Cucurbitacin B as a Chinese Medicine Monomer Inhibits Cell Proliferation, Invasion, and Migration in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant epithelial tumor in southern China. Cucurbitacin B (CuB) is a tetracyclic triterpene compound isolated from Cucurbitaceae plants which has anti-inflammation and antitumor properties and low toxic side effects. In this study, we use a series of wet experiments and network pharmacology analyses to explore the effects of CuB on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of highly metastatic 5-8F NPC cells. The findings suggest that CuB inhibits NPC cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner and that cancer migration and invasion abilities decrease significantly after CuB treatments. Mechanistically, CuB could increase the proportion of cells in the G2/M phase and reduce it in the G0/G1 phase, leading to apoptosis. The network pharmacological analyses and wet experiments uncovered that the MAPK pathway is a central target by pathway enrichment analysis, affecting the fate of cancer cells and influencing proliferation and apoptosis. Taken together, our study reveals that CuB could effectively inhibit 5-8F NPC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via cell cycle blockage and cell apoptosis. Collectively, we have shown that CuB is a promising anti-NPC candidate compound for future preclinical study.

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The Effect of Hispidulin, a Flavonoid from Salvia plebeia, on Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma CNE-2Z Cell Proliferation, Migration, Invasion, and Apoptosis

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26061604 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (6) ◽

pp. 1604

Author(s):

Yiqun Dai ◽

Xiaolong Sun ◽

Bohan Li ◽

Hui Ma ◽

Pingping Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Etoh Extract ◽

Tumor Drug Resistance ◽

Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide ◽

Scratch Wound ◽

Low Toxicity ◽

Induced Apoptosis

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignant head and neck tumor. Drug resistance and distant metastasis are the predominant cause of treatment failure in NPC patients. Hispidulin is a flavonoid extracted from the bioassay-guided separation of the EtOH extract of Salvia plebeia with strong anti-proliferative activity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (CNE-2Z). In this study, the effects of hispidulin on proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis were investigated in CNE-2Z cells. The [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay and the colony formation assay revealed that hispidulin could inhibit CNE-2Z cell proliferation. Hispidulin (25, 50, 100 μM) also induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in CNE-2Z cells. The expression of Akt was reduced, and the expression of the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was increased. In addition, scratch wound and transwell assays proved that hispidulin (6.25, 12.5, 25 μM) could inhibited the migration and invasion in CNE-2Z cells. The expressions of HIF-1α, MMP-9, and MMP-2 were decreased, while the MMPs inhibitor TIMP1 was enhanced by hispidulin. Moreover, hispidulin exhibited potent suppression tumor growth and low toxicity in CNE-2Z cancer-bearing mice at a dosage of 20 mg/kg/day. Thus, hispidulin appears to be a potentially effective agent for NPC treatment.

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Antimetastatic Effects of Sesamin on Human Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma through Regulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25092248 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (9) ◽

pp. 2248 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jian-Ming Chen ◽

Pei-Yin Chen ◽

Chia-Chieh Lin ◽

Ming-Chang Hsieh ◽

Jen-Tsun Lin

Keyword(s):

Oral Cancer ◽

Matrix Metalloproteinase ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Mapk Pathway ◽

Human Head ◽

Mapk Signaling ◽

Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Dependent Manner

Background: Sesamin is a lignin present in sesame oil from the bark of Zanthoxylum spp. Sesamin reportedly has anticarcinogenic potential and exerts anti-inflammatory effects on several tumors. Hypothesis/Purpose: However, the effect of sesamin on metastatic progression in human head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unknown in vitro and in vivo; hence, we investigated the effect of sesamin on HNSCC cells in vitro. Methods and Results: Sesamin-treated human oral cancer cell lines FaDu, HSC-3, and Ca9-22 were subjected to a wound-healing assay. Furthermore, Western blotting was performed to assess the effect of sesamin on the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and proteins of the MAPK signaling pathway, including p-ERK1/2, P-p38, and p-JNK1/2. In addition, we investigated the association between MMP-2 expression and the MAPK pathway in sesamin-treated oral cancer cells. Sesamin inhibited cell migration and invasion in FaDu, Ca9-22, and HSC-3 cells and suppressed MMP-2 at noncytotoxic concentrations (0 to 40 μM). Furthermore, sesamin significantly reduced p38 MAPK and JNK phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner in FaDu and HSC-3 cells. Conclusions: These results indicate that sesamin suppresses the migration and invasion of HNSCC cells by regulating MMP-2 and is thus a potential antimetastatic agent for treating HNSCC.

