Betulinic acid induces apoptosis of gallbladder cancer cells via repressing SCD1

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongfei Wang ◽  
Fangxiao Dong ◽  
Ye Wang ◽  
Xu’an Wang ◽  
Defei Hong ◽  
...  

Abstract Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common and aggressive malignancy of the biliary tract. Betulinic acid (BetA) has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects; however, the effect of BetA on GBC is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of BetA on five GBC cell lines and found that BetA significantly inhibited the proliferation of NOZ cells but had little inhibitory effect on other GBC cells. BetA disturbed mitochondrial membrane potential and induced apoptosis in NOZ cells. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) was highly expressed in NOZ cells but low expressed in other GBC cells. BetA inhibited SCD1 expression in a concentration-dependent manner in NOZ cells. Downregulation of SCD1 expression by RNA interference inhibited the proliferation of NOZ cells and induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, BetA inhibited the growth of xenografted tumors and suppressed SCD1 expression in nude mice. Thus, our results showed that BetA induced apoptosis through repressing SCD1 expression in GBC, suggesting that BetA might be an effective agent for the treatment of patients with GBC that highly expresses SCD1.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixuan Wang ◽  
Heng Shen ◽  
Qian Sun ◽  
Linyao Zhao ◽  
Hao Liu ◽  
...  

The most common primary central nervous system tumor in adults is glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The high invasiveness of GBM cells is an important factor leading to inevitable tumor recurrence and a poor prognosis of patients. GNE-477, a novel PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, has been reported to exert antiproliferative effects on other cancer cells. However, researchers have not clearly determined whether GNE-477 produces antitumor effects on GBM. In the present study, GNE-477 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of U87 and U251 cells. In addition, GNE-477 also induced apoptosis of GBM cells, arresting the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase. More importantly, GNE-477 also reduced the levels of AKT and mTOR phosphorylation in the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in a concentration-dependent manner. An increase in AKT activity induced by SC79 rescued the GNE-477-mediated inhibition of GBM cell proliferation and apoptosis. The antitumor effects of GNE-477 and the regulatory effects on related molecules were further confirmed in vivo using a nude mouse intracranial xenograft model. In conclusion, our study indicated that GNE-477 exerted significant antitumor effects on GBM cells in vitro and in vivo by downregulating the AKT/mTOR pathway.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1311
Author(s):  
Magdalena Chmur ◽  
Andrzej Bajguz

Brassinolide (BL) represents brassinosteroids (BRs)—a group of phytohormones that are essential for plant growth and development. Brassinazole (Brz) is as a synthetic inhibitor of BRs’ biosynthesis. In the present study, the responses of Wolffia arrhiza to the treatment with BL, Brz, and the combination of BL with Brz were analyzed. The analysis of BRs and Brz was performed using LC-MS/MS. The photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls, carotenes, and xanthophylls) levels were determined using HPLC, but protein and monosaccharides level using spectrophotometric methods. The obtained results indicated that BL and Brz influence W. arrhiza cultures in a concentration-dependent manner. The most stimulatory effects on the growth, level of BRs (BL, 24-epibrassinolide, 28-homobrassinolide, 28-norbrassinolide, catasterone, castasterone, 24-epicastasterone, typhasterol, and 6-deoxytyphasterol), and the content of pigments, protein, and monosaccharides, were observed in plants treated with 0.1 µM BL. Whereas the application of 1 µM and 10 µM Brz caused a significant decrease in duckweed weight and level of targeted compounds. Application of BL caused the mitigation of the Brz inhibitory effect and enhanced the BR level in duckweed treated with Brz. The level of BRs was reported for the first time in duckweed treated with BL and/or Brz.


Drug Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 665-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jalili-Nik ◽  
Hamed Sabri ◽  
Ehsan Zamiri ◽  
Mohammad Soukhtanloo ◽  
Mostafa Karimi Roshan ◽  
...  

AbstractGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the fatal type of astrocytic tumors with a survival rate of 12 months. The present study, for the first time, evaluated the cytotoxic impacts of Ferula latisecta (F. latisecta) hydroalcoholic extract on U87 GBM cell line. The MTT assay measured the cellular toxicity following 24- and 48 h treatment with various doses of F. latisecta (0–800 μg/mL). Apoptosis was evaluated by an Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining 24 h after treatment by F. latisecta. Moreover, to determine the cellular metastasis of U87 cells, we used a gelatin zymography assay (matrix metalloproteinase [MMP]-2/-9 enzymatic activity). The outcomes showed that F. latisecta mitigated the viability of U87 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner with IC50 values of 145.3 and 192.3 μg/mL obtained for 24- and 48 h treatments, respectively. F. latisecta induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner after 24 h. Also, MMP-9 activity was significantly decreased following 24 h after treatment concentration-dependently with no change in MMP-2 enzymatic activity. This study showed that F. latisecta induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis, and mitigated metastasis of U87 GBM cells. Hence, F. latisecta could be beneficial as a promising natural herb against GBM after further studies.


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (5) ◽  
pp. F791-F796 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Edwards ◽  
W. S. Spielman

We examined the effects of adenosine and adenosine analogues on arginine vasopressin (AVP)-induced increases in osmotic water permeability (Pf; micron/s) and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation in rat inner medullary collecting ducts (IMCDs). When added to the bath, the A1 receptor agonist N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) produced a rapid and reversible inhibition of AVP-stimulated (10 pM) Pf (1,781 +/- 195 to 314 +/- 85 microns/s at 0.3 microM CHA; n = 9). The inhibitory effect of CHA was concentration dependent, with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 10 nM. The effect of CHA was inhibited by prior exposure of IMCDs to the A1 receptor antagonist 1,3-dipropylxanthine-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DP-CPX; 1 microM) or by preincubation with pertussis toxin. CHA had no effect on cAMP-induced increases in Pf. In addition to CHA, adenosine and the nonselective agonist 5'-(N-ethylcarboxamido)-adenosine (NECA) inhibited AVP-dependent Pf by > or = 70%, whereas the A2 receptor agonist CGS-21680 had no effect. Luminal adenosine (0.1 mM) had no effect on basal or AVP-stimulated Pf. CHA, NECA, and adenosine but not CGS-21680 inhibited AVP-stimulated cAMP accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner (50% inhibitory concentrations 0.1–300 nM). The inhibitory effect of CHA on AVP-stimulated cAMP accumulation was attenuated by DPCPX. We conclude that adenosine, acting at the basolateral membrane, inhibits AVP action in the IMCD via interaction with A1 receptors. The inhibition occurs proximal to cAMP generation and likely involves an inhibitory G protein.


Blood ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 97 (9) ◽  
pp. 2648-2656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan A. Rosado ◽  
Else M. Y. Meijer ◽  
Karly Hamulyak ◽  
Irena Novakova ◽  
Johan W. M. Heemskerk ◽  
...  

Abstract Effects of the occupation of integrin αIIbβ3 by fibrinogen on Ca++signaling in fura-2–loaded human platelets were investigated. Adding fibrinogen to washed platelet suspensions inhibited increases in cytosolic [Ca++] concentrations ([Ca++]i) evoked by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and thrombin in a concentration-dependent manner in the presence of external Ca++ but not in the absence of external Ca++ or in the presence of the nonselective cation channel blocker SKF96365, indicating selective inhibition of Ca++entry. Fibrinogen also inhibited store-mediated Ca++ entry (SMCE) activated after Ca++ store depletion using thapsigargin. The inhibitory effect of fibrinogen was reversed if fibrinogen binding to αIIbβ3 was blocked using RDGS or abciximab and was absent in platelets from patients homozygous for Glanzmann thrombasthenia. Fibrinogen was without effect on SMCE once activated. Activation of SMCE in platelets occurs through conformational coupling between the intracellular stores and the plasma membrane and requires remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Fibrinogen inhibited actin polymerization evoked by ADP or thapsigargin in control cells and in cells loaded with the Ca++ chelator dimethyl BAPTA. It also inhibited the translocation of the tyrosine kinase p60src to the cytoskeleton. These results indicate that the binding of fibrinogen to integrin αIIbβ3 inhibits the activation of SMCE in platelets by a mechanism that may involve modulation of the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and the cytoskeletal association of p60src. This action may be important in intrinsic negative feedback to prevent the further activation of platelets subjected to low-level stimuli in vivo.


