The nature compound dehydrocrenatidine exerts potent antihepatocellular carcinoma by destroying mitochondrial complexes in vitro and in vivo.

Cumulative evidence indicates that mitochondria dysfunction plays an important role in tumour treatment. Given the limited efficacy and toxicity of current mitochondria-targeted drugs, research into effective mitochondria-targeted anticancer agents remains an irresistible general trend. In this study, it was found that dehydrocrenatidine (DEC), a ß-carbolin alkaloid isolated from Picrasma quassiodes, displays a promising growth inhibitory effect in vitro and in vivo by inducing apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Mechanistically, we provided that the possible target of DEC against HCC cells was determined by isobaric labels for relative and absolute quantification assay and validated them using further experiments. The results suggested that DEC can target and regulate the function of mitochondrial complexes I, III and IV, affecting oxidative phosphorylation and ultimately leading to mitochondrial dysfunction to exert its anti-HCC effects. In addition, the combination of DEC and sorafenib showed a synergistic effect and was also associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Importantly, DEC did not show significant toxicity in mice. This study provided a new insight into underlying mechanisms in DEC-treated HCC cells, suggesting that DEC might be a mitochondrial targeting lead compound.

Four pairs of alkaloid enantiomers from Isatis indigotica Fortune Ex Land with neuroprotective effects against H2O2-induced SH-SY5Y cell injury.

In the current study, four pairs of new enantiomeric alkaloids (1a/1b-4a/4b) were obtained from the leaves of Isatis indigotica Fortune Ex Land. Their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic methods and quantum mechanical calculations. Biologically, all isolates were evaluated for their neuroprotective effects against H2O2-induced SH-SY5Y cell injury. As a result, 1a and 1b exhibited enantioselective neuroprotective effects, further Annexin V-FITC/PI analysis showed that apoptosis ratios of 1a and 1b were reduced to 20.93% and 17.87%, respectively.

[Association of age distribution with the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in lung tissues in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection: reflections from the study of RAS pathway expression in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and other key molecules of the RAS pathway in normal mice at different developmental stages, and to provide ideas for understanding the infection mechanism of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as well as the diagnosis and treatment of children with COVID-19. METHODS: The mice at different developmental stages were enrolled, including fetal mice (embryonic days 14.5 and 18.5), neonatal mice (0, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days old), young mice (28 and 42 days old), and adult mice (84 days old). The lung tissues of all fetal mice from 4 pregnant mice were collected at each time point in the fetal group. Four mice were sampled in other age groups at each time point. Whole transcriptome resequencing was used to measure the mRNA expression of AGT, ACE, ACE2, Renin, Agtr1a, Agtr1b, Agtr2, and Mas1 in mouse lung tissue. RESULTS: The expression of ACE2 in the lungs showed changes from embryonic stage to adult stage. It increased gradually after birth, reached a peak on day 3 after birth, and reached a nadir on day 14 after birth (P<0.05). The expression of AGT reached a peak on days 0 and 7 after birth and reached a nadir on day 21 after birth (P<0.05). The expression of ACE increased rapidly after birth and reached a peak on day 21 after birth (P<0.05). Agtr1a expression reached a peak on day 21 after birth (P<0.05). Agtr2 expression gradually decreased to a low level after birth. Renin, Agtr1b, and Mas1 showed low expression in lung tissues at all developmental stages. CONCLUSIONS: At different developmental stages of mice, ACE2 has dynamic expression changes, with high expression in early neonatal and adult mice. The other key molecules of the RAS pathway have their own expression patterns. These suggest that the difference in clinical features between children and adults with COVID-19 might be associated with the different expression levels of ACE2 in the different stages, and further studies are needed for the mechanism.

Correction: Bioactive spiropyrrolizidine oxindole alkaloid enantiomers from Isatis indigotica fortune.

Correction for 'Bioactive spiropyrrolizidine oxindole alkaloid enantiomers from Isatis indigotica fortune' by Si-Fan Liu et al., Org. Biomol. Chem., 2018, 16, 9430-9439.

