Antitumor Effects of Extract of the Oak Bracket Medicinal Mushroom, Phellinus baumii (Agaricomycetes), on Human Melanoma Cells A375 In Vitro and In Vivo.

Melanoma is among the most aggressive and treatment-resistant human cancers. Phellinus baumii, a famous medicinal mushroom, has been used to treat different diseases, including cancer, in China and other east Asian countries. The purpose of this research was to explore its anticancer effects against melanoma, and the mechanisms that might be involved. CCK-8 assay exhibited that extracts of Ph. baumii (EPB) strongly inhibited cell viability of A375 melanoma cancer cell. Typical morphological changes of cell apoptosis were observed in EPB-treated A375 cells in Hoechst staining assay. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that EPB significantly induced A375 cells apoptosis and the cell cycle was disrupted in S phase. EPB increased the expression of Bax, and decreased Bcl-2 in A375 cells. EPB remarkably caused mitochondrial membrane potential collapse and induced a mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis in A375 cells evidenced by caspase-3 activation, followed by PARP cleavage. More importantly, EPB has shown a strong inhibitory effect on the migration and aggression of the A375 cells through the healing of the wound and transwell assay. In vivo, EPB was also found to strongly inhibit the growth of tumors in BALB/c nude mice. Our results indicated that Ph. baumii might be a natural therapeutic product for aggressive melanoma because it could induce apoptosis and inhibit metastasis in A375 cells.

Selenium Nanoparticle Synthesized by Proteus mirabilis YC801: An Efficacious Pathway for Selenite Biotransformation and Detoxification.

Selenite is extremely biotoxic, and as a result of this, exploitation of microorganisms able to reduce selenite to non-toxic elemental selenium (Se°) has attracted great interest. In this study, a bacterial strain exhibiting extreme tolerance to selenite (up to 100 mM) was isolated from the gut of adult Monochamus alternatus and identified as Proteus mirabilis YC801. This strain demonstrated efficient transformation of selenite into red selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) by reducing nearly 100% of 1.0 and 5.0 mM selenite within 42 and 48 h, respectively. Electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis demonstrated that the SeNPs were spherical and primarily localized extracellularly, with an average hydrodynamic diameter of 178.3 ± 11.5 nm. In vitro selenite reduction activity assays and real-time PCR indicated that thioredoxin reductase and similar proteins present in the cytoplasm were likely to be involved in selenite reduction, and that NADPH or NADH served as electron donors. Finally, Fourier-transform infrared spectral analysis confirmed the presence of protein and lipid residues on the surfaces of SeNPs. This is the first report on the capability of P. mirabilis to reduce selenite to SeNPs. P. mirabilis YC801 might provide an eco-friendly approach to bioremediate selenium-contaminated soil/water, as well as a bacterial catalyst for the biogenesis of SeNPs.

New Application of Psoralen and Angelicin on Periodontitis With Anti-bacterial, Anti-inflammatory, and Osteogenesis Effects.

Psoralen and angelicin are two effective compounds isolated from psoraleae, a traditional Chinese medicine. They have a wide range of applications for bone disease treatment and immune modulation. In this study, we explored their new applications for the treatment of periodontal diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effects of psoralen and angelicin on Porphyromonas gingivalis growth and P. gingivalis-derived lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS)-induced inflammation, and further to evaluate their effects on osteogenesis. Finally, the effects of angelicin on a mouse model of periodontitis were also investigated. The results showed that psoralen and angelicin had beneficial dose-dependent effects regarding the inhibition of planktonic P. gingivalis and biofilms of P. gingivalis. There were no significant differences in the viability of monocyte-like THP-1 cells and human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) treated with either psoralen or angelicin compared to the untreated control cells. Psoralen and angelicin also markedly decreased the mRNA expression and release of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1ß and IL-8) by THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. They significantly enhanced the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of hPDLCs and up-regulated the expression of osteogenic proteins (runt-related transcription factor 2 [RUNX2], distal-less homeobox 5 [DLX5], and osteopontin [OPN]). Angelicin significantly attenuated alveolar bone loss and inflammation response in the mice with periodontitis. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that psoralen and angelicin could inhibit the growth of planktonic P. gingivalis and P. gingivalis biofilm. It is also the first report on the anti-inflammatory effect of psoralen and angelicin against Pg-LPS. They also had an osteogenesis-potentiating effect on hPDLCs. The in vivo study also indicated the effect of angelicin regarding protection against periodontitis. Our study highlighted the potential ability of psoralen and angelicin to act as novel natural agents to prevent and treat periodontitis.

Bioactive compounds from Cornus officinalis fruits and their effects on diabetic nephropathy.

ETHNOPARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The fruit of Cornus officinalis, called "Shanzhuyu", a traditional medicine in China, is used for the treatment of kidney diseases, including diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this study is to investigate the anti-diabetic nephropathy activity of Shanzhuyu and the active compounds in the fruit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The air dried fruit of Cornus officinalis was extracted in 80% EtOH, the obtained residue was fractioned on D101 resin column eluted with H2O/EtOH solution to get five crude fractions (fr. A-E). The anti-diabetic nephropathy activity of fractions (fr. A-E) was evaluated in vitro by inhibiting the expression of collagen IV (Col V), fibronectin (FN) and IL-6 in high-glucose-induced mesangial cells. By preliminary bio-assay screenings, repeated column chromatography on fraction B-D led the isolation of 22 compounds, whose structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic analysis, and the anti-diabetic nephropathy activity of the isolated compounds was also evaluated. RESULTS: Two new iridoid glucosides, logmalicids A and B (1 and 2), together with 20 known compounds (3-22) were isolated from the extract of Shanzhuyu under the bioassay-guided screenings. The anti-diabetic nephropathy activity assay displayed that fractions A, D and E could significantly inhibit the production of Col IV; fractions A and C could significantly inhibit the expression of FN and IL-6 in the high-glucose-stimulated mesangial cells at concentration of 50 µg/mL; and loganin (3) and its derivatives (1 and 2) could significantly inhibit the expression of FN and IL-6 at concentration of 10 µM, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that loganin and its derivatives were the active compounds in Cornus officinalis fruit (Shanzhuyu) on diabetic nephropathy. This study further supported the traditional use of Shanzhuyu to treat diabetic nephropathy and related kidney diseases.

Two new dihydrostilbenoid glycosides isolated from the leaves of Litsea coreana and their anti-inflammatory activity.

Two new dihydrostilbenoid glycosides, named 5-(2-phenylethyl)-3-hydroxyphenol-1-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 6-(2-phenylethyl)-2,4-dihydroxy benzoic acid-2-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), together with two known compounds, were isolated from the leaves of Litsea coreana Levl.. Their structures were established on the basis of NMR spectroscopic, MS and chemical data. Biological tests revealed that 1-3 exhibited moderate anti-inflammatory activity through an inhibitory effect on TNF-alpha, IL-1 production from RAW264.7 cell line activated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS).