Total flavonoids of Litchi chinensis Sonn. seed inhibit prostate cancer growth in bone by regulating the bone microenvironment via inactivation of the HGFR/NF-κB signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Litchi chinensis Sonn. (Litchi) seed, a traditional Chinese medicine, is habitually used in the clinical treatment of prostate cancer (PCa)-induced bone pain. In our previous study, flavonoids have been identified as the active ingredient of litchi seed against PCa. However, its anti-tumor activities in bone and associated molecular mechanisms are still unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of total flavonoids of litchi seed (TFLS) on the growth of PCa in bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effect of TFLS on the growth of PCa in bone was observed using a mouse model constructed with tibial injection of luciferase-expressing RM1-luc cells. Conditioned medium (CM) from bone marrow stromal cells OP9 and CM treated with TFLS (T-CM) was used to investigate the effect on the proliferation, colony formation, and apoptosis of PCa cells (LNCaP, PC3, RM1). An antibody microarray was performed to detect cytokine expression in the supernatant fraction of OP9 cell cultures treated with TFLS or left untreated. Western blot assay was employed to determine the expression and activity of HGFR and its key downstream proteins, Akt, mTOR, NF-κB, and Erk, in PCa cells. The potential target was further verified using immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry assays. RESULTS: Treatment with TFLS (80 mg/kg, 24 days) significantly suppressed the growth of RM1 cells in bone. CM from bone marrow stromal cells OP9 stimulated the proliferation and colony formation of the PCa cells as well as inhibited the apoptosis of PC3 cells, while T-CM reversed the effects mediated by OP9 cells in vitro. In an antibody array assay, TFLS regulated the majority of cytokines in OP9 cell culture supernatant, among which HGF, HGFR, IGF-1R, and PDGF-AA showed the greatest fold changes. Mechanistically, CM upregulated HGFR and promoted phosphorylation of NF-κB while T-CM induced reduction of HGFR and dephosphorylation of NF-κB in PC3 cells. Moreover, T-CM inhibited NF-κB entry into PC3 cell nuclei. Data from in vivo experiments further confirmed the inhibitory effects of TFLS on NF-κB. CONCLUSION: TFLS suppresses the growth of PCa in bone through regulating bone microenvironment and the underlying mechanism potentially involves attenuation of the HGFR/NF-κB signaling axis.

Marsdenia tenacissima injection induces the apoptosis of prostate cancer by regulating the AKT/GSK3ß/STAT3 signaling axis.

Marsdenia tenacissima injection, a standard Marsdenia tenacissima extract (MTE), has been approved as an adjuvant therapeutic agent for various cancers. Our previous study showed that MTE inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of prostate cancer (PCa) cells. However, the underlying mechanisms and active ingredients of MTE against PCa were not completely understood. This study revealed that MTE induced significant decreases in cell viability and clonal growth in PCa cells. In addition, MTE induced the apoptosis of DU145 cells by reducing the mitochondrial membrane potential and increasing the expression of Cleaved Caspase 3/7, Cyt c, and Bax. In vivo, DU145 xenografted NOD-SCID mice treated with MTE showed significantly decreased tumor size. TUNEL staining and Western blot confirmed the pro-apoptotic effects of MTE. Network pharmacology analysis collected 196 ingredients of MTE linked to 655 potential targets, and 709 PCa-associated targets were retrieved, from which 149 overlapped targets were screened out. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the HIF-1, PI3K-AKT, and ErbB signaling pathways were closely related to tumor apoptosis. Western blot results confirmed that MTE increased the expression of p-AKTSer473 and p-GSK3ßSer9, and decreased the expression of p-STAT3Tyr705in vitro and in vivo. A total of 13 compounds in MTE were identified by HPLC-CAD-QTOF-MS/MS and UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. Molecular docking analysis indicated that six compounds may interact with AKT, GSK3ß, and STAT3. In conclusion, MTE induces the endogenous mitochondrial apoptosis of PCa by regulating the AKT/GSK3ß/STAT3 signaling axis, resulting in inhibition of PCa growth in vitro and in vivo.

Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Moon injection exerts a potential anti-tumor effect in prostate cancer through inhibiting ErbB2-GSK3ß-HIF1α signaling axis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Marsdenia tenacissima injection (MTE), a traditional Chinese medical injection extracted from the rattan of Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Moon, has been approved for clinical use in China as an adjuvant therapeutic agent in multiple cancers, including esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer. However, the activity and mechanism of MTE on prostate cancer (PCa) remain to be defined. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the activity and the underlying mechanism of MTE in the treatment of PCa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The component characterization of MTE was analyzed by HPLC-CAD-QTOF-MS/MS technology. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to assess PCa cell proliferation. Colony formation assay was applied to detect the clonogenic ability of the cells. MetaboAnalyst5.0 database was employed to analyze the altered metabolites of PC3 cells treated with MTE obtained by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. Combined with metabolomics analysis and network pharmacology, we predicted the potential targets, which further were verified by Western Blot, RT-qPCR, and Immunohistochemistry assays. Finally, SeeSAR software was applied to predict the potential active components of MTE against PCa. RESULTS: A total of 21 components in MTE were confirmed by HPLC-CAD-QTOF-MS/MS analysis. MTE inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of PCa cells. A total of 20 metabolites closely related to glycerophospholipid metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle were significantly changed in PC3 cells treated with MTE. The network pharmacology analysis revealed that MTE suppressed the growth of PC3 cells might by regulating the ErbB2-GSK3ß-HIF1α signaling axis. Furthermore, we also confirmed that stimulation of MTE significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of ErbB2 at Tyr877 and the activities of its downstream signal transducers (GSK3ß and HIF1α) in PCa, as well as the mRNA levels of critical factors (IDH2, LDHA, and HIF1A) in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Molecular docking further suggested that Tenacissimoside E, cryptochlorogenic acid, and scopoletin might be the active ingredients of MTE for PCa treatment. CONCLUSION: This study proposed that MTE exerts a potential anti-tumor effect in PCa through inhibiting ErbB2-GSK3ß-HIF1α signaling axis, which may be related to the TCA cycle.

