Therapeutic Effect of Glycyrrhizin Arginine Salt on Rat Cholestatic Cirrhosis and its Mechanism.

To investigate the therapeutic effect of glycyrrhizin arginine salt on rat cholestatic cirrhosis, we subjected male Sprague Dawley rats to common bile duct ligation for 14 days and treated them with distilled water (model group), arginine, or a low or high dose of glycyrrhizin arginine salt by gavage. A sham-operated group was used as a control group. Treatment with glycyrrhizin arginine salt substantially improved animal growth rates, reduced the ratio of liver weight to body weight and decreased total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, 8-isoprostane and malondialdehyde compared with the values measured in the model group. The progress of liver fibrosis, as detected by hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome staining, was slower in the glycyrrhizin arginine salt groups than in the model group or the arginine group. Reductions of bile salt pool size, hepatic hydroxyproline content and fibrosis score were also seen in the glycyrrhizin arginine salt groups compared with the model group. Furthermore, glycyrrhizin arginine salt significantly reduced the expression of transforming growth factor [Formula: see text]1 (TGF-[Formula: see text]1), [Formula: see text]-smooth muscle actin, tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text] and matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9. Glycyrrhizin arginine salt also inhibited the expression of [Formula: see text]-SMA and matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 in response to TGF-[Formula: see text]1 in LX-2 cells and primary rat hepatic stellate cells and mitigated the cytotoxicity induced by rat bile in HepG2 cells and primary rat hepatocytes.

Astragalus polysaccharide restores autophagic flux and improves cardiomyocyte function in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

Doxorubicin (adriamycin), an anthracycline antibiotic, is commonly used to treat many types of solid and hematological malignancies. Unfortunately, clinical usage of doxorubicin is limited due to the associated acute and chronic cardiotoxicity. Previous studies demonstrated that Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), the extracts of Astragalus membranaceus, had strong anti-tumor activities and anti-inflammatory effects. However, whether APS could mitigate chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity is unclear thus far. We used a doxorubicin-induced neonatal rat cardiomyocyte injury model and a mouse heart failure model to explore the function of APS. GFP-LC3 adenovirus-mediated autophagic vesicle assays, GFP and RFP tandemly tagged LC3 (tfLC3) assays and Western blot analyses were performed to analyze the cell function and cell signaling changes following APS treatment in cardiomyocytes. First, doxorubicin treatment led to C57BL/6J mouse heart failure and increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis, with a disturbed cell autophagic flux. Second, APS restored autophagy in doxorubicin-treated primary neonatal rat ventricular myocytes and in the doxorubicin-induced heart failure mouse model. Third, APS attenuated doxorubicin-induced heart injury by regulating the AMPK/mTOR pathway. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin significantly abrogated the protective effect of APS. These results suggest that doxorubicin could induce heart failure by disturbing cardiomyocyte autophagic flux, which may cause excessive cell apoptosis. APS could restore normal autophagic flux, ameliorating doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by regulating the AMPK/mTOR pathway.

Gambogic Acid lysinate induces apoptosis in breast cancer mcf-7 cells by increasing reactive oxygen species.

Gambogic acid (GA) inhibits the proliferation of various human cancer cells. However, because of its water insolubility, the antitumor efficacy of GA is limited. Objectives. To investigate the antitumor activity of gambogic acid lysinate (GAL) and its mechanism. Methods. Inhibition of cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay; intracellular ROS level was detected by staining cells with DCFH-DA; cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometer and the mechanism of GAL was investigated by Western blot. Results. GAL inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells with IC50 values 1.46 µmol/L comparable with GA (IC50, 1.16 µmol/L). GAL promoted the production of ROS; however NAC could remove ROS and block the effect of GAL. GAL inhibited the expression of SIRT1 but increased the phosphorylation of FOXO3a and the expression of p27Kip1. At knockdown of FOXO3a, cell apoptosis induced by GAL can be partly blocked. In addition it also enhanced the cleavage of caspase-3. Conclusions. GAL inhibited MCF-7 cell proliferation and induced MCF-7 cell apoptosis by increasing ROS level which could induce cell apoptosis by both SIRT1/FOXO3a/p27Kip1 and caspase-3 signal pathway. These results suggested that GAL might be useful as a modulation agent in cancer chemotherapy.

Rhein inhibits the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells with or without lipopolysaccharide stimulation.