2004 ◽  
Vol 91 (03) ◽  
pp. 473-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Guimarães ◽  
Dingeman Rijken

SummaryTAFIa was shown to attenuate fibrinolysis. In our in vitro study, we investigated how the inhibitory effect of TAFIa depended on the type and concentration of the plasminogen activator (PA). We measured PA-mediated lysis times of plasma clots under conditions of maximal TAFI activation by thrombin-thrombomodulin in the absence and presence of potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor. Seven different PAs were compared comprising both tPA-related (tPA, TNK-tPA, DSPA), bacterial PA-related (staphylokinase and APSAC) and urokinase-related (tcu-PA and k2tu-PA) PAs. The lysis times and the retardation factor were plotted against the PA concentration. The retardation factor plots were bell-shaped. At low PA concentrations, the retardation factor was low, probably due to the limited stability of TAFIa. At intermediate PA concentrations the retardation factor was maximal (3-6 depending on the PA), with TNK-tPA, APSAC and DSPA exhibiting the strongest effect. At high PA concentrations, the retardation factor was again low, possibly due to inactivation of TAFIa by plasmin or to a complete conversion of glu-plasminogen into lys-plasminogen. Using individual plasmas with a reduced plasmin inhibitor activity (plasmin inhibitor Enschede) the bell-shaped curve of the retardation factor shifted towards lower tPA and DSPA concentrations, but the height did not decrease. In conclusion, TAFIa delays the lysis of plasma clots mediated by all the plasminogen activators tested. This delay is dependent on the type and concentration of the plasminogen activator, but not on the fibrin specificity of the plasminogen activator. Furthermore, plasmin inhibitor does not play a significant role in the inhibition of plasma clot lysis by TAFI.


2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeruesenay Desta ◽  
Nadia V. Soukhova ◽  
David A. Flockhart

ABSTRACT Isoniazid (INH) remains the most safe and cost-effective drug for the treatment and prophylaxis of tuberculosis. The use of INH has increased over the past years, largely as a result of the coepidemic of human immunodeficiency virus infection. It is frequently given chronically to critically ill patients who are coprescribed multiple medications. The ability of INH to elevate the concentrations in plasma and/or toxicity of coadministered drugs, including those of narrow therapeutic range (e.g., phenytoin), has been documented in humans, but the mechanisms involved are not well understood. Using human liver microsomes (HLMs), we tested the inhibitory effect of INH on the activity of common drug-metabolizing human cytochrome P450 (CYP450) isoforms using isoform-specific substrate probe reactions. Incubation experiments were performed at a single concentration of each substrate probe at its Km value with a range of INH concentrations. CYP2C19 and CYP3A were inhibited potently by INH in a concentration-dependent manner. At 50 μM INH (∼6.86 μg/ml), the activities of these isoforms decreased by ∼40%. INH did not show significant inhibition (<10% at 50 μM) of other isoforms (CYP2C9, CYP1A2, and CYP2D6). To accurately estimate the inhibition constants (Ki values) for each isoform, four concentrations of INH were incubated across a range of five concentrations of specific substrate probes. The meanKi values (± standard deviation) for the inhibition of CYP2C19 by INH in HLMs and recombinant human CYP2C19 were 25.4 ± 6.2 and 13 ± 2.4 μM, respectively. INH showed potent noncompetitive inhibition of CYP3A (Ki = 51.8 ± 2.5 to 75.9 ± 7.8 μM, depending on the substrate used). INH was a weak noncompetitive inhibitor of CYP2E1 (Ki = 110 ± 33 μM) and a competitive inhibitor of CYP2D6 (Ki = 126 ± 23 μM), but the mean Ki values for the inhibition of CYP2C9 and CYP1A2 were above 500 μM. Inhibition of one or both CYP2C19 and CYP3A isoforms is the likely mechanism by which INH slows the elimination of coadministered drugs, including phenytoin, carbamazepine, diazepam, triazolam, and primidone. Slow acetylators of INH may be at greater risk for adverse drug interactions, as the degree of inhibition was concentration dependent. These data provide a rational basis for understanding drug interaction with INH and predict that other drugs metabolized by these two enzymes may also interact.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8864
Author(s):  
Hongxi Chen ◽  
Mohammad Amjad Hossain ◽  
Jong-Hoon Kim ◽  
Jae Youl Cho

