VALD-2 mitigates cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury: Mechanistic insights into oxidative stress modulation and inflammation suppression.

This study explores the compelling antitumor properties of VALD-2, a synthetic Schiff base ligand known for its low toxicity. The focus is on investigating VALD-2's protective role against cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in mice, with a specific emphasis on mitigating oxidative stress and inflammation. The study involves daily intraperitoneal injections of amifostine or VALD-2 over 7 days to establish an AKI model. Subsequently, mice were assigned to normal control, cisplatin group, cisplatin + amifostine group, and cisplatin + VALD-2 10 mg/kg group, cisplatin + VALD-2 20 mg/kg, and cisplatin + VALD-2 40 mg/kg. Kidney injury is assessed through serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) activity assays. Levels of inflammatory factors, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), in kidney tissue of mice were assessed through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The protective effect of VALD-2 is further examined through HE staining to observe pathological changes in kidney injury. The ultrastructural changes of renal cells and tubular epithelial cells were observed by electron microscopy under experimental conditions, indicating the effect of VALD-2 on reversing cisplatin-induced renal injury. The study delves into VALD-2's protective mechanisms against cisplatin-induced kidney injury by using western blot analysis to assess the expression levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in kidney tissues. VALD-2 demonstrates significant improvement in cisplatin-induced AKI, as evidenced by increased BUN and Cr levels. It effectively protects kidney tissue from oxidative damage, enhancing SOD and GSH-Px activities while reducing MDA levels. The study also reveals a decrease in TNF-α and IL-6 levels, supported by ELISA results, and histological findings confirm anti-nephrotoxic effects. Western blot analysis shows an upregulation of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GSH-Px) and a reduction in MDA production. VALD-2 emerges as a promising mitigator of cisplatin-induced AKI, showcasing its ability to enhance oxidative stress-related protein expression. The findings suggest VALD-2 as a potential therapeutic agent for protecting against cisplatin-induced kidney injury.

Effects of VALD-3,a derivative of o-vanilla Schiff base ligand,on proliferation,migration and apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells and its mechanism / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#Objective To the effects of VALD-3,a derivative of o-vanilla Schiff base ligand,on proliferation,migration and apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells and evaluate its mechanism.Methods HT-29 and HCT116 cells were cultured in vitro,and the inhibitory effects of VALD-3(5,10,20 and 40 mg/L) on proliferation of the two kinds of cells were detected by MTT assay;The effects of VALD-3(10,20 and 40 mg/L) on the morphological changes of the cells were observed by inverted microscope,while the effects on the migration ability of HT-29 cells were detected by cell scratch test,and the effects on the apoptosis of HT-29 cells were detected by flow cytometry and Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining;The effects of VALD-3(5,10,20 and 40 mg/L) on the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in HT-29 cells were detected by Western blot.Negative control groups were set up(with no VALD-3).Results Compared with the negative control group,the survival rates of HT-29 and HCT116 cells in 10,20 and 40 mg/L VALD-3 treated groups significantly decreased(t=7.717～2 006.148,each P <0.05);the number of HT-29 and HCT116 cells in 10,20 and 40 mg/L VALD-3groups decreased significantly with the increase of VALD-3 concentration,the cells appeared irregular morphology and gradually became round and smaller,and cell fragments increased;In 10,20 and 40 mg/L VALD-3 treated groups,the migration rate of HT-29 cell scratches decreased significantly(t=7.596～73.780,each P <0.01),the apoptosis rate increased significantly(t=7.092～8.057,each P <0.01),and the number of apoptotic cells increased significantly with strong bright blue fluorescence,chromatin concentration and nuclear fragmentation;The levels of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax protein in HT-29 cells treated with 5,10,20 and 40 mg/L VALD-3 significantly increased(t=2.998～24.901,each P <0.05),the level of Bcl-2 protein in 40 mg/L VALD-3 group decreased significantly(t=10.035,P <0.05),and the levels of cleaved caspase-8 in 20 and 40 mg/L VALD-3 group significantly increased(t=12.630 and 8.064 respectively,each P <0.01).Conclusion VALD-3 inhibited the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells and induced apoptosis by regulating the expression of cleaved caspase-3,cleaved caspase-8,Bax and Bcl-2 proteins.

VALD-3 inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells via upregulating tumor suppressor activity of p53 to inhibit Wnt/ß-catenin signal pathway.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant tumor and a leading cause of cancer death. Currently lacks effective therapies available to improve the prognosis. In the present study, VALD-3, an important Schiff base ligand from o-vanillin derivatives was evaluated for its anti-cancer activity in vitro and in vivo against colorectal cancer. The effect of VALD-3 on colorectal cancer cells proliferation was assessed using MTT assay and the cell migration was evaluated using wound healing scratch assay. The appearance of apoptotic colorectal cancer cells was detected by flowcytometry analysis. Morphological changes caused by VALD-3 induced apoptosis were also observed by Hoechst 33258 staining. The flow cytometry assay was also used to measure cell cycle arrest. The expression levels of TP53 and Bad were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. Protein expression of P53, Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway proteins, apoptosis proteins and cell cycle-related protein were viewed by Western blotting. In addition, HT-29 cells xenograft tumor model was used for the study in vivo. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was employed to detect the P53 protein expression. The results showed that VALD-3 obviously inhibited the proliferation and migration for colorectal cancer cells. In addition, flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that VALD-3 markedly increased early and late apoptosis on colorectal cancer cells, respectively. VALD-3 induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Most importantly, tumor growth in HT-29 xenograft mice was suppressed by VALD-3, but no significant change in body weight. As confirmed by IHC staining from tumor tissue, the P53 proteins expression increased. These results suggested that VALD-3 represses cell proliferation and induces apoptosis associated with upregulating tumor suppressor activity of p53 to inhibit Wnt/ß-catenin signal pathway, and it is a potential anticancer agent for colorectal cancer.

VALD-3, a Schiff base ligand synthesized from o-vanillin derivatives, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells by inhibiting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Schiff base compounds and their metal complexes have become important synthetic organic drugs due to their extensive biological activities, which include anticancer, antibacterial and antiviral effects. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of VALD-3, a Schiff base ligand synthesized from o-vanillin derivatives, on human breast cancer cells and the possible underlying mechanisms. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT)-test was used to observe the proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells induced by VALD-3. Flow cytometry analysis showed that VALD-3 triggered cell cycle arrest and induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells. Western blot analysis revealed that VALD-3 upregulated pro-apoptotic proteins (Bad and Bax), downregulated anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, survivin and XIAP) and increased the expression of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-8, Cyto-c and cleaved PARP. VALD-3 also regulated the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in breast cancer cells, inhibiting the activation of downstream molecules. By xenografting human breast cancer cells into nude mice, we found that VALD-3 significantly suppressed tumor cell growth while showing low toxicity against major organs. In addition, survival analysis showed that VALD-3 can significantly prolong the survival time of mice (P = 0.036). This study is the first to show that VALD-3 induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human breast cancer cells by suppressing Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, indicating that it could be a potential drug for the treatment of breast cancer.