Discovery of cycloneolignan enantiomers from Isatis indigotica Fortune with neuroprotective effects against MPP+-induced SH-SY5Y cell injury.

A pair of new cycloneolignan enantiomers (1a and 1b) were isolated from the leaves of Isatis indigotica Fortune. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, MS/MS analysis, together with theoretical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compounds 1a and 1b were then evaluated for their neuroprotective effects against MPP+-induced SH-SY5Y cell injury. As a result, compounds 1a (77.64%) and 1b (78.62%) exhibited moderate neuroprotective activity at the concentration of 12.5 µM compared with that of MPP+ treated group (62.00% at 1 mM) by MTT assay. Furthermore, Annexin V-FITC/PI analysis showed that apoptosis ratios of 1a and 1b were reduced to 10.99% and 9.31%, respectively.

Alkaloid Enantiomers from Isatis tinctoria with Neuroprotective Effects against H2O2-Induced SH-SY5Y Cell Injury.

Six pairs of alkaloid enantiomers including 11 new alkaloids (1A: /1B: -5A: /5B, 6A: ) were isolated from the leaves of Isatis tinctoria. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic analyses. Enantiomers were separated successfully by chiral chromatographic column and the absolute configurations of all isolates were determined by comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. The isolated alkaloids were evaluated for their neuroprotective activities against H2O2-induced cell injury in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. The results showed that 5A/5B: and 6A/6B: exhibited potent neuroprotective activities at 50 µM compared with the H2O2-treated group.

Enantiomeric neolignans from Picrasma quassioides exhibit distinctive cytotoxicity on hepatic carcinoma cells through ROS generation and apoptosis induction.

Three pairs of enantiomeric neolignans 1a/1b-3a/3b were isolated from the stems of Picrasma quassioides, and separated successfully by chiral-phase HPLC. Their structures were established by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses as well as ECD spectroscopy. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the isolates was evaluated against human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 and Hep3B cells. Among them, 1 and its enantiomers 1a/1b, 3 and 3a/3b displayed similar cytotoxicity in pair-wise comparison against HepG2 and Hep3B cells, and the similar effects of 2 and 2a/2b were found in Hep3B cells. Interestingly, 2a and 2b had different cytotoxic activities on HepG2 cells with IC50 values of 35.6 µM and 104.4 µM, respectively. In addition, 2 exerted middle cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells with an IC50 value of 78.6 µM. The different cytotoxicity between enantiomers 2a and 2b attracted our interest. To investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the distinct cytotoxicity, we further assessed the effects of 2a and 2b on cell cycle distribution, cell apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The results indicated that 2a had more significant effect than 2b on apoptosis induction and ROS generation, but both had no obvious effect on cell cycle of HepG2 cells. It is concluded that the different configurations of 2a/2b determined the enantioselective cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells through apoptosis induction and ROS generation.

Bioactive spiropyrrolizidine oxindole alkaloid enantiomers from Isatis indigotica Fortune.

Four pairs of new spiropyrrolizidine oxindole enantiomers (1a/1b-4a/4b) were isolated from the leaves of Isatis indigotica Fortune. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by a combination of NMR spectroscopic analyses, experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and the assistance of quantum chemical predictions (QCP) of 13C NMR chemical shifts. Notably, all the isolated spiropyrrolizidine oxindoles are reported as natural products for the first time. The biosynthetic pathway of these unique structures was proposed to be formed by cycloaddition reaction. In addition, all the compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on ß-amyloid aggregation by ThT assay, and the optically pure compounds 1a/1b and 2a/2b exhibited better Aß1-42 aggregation inhibition potency (85.8% and 73.6%, 71.5% and 75.8%, respectively) at a concentration of 20 µM, compared with the positive control curcumin (57.0%). The difference of the inhibitory pattern caused by chirality was also explained by molecular docking studies.