Total Flavonoids of Litchi Seed Attenuate Prostate Cancer Progression Via Inhibiting AKT/mTOR and NF-kB Signaling Pathways.

Litchi seeds have been traditionally used in Chinese herbal formula for urologic neoplasms including prostate cancer (PCa). However, the effective components of Litchi seeds and the mechanisms of their actions on PCa cell growth and metastasis remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects and molecular mechanisms of the Total Flavonoid of Litchi Seed (TFLS) in PCa PC3 and DU145 cell lines. We found that TFLS significantly inhibited the PCa cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and prevented cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, we observed that TFLS upregulated the expression of epithelial biomarker E-cadherin and downregulated mesenchymal biomarker Vimentin. TFLS also increased the expression of cleaved-PRAP and Bax, and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 in both PC3 and DU145 cells. Besides, TFLS inhibited AKT signaling pathway by reducing the phosphorylation of AKT and activities of downstream signal transducers including mTOR, IκBα and NF-kB. Finally, TFLS treated mice exhibited a significant decrease in tumor size without toxicity in major organs in vivo. These results indicated that TFLS could suppress PCa cell growth in vivo and inhibit PCa cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro through induction of apoptosis and phenotypic reversal of EMT, which may be achieved by inhibiting the AKT/mTOR and NF-κB signaling pathways. Taken together, our data provide new insights into the role of TFLS as a novel potent anti-cancer agent for the treatment of PCa.

A network pharmacology-based approach to explore the active ingredients and molecular mechanism of Lei-gong-gen formula granule on a spontaneously hypertensive rat model.

BACKGROUND: Lei-gong-gen formula granule (LFG) is a folk prescription derived from Zhuang nationality, the largest ethnic minority among 56 nationalities in China. It consists of three herbs, namely Eclipta prostrata (L.) L., Smilax glabra Roxb, and Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. It has been widely used as health protection tea for hundreds of years to prevent hypertension in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The purpose of this study is to validate the antihypertensive effect of LFG on the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model, and to further identify the effective components and anti-hypertension mechanism of LFG. METHODS: The effects of LFG on blood pressure, body weight, and heart rate were investigated in vivo using the SHR model. The levels of NO, ANG II, and ET-1 in the serum were measured, and pathological changes in the heart were examined by H&E staining. The main active components of LFG, their corresponding targets, and hypertension associated pathways were discerned through network pharmacology analysis based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP), Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID), and the Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM). Then the predicted results were further verified by molecular biology experiments such as RT-qPCR and western blot. Additionally, the potential active compounds were predicted by molecular docking technology, and the chemical constituents of LFG were analyzed and identified by UPLC-QTOF/MS technology. Finally, an in vitro assay was performed to investigate the protective effects of potential active compounds against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced oxidative damage in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). RESULTS: LFG could effectively reduce blood pressure and increase serum NO content in SHR model. Histological results showed that LFG could ameliorate pathological changes such as cardiac hypertrophy and interstitial inflammation. From network pharmacology analysis, 53 candidate active compounds of LFG were collected, which linked to 765 potential targets, and 828 hypertension associated targets were retrieved, from which 12 overlapped targets both related to candidate active compounds from LFG and hypertension were screened and used as the potential targets of LFG on antihypertensive effect. The molecular biology experiments of the 12 overlapped targets showed that LFG could upregulate the mRNA and protein expressions of NOS3 and proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase SRC (SRC) in the thoracic aorta. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway was closely related to the expression of NOS3 and SRC. Moreover, western blot results showed that LFG significantly increased the protein expression levels of PI3K and phosphorylated AKT in SHR model, suggesting that LFG may active the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway to decrease hypertension. Molecular docking study further supported that p-hydroxybenzoic acid, cedar acid, shikimic acid, salicylic acid, nicotinic acid, linalool, and histidine can be well binding with NOS3, SRC, PI3K, and AKT. UPLC-QTOF/MS analysis confirmed that p-hydroxybenzoic acid, shikimic acid, salicylic acid, and nicotinic acid existed in LFG. Pre-treatment of HUVEC with nicotinic acid could alleviate the effect on cell viability induced by H2O2 and increase the NO level in cell supernatants. CONCLUSIONS: LFG can reduce the blood pressure in SHR model, which might be attributed to increasing the NO level in serum for promoting vasodilation via upregulating SRC expression level and activating the PI3K-AKT-NOS3 signaling pathway. Nicotinic acid might be the potential compound for LFG antihypertensive effect.

Lei-gong-gen formula granule attenuates hyperlipidemia in rats via cGMP-PKG signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Lei-gong-gen formula granule (LFG) is a folk prescription derived from Zhuang nationality, the largest ethnic minority among the 56 nationalities in China. It is composed of three herbs, namely Centella asiatica (L.) Urb., Eclipta prostrata (L.) L., Smilax glabra Roxb. It has been widely used as health protection tea for many years to prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as hyperlipidemia and hypertension. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study validated the lipid-lowering effect of LFG in a hyperlipidemia rat model. Then we employed network pharmacology and molecular biological approach to identify the active ingredients of LFG, corresponding targets, and its anti-hyperlipidemia mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hyperlipidemia rat model was established by feeding male Sprague-Dawley rats with high-fat diet for two weeks. LFG (two doses of 10 and 20 g/kg) was administered orally to hyperlipidemia rat model for 4 weeks, twice per day. Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were monitored in rats pre and post-treatment. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was applied to observe the pathology and lipid accumulation of liver. We then performed network pharmacology analysis to predict the ingredients, their associated targets, and hyperlipidemia associated targets. Pathway analysis with significant genes was carried out using KEGG pathway. These genes and proteins intersectioned between compound targets and hyperlipidemia targets were further verified with samples from hyperlipidemia rats treated with LFG using Real-time RT-PCR and Western Blot. RESULTS: LFG attenuated hyperlipidemia in rat model, and this was characterized with decreased serum levels of TC, LDL-C, liver wet weight, and liver index. LFG alleviated the hepatic steatosis in hyperlipidemia rats. Network pharmacology analysis identified 53 bioactive ingredients from LFG formula (three herbs), which link to 765 potential targets. 53 hyperlipidemia associated genes were retrieved from public databases. There were 10 common genes between ingredients-targets and hyperlipidemia associated genes, which linked to 20 bioactive ingredients. Among these 10 genes, 3 of them were validated to be involved in LFG's anti-hyperlipidemia effect using Real-time RT-PCR, namely ADRB2 encoding beta-2 adrenergic receptor, NOS3 encoding nitric oxide synthase 3, LDLR encoding low-density lipoprotein receptor. The cGMP-PKG signaling pathway was enriched for hyperlipidemia after pharmacology network analysis with ADRB2, NOS3, and LDLR. Interestingly, expression of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) was downregulated in hyperlipidemia rat after LFG treatment. Molecular docking study further supported that ferulic acid, histidine, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and linalool were potential active ingredients for LFG's anti-hyperlipidemia effect. LC-MS/MS analysis confirmed that ferulic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were active ingredients of LFG. CONCLUSION: LFG exhibited the lipid-lowering effect, which might be attributed to downregulating ADRB2 and NOS3, and upregulating LDLR through the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway in hyperlipidemia rat. Ferulic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid might be the underlying active ingredients which affect the potential targets for their anti-hyperlipidemia effect.

[Dissolution determination of Shuanghuanglian capsules by HPLC analysis assisted with principal component analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a quality analysis method based on self-reference principal for dissolution determination of Shuanghuanglian capsules. METHOD: Dissolution of Shuanghuanglian capsules was determined by principal component analysis consociated HPLC method. RESULT: The liner of regression equation was good. The average recovery rates of quality assurance samples (QA) and quality control samples (QC) were all no less than 96. 0%. Dissolution curves of Shuanghuanlian capsules of different manufacturers and different batches of the same manufacturer had obvious disparity. CONCLUSION: The method can better evaluate the dissolution conditions of Shuanghuanglian capsules. The prospect of the method is expected for assessing the dissolution of other oral solid dosage of traditional Chinese medicines.

[Identification of traditional Chinese medicines by oligosaccharide electrophoresis analysis assisted with cluster analysis].

The structure of polysaccharide in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is complex and characteristic. A method of oligosaccharide electrophoresis analysis assisted with cluster analysis (CA) was established to simultaneously identify TCMs. Six TCMs from three families were selected as experimental subjects and their polysaccharides were extracted. The obtained oligosaccharides via incompletely degraded TCM polysaccharides were derivatized using 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP). The PMP-oligosaccharide derivatives were separated and analyzed by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The six TCMs were identified by the featured information of oligosaccharide electropherograms with CA. The electrophoresis conditions were as follows: uncoated fused silica capillary column (49 cm/40 cm (total length/effective length) x 50 microm); running buffer solution, 50 mmol/L phosphate buffer solution (pH 2.5); detection wavelength, 245 nm; operating voltage, 15 kV; hydrodynamic pressure injection, 10 cm x 4 s. The results showed that the six TCMs from three families were effectively identified by the method of TCM oligosaccharide electropherograms combined with CA. This method is a promising tool to identify TCM with good reliability and reproducibility.