Kahweol is a diterpene present in coffee. Until now, several studies have shown that kahweol has anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic functions. Due to the limited research available about skin protection, this study aims to discern the potential abilities of kahweol and the possible regulation targets. First, the cytotoxicity of kahweol was checked by 3-4-5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2-5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, while 2,20-azino-bis (3ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt and 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl were used to examine the radical scavenging ability. Polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed to explore the proper time points and doses affecting skin hydration and barrier-related genes. Luciferase assay and Western blotting were used to explore the possible transcription factors. Finally, fludarabine (a STAT1 inhibitor) was chosen to discern the relationship between skin-moisturizing factors and STAT1. We found that HaCaT cells experienced no toxicity from kahweol, and kahweol displayed moderate radical scavenging ability. Moreover, kahweol increased the outcome of HAS1, HAS2, occludin, and TGM-1 from six hours in a dose-dependent manner as well as the activation of STAT1 from six hours. Additionally, kahweol recovered the suppression of HAS2, STAT1-mediated luciferase activity, and HA secretion, which was all downregulated by fludarabine. In this study, we demonstrated that kahweol promotes skin-moisturizing activities by upregulating STAT1.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Ferry Sandra ◽  
Meta Ariyani Sidharta

Background: Caffeic acid has been reported that when it is combined with all-trans retinoic acid, it can inhibit proliferation activity of SaOS-2 or OSA-01 cells. In addition, caffeic acid merely could reduce cell viability of SaOS-2 cells. However, there is not any study in caffeic acid's possible effect to induce apoptosis in osteosarcoma cell.Materials and Methods: MG-63 cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. Cells were treated with various concentrations of caffeic acid. Apoptosis were analyzed with Sub-G1 assay and activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3 were analyzed with immunoblotting. Caffeic acid-induced percentage of apoptotic cells and cleaved-8, -9, -3 were then statistically analyzed.Results: Sub-G1 results showed that caffeic acid significantly induced apoptosis in MG-63 osteosarcoma cells in concentration dependent manner. Immunoblotting results showed that caffeic acid induced cleavage of caspase-8, -9 and -3. Cleaved-caspase-8 and -9 were increased at 1-hour treatment of caffeic acid, while cleaved-caspase 3 was increased markedly at 6-hours treatment of caffeic acid.Conclusions: Caffeic acid induces apoptosis significantly in concentration dependent manner through caspase-dependent intrinsic apoptotic pathway.Keywords: caffeic acid, osteosarcoma, MG-63, apoptosis, caspase


Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dahae Lee ◽  
Seoung Rak Lee ◽  
Ki Sung Kang ◽  
Yuri Ko ◽  
Changhyun Pang ◽  
...  

Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide in women, and the most malignant cancer among the different gynecological cancers. In this study, we explored potentially anticancer compounds from Cornus walteri (Cornaceae), the MeOH extract of which has been reported to show considerable cytotoxicity against several cancer cell lines. Phytochemical investigations of the MeOH extract of the stem and stem bark of C. walteri by extensive application of chromatographic techniques resulted in the isolation of 14 compounds (1–14). The isolated compounds were evaluated for inhibitory effects on the viability of A2780 human ovarian carcinoma cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated. An 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was employed to assess the anticancer effects of compounds 1–14 on A2780 cells, which showed that compound 11 (betulinic acid) reduced the viability of these cells in a concentration-dependent manner and had an half maximal (50%) inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 44.47 μM at 24 h. Nuclear staining and image-based cytometric assay were carried out to detect the induction of apoptosis by betulinic acid. Betulinic acid significantly increased the condensation of nuclei and the percentage of apoptotic cells in a concentration-dependent manner in A2780 cells. Western blot analysis was performed to investigate the underlying mechanism of apoptosis. The results indicated that the expression levels of cleaved caspase-8, -3, -9, and Bax were increased in A2780 cells treated with betulinic acid, whereas those of Bcl-2 were decreased. Thus, we provide the experimental evidence that betulinic acid can induce apoptosis in A2780 cells through both mitochondria-dependent and -independent pathways and suggest the potential use of betulinic acid in the development of novel chemotherapeutics for ovarian cancer therapy.


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