Cannabidiol Alleviates Chronic Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome via CB2 Receptor Activation and TRPV1 Desensitization.

PURPOSE: This study elucidates the mechanism of the physiological effect of cannabidiol (CBD) by assessing its impact on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RWPE-1 cells and prostatitis-induced by 17ß-estradiol and dihydrotestosterone in a rat model, focusing on its therapeutic potential for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: RWPE-1 cells were stratified in vitro into three groups: (1) controls, (2) cells with LPS-induced inflammation, and (3) cells with LPS-induced inflammation and treated with CBD. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and western blots were performed on cellular components and supernatants after administration of CBD. Five groups of six Sprague-Dawley male rats were assigned: (1) control, (2) CP/CPPS, (3) CP/CPPS and treated with 50 mg/kg CBD, (4) CP/CPPS and treated with 100 mg/kg CBD, and (5) CP/CPPS and treated with 150 mg/kg CBD. Prostatitis was induced through administration of 17ß-estradiol and dihydrotestosterone. After four weeks of CBD treatment, a pain index was evaluated, and prostate tissue was collected for subsequent histologic examination and western blot analysis. RESULTS: CBD demonstrated efficacy in vivo for CP/CPPS and in vitro for inflammation. It inhibited the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway by activating the CB2 receptor, reducing expression of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) (p<0.01). CBD exhibited analgesic effects by activating and desensitizing the TRPV1 receptor. CONCLUSIONS: CBD inhibits the TLR4/NF-κB pathway by activating the CB2 receptor, desensitizes the TRPV1 receptor, and decreases the release of COX2. This results in relief of inflammation and pain in patients with CP/CPPS, indicating CBD as a potential treatment for CP/CPPS.

Interrupting specific hydrogen bonds between ELF3 and MED23 as an alternative drug resistance-free strategy for HER2-overexpressing cancers.

INTRODUCTION: HER2 overexpression induces cancer aggression and frequent recurrences in many solid tumors. Because HER2 overproduction is generally followed by gene amplification, inhibition of protein-protein interaction (PPI) between transcriptional factor ELF3 and its coactivator MED23 has been considered an effective but challenging strategy. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the hotspot of ELF3-MED23 PPI and further specify the essential residues and their key interactions in the hotspot which are controllable by small molecules with significant anticancer activity. METHODS: Intensive biological evaluation methods including SEAP, fluorescence polarization, LC-MS/MS-based quantitative, biosensor, GST-pull down assays, and in silico structural analysis were performed to determine hotspot of ELF3-MED23 PPI and to elicit YK1, a novel small molecule PPI inhibitor. The effects of YK1 on possible PPIs of MED23 and the efficacy of trastuzumab were assessed using cell culture and tumor xenograft mouse models. RESULTS: ELF3-MED23 PPI was found to be specifically dependent on H-bondings between D400, H449 of MED23 and W138, I140 of ELF3 for upregulating HER2 gene transcription. Employing YK1, we confirmed that interruption on these H-bondings significantly attenuated the HER2-mediated oncogenic signaling cascades and exhibited significant in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity against HER2-overexpressing breast and gastric cancers even in their trastuzumab refractory clones. CONCLUSION: Our approach to develop specific ELF3-MED23 PPI inhibitor without interfering other PPIs of MED23 can finally lead to successful development of a drug resistance-free compound to interrogate HER2 biology in diverse conditions of cancers overexpressing HER2.

Linear diarylheptanoids as potential anticancer therapeutics: synthesis, biological evaluation, and structure-activity relationship studies.

In efforts to develop effective anticancer therapeutics with greater selectivity toward cancerous cell and reduced side-effects, such as emetic effects due to detrimental action of the drug toward the intestinal flora, a series of linear diarylheptanoids (LDHs) were designed and synthesized in 7 steps with good-to-moderate yields. All synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial, antiproliferative, and topoisomerase-I and -IIα inhibitory activity. Overall, all compounds showed little to no activity against the bacterial strains tested. Most of the synthesized compounds showed good antiproliferative activity against human breast cancer cell lines (T47D); specifically, the IC50 values of compounds 6a, 6d, 7j, and 7e were 0.09, 0.64, 0.67, and 0.99 µM, respectively. Among the tested compounds, 7b inhibited topo-I by 9.3% (camptothecin 68.8%), 7e and 7h inhibited topo-IIα by 38.4 and 47.4% (etoposide 76.9%), respectively, at the concentration of 100 µM. These results suggest that a set of promising anticancer agents can be obtained by reducing inhibitory actions on different microbes to provide enhanced selectivity against cancerous cells.

2-Chlorophenyl-substituted benzofuro[3,2-b]pyridines with enhanced topoisomerase inhibitory activity: The role of the chlorine substituent.

A new series of 2-chloropheny-substituted benzofuro[3,2-b]pyridines were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for topoisomerase I and II inhibition and antiproliferative activity. Compounds 17-19, 23, 24, 26, and 27 exhibited excellent topo II inhibitory activity. A systematic structure-activity relationship study revealed the important role of chlorine substitution in the strong topoisomerase inhibitory activity.

Rational design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel 2,4-Chloro- and Hydroxy-Substituted diphenyl Benzofuro[3,2-b]Pyridines: Non-intercalative catalytic topoisomerase I and II dual inhibitor.

Novel series of conformationally constrained 2,4-chloro- and hydroxy-substituted diphenyl benzofuro[3,2-b]pyridines were rationally designed and synthesized. Their biological activities were evaluated for topoisomerase I and II inhibitory activity, and antiproliferative activity against several human cancer cell lines for the development of novel anticancer agents. Most of the compounds with phenol moiety at 4-position of central pyridine exhibited significant dual topoisomerase I and II inhibitory activities, and strong antiproliferative activity in low micromolar range. Structure activity relationship study suggested that phenol moiety at 4-position of the central pyridine regardless of chlorophenyl moiety at 2-position of the central pyridine has an important role in dual topoisomerase inhibitory activity as well as antiproliferative activity. For investigation of mode of action for compound 14 which displayed the most strong dual topoisomerase I and II inhibitory activity and antiproliferative activity against HCT15 cell, we performed cleavable complex assay, band depletion assay, comet assay, and competitive EtBr displacement assay. Compound 14 functioned as non-intercalative catalytic topo I and II dual inhibitor. In addition, compound 14 induced apoptosis in HCT15 cells through increase of Bax, decrease of Bcl-2 and increase of PARP cleavage.

The Use of the Schizonticidal Agent Quinine Sulfate to Prevent Pond Crashes for Algal-Biofuel Production.

Algal biofuels are investigated as a promising alternative to petroleum fuel sources to satisfy transportation demand. Despite the high growth rate of algae, predation by rotifers, ciliates, golden algae, and other predators will cause an algae in open ponds to crash. In this study, Chlorella kessleri was used as a model alga and the freshwater rotifer, Brachionus calyciflorus, as a model predator. The goal of this study was to test the selective toxicity of the chemical, quinine sulfate (QS), on both the alga and the rotifer in order to fully inhibit the rotifer while minimizing its impact on algal growth. The QS LC50 for B. calyciflorus was 17 µM while C. kessleri growth was not inhibited at concentrations <25 µM. In co-culture, complete inhibition of rotifers was observed when the QS concentration was 7.7 µM, while algal growth was not affected. QS applications to produce 1 million gallons of biodiesel in one year are estimated to be $0.04/gallon or ~1% of Bioenergy Technologies Office's (BETO) projected cost of $5/gge (gallon gasoline equivalent). This provides algae farmers an important tool to manage grazing predators in algae mass cultures and avoid pond crashes.