Reducing the expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules (ECAMs) is known to decrease inflammation-induced vascular complications. In this study, we explored whether rhein can reduce the inflammation-induced expression of ECAMs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. HUVECs were treated with different concentrations of rhein with or without 2.5 µg/ml LPS stimulation. Cell viability was assayed using the MTT method. Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were used to measure the transcription and expression levels of ECAMs, including intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), E-SELECTIN and related signaling proteins. The results indicated that rhein (0-20 µmol/L) and LPS (0-10 µg/ml) had no effect on the viability of HUVECs. LPS could promote the expression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-SELECTIN. Rhein appeared to target VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-SELECTIN, with the transcription and expression of all three factors being reduced by the rhein treatment (10 and 20 µmol/L). The transcription and expression of VCAM-1 were also reduced by treatment with rhein (10 and 20 µmol/L) in the presence of LPS stimulation. In conclusion, rhein treatment reduced the expression of VCAM-1 in HUVECs via a p38-dependent pathway.

Rhein lysinate induced S-phase arrest and increased the anti-tumor activity of 5-FU in HeLa cells.

Rhein lysinate (RHL), easily dissolved in water, is one of the anthraquinones, and has been shown to have anti-tumor activity in different human cancer cell lines. In the present study, we observed that RHL could cause vacuolar degeneration in HeLa cells, which was not observed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and other cell lines (SKOV-3 and SK-BR-3). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-tumor effect of rhein lysinate on human cervix cancer HeLa cells. The results indicated that RHL could induce HeLa cell S-phase arrest and RHL (higher than 80 µM) also induced HeLa cell G2/M-phase arrest in a dose-dependent manner. Compared to the HeLa cells, RHL induced HUVECs G1-phase arrest at all dose levels tested in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with RHL led to a significant S or G2/M-phase arrest through promoting the expression of p53 and p21 and the phosphorylation of p53. Moreover, 80 µM RHL could increase 5-FU anti-tumor activity. In conclusion, RHL could be a novel chemotherapeutic drug candidate for the treatment of human cervix cancer in the future.

Rhein lysinate suppresses the growth of tumor cells and increases the anti-tumor activity of Taxol in mice.

In previous studies, rhein, one of the major bioactive constituents in the rhizome of rhubarb, inhibited the proliferation of various human cancer cells. However, because of its water insolubility, the anti-tumor efficacy of rhein was limited in vivo. In this study, we observed the anti-tumor activity of rhein lysinate (the salt of rhein and lysine easily dissolves in water) in vivo and investigated its mechanism. Inhibition of ovarian cancer SKOV-3 cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay and the mechanism of action of rhein lysinate was investigated by Western blot analysis. The therapeutic efficacy of rhein lysinate was evaluated by intragastric and intraperitoneal administrations in H22 hepatocellular carcinoma mice. Rhein lysinate inhibited the proliferation of SKOV-3 cells and the IC50 value was 80 microM. Rhein lysinate inhibited the phosphorylation of MEK and ERK and increased the anti-tumor activity of Taxol in vitro. It inhibited tumor growth by both intragastric and intraperitoneal administrations and improved the therapeutic effect of Taxol in H22 hepatocellular carcinoma mice. In conclusion, rhein lysinate offers an anti-tumor activity in vivo and is hopeful to be a chemotherapeutic drug.

[Rhein lysinate induces apoptosis in breast cancer SK-Br-3 cells by inhibiting HER-2 signal pathway].

This study is to investigate the effect of rhein lysinate on inducing human breast cancer cell line SK-Br-3 apoptosis and the role of HER-2 signal pathway in the apoptosis. MTT assay was used to detect SK-Br-3 cell proliferation. Cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. The protein expression and the protein phosphorylation of HER-2 signal pathway were detected by Western blotting. The level of HER-2 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and the level of HER-2 expression was also detected by immunofluorescence cytochemical methods. The results showed that rhein lysinate remarkably inhibited breast cancer SK-Br-3 cell proliferation. The IC50 value for 48 h treatment was 85 micromol x L(-1). Apoptosis in SK-Br-3 cells was induced by rhein lysinate in a dose dependent manner. The protein expressions of HER-2, NF-KB, and the protein phosphorylation of HER-2 were downregulated, however the protein expression of p53 and p21 was upregulated after rhein lysinate treatment. The level of HER-2 mRNA decreased by using RT-PCR assay and the level of HER-2 expression was also decreased by using immunofluorescence cytochemical assay after rhein lysinate treatment. It can be concluded that rhein lysinate could inhibit SK-Br-3 cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. HER-2/NF-kappaB/p53/p21 signal pathway might be involved in this process. Rhein lysinate has a good prospect to be an adjuvant chemotherapeutic drug.