Stereoisomeric guaiacylglycerol-ß-coniferyl aldehyde ether induces distinctive apoptosis by downregulation of MEK/ERK pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Two 8-O-4'-type neolignan epimers erythro-guaiacylglycerol-ß-coniferyl aldehyde ether (1) and threo-guaiacylglycerol-ß-coniferyl aldehyde ether (2) were isolated from the stems of Picrasma quassioides. Further chiral separation gave two pairs of enantiomers 1a/1b and 2a/2b. The cytotoxicity assay against hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B and HepG2 cells was evaluated by MTT assay. The results showed that 1b (IC50 = 45.56 µM) and 2b (IC50 = 39.02 µM) had more cytotoxic effect than its enantiomers 1a (IC50 = 82.66 µM) and 2a (IC50 = 67.97 µM) in Hep3B cells, respectively. Moreover, 1b and 2b could induce more apoptotic cells as well as higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation than 1a and 2a at 50 µM. In addition, a further study on the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways was investigated. The results revealed that all compounds had no significant effect on PI3K/AKT pathway, however, 1b and 2b attenuated the relative levels of p-MEK and p-ERK when compared with 1a and 2a. Taken together, the absolute configurations of guaiacylglycerol-ß-coniferyl aldehyde ether had an impact on the inhibitory effect on Hep3B cells. The inactivation of MEK/ERK signaling pathway might contribute to apoptosis induction and ROS generation in 1b- and 2b-treated cells.

Chemical constituents from the roots of Tripterygium wilfordii and their cytotoxic activity.

In our ongoing search for bioactive constituents, a new sesquiterpene polyol ester, named triptersinine U (1), together with five known triterpenes (2-6) and seven sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids (7-13), were isolated from the roots of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. Their chemical structures were elucidated using extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS, as well as comparison with previously reported data. Cytotoxic activities of all compounds 1-13 were evaluated against six human tumor cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, Bcap37, U251, MCF-7 and A549) using the MTT in vitro assay. The results showed that triterpenes exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities toward the tested cell lines.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory neolignans from the seeds of hawthorn.

Seven new neolignans (1-2, 7-11) and five known compounds (3-6, 12) were isolated from the 70% EtOH extract of hawthorn seeds. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of all the isolates were investigated. Most of the isolates showed moderate radical scavenging activity in the DPPH assay and significant activities in the ABTS and FRAP assays. Furthermore, compounds 7-12 exhibited marked nitric oxide (NO) inhibition and compounds 1-4 had a potent necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitory effect. The results we obtained showed that hawthorn seeds can be regarded as a potential new and cheap source of antioxidants and inflammation inhibitors.

Efficacy and Safety of Tiotropium in the Treatment of Severe Persistent Asthma:Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tiotropium in treatment of severe persistent asthma. METHODS: Reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) describing tiotropium for treatment of severe persistent asthma published from January 1946 to February 2015 were searched in Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Ovid Medline, CNKI, and CSJD. The data of the included RCTs were extracted and the data quality was evaluated. Meta-analyses were performed with Revman 5.3 software. RESULTS: Five RCTs including 1433 patients were analyzed. Meta-analysis of the data showed that compared with the placebo group, tiotropium treatment significantly improved the patients' peak forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) [weighted mean difference (WMD): 0.13 L, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.10-0.16 L, P<0.00001], trough FEV1 (WMD: 0.09 L, 95%CI: 0.06-0.12 L, P<0.00001), peak forced vital capacity (FVC) (WMD: 0.10 L, 95%CI: 0.06-0.14 L, P<0.00001), trough FVC (WMD: 0.12 L, 95%CI: 0.08-0.17 L, P<0.00001), morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) (WMD: 9.21 L/min, 95%CI: 4.2-14.23 L/min, P=0.0003), evening PEF (WMD: 22.06 L/min, 95%CI 13.05-31.08 L/min, P<0.00001). The scores of asthma control questionnaire (ACQ) (WMD: 0.01, 95% CI: -0.07-0.09, P=0.86) or asthma quality of life questionnaire (AQLQ)(WMD: 0.06, 95% CI:-0.18-0.06, P=0.33) were not affected by tiotropium. No significant difference with adverse events between tiotropium group and placebo group were reported in these included studies (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Tiotropium for severe persistent asthma treatment can improve FEV1, FVC, and PEF but may not improve the quality of life of the patients. Tiotropium is well tolerated and can be an add-on therapy for severe persistent asthma.

