC or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 3 h. For in vivo studies, OxPAPC or LPS was injected intravenously into female C57Bl/6J mice and different tissues were isolated after 3 h. We found that both OxPAPC and LPS induced expression of early growth response factor 1 (EGR-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) in HUVEC and of JE, the mouse homologue of MCP-1, in liver and heart. Interestingly, OxPAPC but not LPS increased expression of heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in U937 cells, HUVEC, aorta, heart, liver, and isolated blood cells. In contrast, E-selectin was selectively induced by LPS, but not by OxPAPC. Finally, OxPAPC-induced expression of HO-1 was blocked by a platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor antagonist. We conclude that oxidized phospholipids are biologically active in vivo and exert a specific response inducing a pattern of genes that is different from that induced by LPS. In addition, we demonstrate that the quantitative real-time RT-PCR technology is a proper tool to investigate differential inflammatory gene induction in vivo.