[Clinical Analysis of 35 Inpatients with Diffuse Panbronchiolitis in Peking Union Medical College Hospital].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical features of diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB). METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 35 patients who had been admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December 1996 to July 2014 due to DPB,which was confirmed basing on the diagnostic criteria proposed in 1998 by a working group of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan or histopathological examination. RESULTS: The average age of these 35 patients (20 men and 15 women,with a sex ratio of 1.33 to 1) was (42.2<15.6) years,mainly distributed in the 40-49 age group. The average clinical history was (8.4<8.5) years. The main symptoms and signs of DPB included chronic cough (n=35,100%),copious purulent sputum production (n=31,88.6%),exertional dyspnoea (n=24,68.6%),end-inspiratory crackles (n=28,80.0%). Also,26 patients (74.3%) had a history of sinusitis. Cold agglutination test in 15 out of 15 patients were negative. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Haemophilus influenza were isolated from 22 patients (73.3%,22/30),and 26 patients (83.9%,26/31) had hypoxemia. The mean values of forced expiratory volume in the first second/forced vital capacity,residua volume/total lung volume,maximum forced expiratory volume of 50% lung volume,and maximum forced expiratory volume of 25% lung volume were 60.5%,53.8%,25.9%,and 31.2%,respectively. The most common CT findings from this cohort of patients were bronchiectasis and bronchiolitis,with nodular shadows distributed in a centrilobular pattern. Finally,29 patients were misdiagnosed as other conditions such as pulmonary infection and bronchiectasis. CONCLUSIONS: DPB in Chinese populations have different presentations compared to that Japanese populations:for instance,the serum cold agglutination test always shows negative results,which is often inconsistent with the pathogens in sputum. DPB usually is misdiagnosed. Clinicians should take DPB into consideration when patients had pulmonary infection and sinusitis.

Antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory effects of neolignan glycosides from Crataegus pinnatifida seeds.

In our efforts to find an inhibitor of melanin formation and develop potential depigmenting agents for skin-protecting cosmetics and medicinal products from natural resources, we focused on the seeds of Crataegus pinnatifida which showed antioxidant and tyrosinase-inhibiting activities. By activity-guided fractionation of an extract of C. pinnatifida seeds, four new neolignan glycosides, pinnatifidaninsides A-D (1-4), along with two known compounds (5-6), were isolated. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses, especially 1D, 2D NMR and CD spectra. The antioxidant and tyrosinase-inhibiting activities of all isolates were assayed. Compound 6 showed good activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-pikrylhydrazyl, while compounds 1, 2, 5, and 6 exhibited strong 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) free radical scavenging activity, being as effective as, or even more effective than the positive control Trolox. Moreover, compounds 5 and 6 displayed a moderate mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory activity.

KIS, a target of SOX4, regulates the ID1-mediated enhancement of ß-catenin to facilitate lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis.

PURPOSE: Kinase interacting with stathmin (KIS) is a serine/threonine kinase involved in RNA processing and protein phosphorylation. Increasing evidence has suggested its involvement in cancer progression. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of KIS in the development of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Dual luciferase assay was used to explore the relationship between KIS and SOX4, and its effect on ID1/ß-catenin pathway. METHODS: Real-time qPCR and western blot were used to assess the levels of KIS and other factors. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were monitored, and xenograft animal model were established to investigate the biological functions of KIS in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: In the present study, KIS was found to be highly expressed in LUAD tissues and cell lines. KIS accelerated the proliferative, migratory and invasive abilities of LUAD cells in vitro, and promoted the growth of LUAD in a mouse tumor xenograft model in vivo. Mechanistically, KIS activated the ß-catenin signaling pathway by modulating the inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (ID1) and was transcriptionally regulated by SOX4 in LUAD cells. CONCLUSION: KIS, a target of SOX4, regulates the ID1-mediated enhancement of ß-catenin to facilitate LUAD cell invasion and metastasis.

Postoperative serum osteopontin level is a novel monitor for treatment response and tumor recurrence after resection of hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Presurgery serum osteopontin (OPN) level has been demonstrated to correlate to tumor recurrence and survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. This study investigated the postoperative dynamic changes of serum OPN level and its clinical significance in HCC patients. METHODS: Presurgery serum OPN levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in cohort A of 179 HCC patients and were compared with the multiple controls including different kinds of liver diseases and healthy individuals. In cohort B of 110 patients with resectable HCCs, besides preoperative assays, serum OPN was monitored at 1 week, 1, and ≥2 months after operation. RESULTS: The baseline presurgery serum OPN of HCC patients was significantly higher than that of the patients with the other kinds of liver diseases (p < 0.0001). The prognostic values of presurgery serum OPN level in HCC patients were further confirmed. The postsurgery OPN levels were significantly elevated within 1 week after HCC resection, then decreased at 1 month and reached the nadir later than 2 months after operations. It increased again at the time of tumor recurrence, then declined after the second removal of recurrent HCCs. Moreover, postoperative OPN in α-fetoprotein-negative and -positive HCC patients had the same changing pattern; it only correlated to liver function and C-reactive protein level. CONCLUSIONS: After a transient fluctuation, serum OPN levels significantly decrease after curative resection of HCCs. Postoperative serum OPN could serve as a surrogate serologic biomarker for monitoring treatment response and tumor recurrence after HCC resection, including α-fetoprotein-negative ones.

The cytotoxicity of 8-O-4' neolignans from the seeds of Crataegus pinnatifida.

Nine new 8-O-4' neolignans, named pinnatifidanin B I-IX (1-9), together with 9 known analogs (10-18) were isolated from the seeds of Crataegus pinnatifida. The structures of 1-18 were determined by spectroscopic methods, including 1D, 2D NMR, CD and HRESIMS analysis. Compounds 8-11, 17 and 18 displayed potent cytotoxic activities against human cancer cell lines, and most interestingly, none of the 6 compounds displayed inhibitory activity against human lung cell line (Mrc5). The 6 cytotoxic compounds are considered to be potential as antitumor agents, which could significantly inhibit the cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner and are probably safer than positive control drug.

Rapid determination of the relative configuration of diverse 8,4'-oxyneolignans by NMR analysis: Retrospective studies, improvement and structural revision.

The characteristic 1H NMR signals (H-7 and H2-9) are significant parameters that have been widely used to assess the relative configuration of H-7 and H-8 of 8,4'-oxyneolignans. However, many usual 8,4'-oxyneolignans cannot be accurately determined by existing NMR methods and no research considering their limitations was performed until now. In this study, the application scope of NMR methods was comprehensively studied and the ΔδH9a-H9b methods have been extended to solve the majority of configuration determination difficulties. The accuracy of extended NMR methods was verified by anisotropic NMR (RCSA measurements), NMR calculation and diverse statistical analysis (MAEΔΔδ, CP3 and DP4+). Furthermore, the theoretical conformational analysis was performed to investigate the inherent limitations of existing NMR methods. This study could provide a valuable reference for determining the relative configuration of H-7 and H-8 in 8,4'-oxyneolignans and the relative configuration of 23 recently reported 8,4'-oxyneolignan derivatives should be reassigned as well.

Insight into tetrahydrofuran lignans from Isatis indigotica fortune with neuroprotective and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor activity.

Nine tetrahydrofuran lignans, including three undescribed spiro-lignans, were isolated from Isatis indigotica Fortune (Brassicaceae). Extensive spectroscopic analyses achieved the structure elucidation of these tetrahydrofuran lignans, and quantum chemical calculation combined with the MAEΔΔδ parameter. Notably, isatispironeols A-B have a unique spiro[dienone-tetrahydrofuran] molecular core. These spiro[dienone-tetrahydrofuran] lignans showed comparable neuroprotective effects as the positive control in the H2O2-induced SH-SY5Y cells model. In addition, (-)-(7R,8S,1'R,7'R,8'R)-isatispironeol A possessed more significant AChE inhibitory activity, further interact sites were also predicted by the in silico assay.