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FOXD3 inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma through regulation of the PI3K–Akt pathway

Biochemistry and Cell Biology ◽

10.1139/bcb-2020-0011 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (6) ◽

pp. 653-660 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiaoxing Xie ◽

Gaoyun Xiong ◽

Wenjun Chen ◽

Hongdan Fu ◽

Mingqian Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ◽

Cell Apoptosis ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

Akt Pathway ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Inhibitory Effects ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Flow Cytometric ◽

Phosphoinositide 3 Kinase

FOXD3 has been found previously to positively regulate miR-26b, a tumor inhibitor of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, FOXD3’s precise function and associated mechanism of action in NPC have not yet been investigated. In this study, the expression of FOXD3 mRNA and protein was evaluated using RT-qPCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Protein levels involved in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase – protein kinase B (PI3K–Akt) pathway were assessed by western blot, and cell proliferation was determined by MTT and colony forming assays. Additionally, cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometric assay. Finally, the migration and invasion capabilities of the NPC cells were determined using wound healing and Transwell assays. We found that FOXD3 levels were relatively low in NPC tissue and cells, while an increase caused the inhibition of the PI3K–Akt pathway. Functional experiments found that overexpression of FOXD3 suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and enhanced cell apoptosis in NPC C6661 cells. IGF-1, an activator of the PI3K–Akt pathway, reversed the inhibitory effect of FOXD3. Furthermore, we found upregulation of the PI3K–Akt pathway and upregulation of the inhibitory effects of FOXD3 on C6661 cellular activities. In conclusion, FOXD3 negatively affected the PI3K–Akt pathway to restrain the processes involved in C6661 cell pathology. These findings further exposed the function and downstream axis of FOXD3 in NPC and displayed a promising new target for NPC therapy.

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Src-1 and SP2 promote the proliferation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Open Medicine ◽

10.1515/med-2021-0248 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 1061-1069

Author(s):

Jingjing Zhang ◽

Yuanyuan Yang ◽

Hongyu Liu ◽

Hongyi Hu

Keyword(s):

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ◽

Cell Viability ◽

Colony Formation ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Southern China ◽

Mrna Level ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Steroid Receptor Coactivator

Abstract Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by high morbidity and morality, especially in Southern China. Transcription factors intensively participate in the initiation and development of NPC. This study aimed to investigate the roles of Src-1 in NPC. mRNA level was determined by qRT-PCR. Western blot was carried out for the protein level. CCK-8 assay was performed to determine cell viability, colony formation for NPC cell proliferation, and transwell for cell migration and invasion ability. The results showed Steroid receptor coactivator 1 (Src-1) was overexpressed in SNE-2 and 6-10B. The expression of Src-1 and SP2 was in positive correlation. Overexpression of Src-1 promoted the cell viability, colony formation, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), manifested by the increase of migration and invasion ability, while knockdown of Src-1 exerted opposite effects. Additionally, knockdown or overexpression of SP2 reversed the effects of overexpressed or downregulated Src-1, which was reversed by the depletion of SP2. Moreover, Src-1 interacted with SP2 to regulate EMT-related genes such as E-cad, N-cad, Vimentin, and ZEB1, and proliferation- and apoptosis-related genes, such as bax, cytochrome c, and cleaved caspase3 and bcl-2. Thus, blocking the interaction between Src-1 and SP2 may be a therapeutic target for inhibiting the metastasis of NPC.

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The Mechanism Study of Xiao-Xian-Xiong Decoction in the Treatment of Atherosclerosis with Network Pharmacology

10.21203/rs.3.rs-73640/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Liucheng Xiao ◽

Zonghuan Li ◽

Chongyuan Fan ◽

Chenggong Zhu ◽

Xingyu Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Mapk Pathway ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Foam Cells ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Network Pharmacology ◽

Mechanism Study ◽

Ppi Networks

Abstract Background: Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction is a useful formula in the treatment of atherosclerosis in traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, we aimed to investigate the function of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction in the treatment of atherosclerosis. Methods: In this study, we conducted the method of network pharmacology and molecular docking to discover the mechanism of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction against atherosclerosis. Then, we validated the function of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction in atherosclerosis in vitro. We investigated the function and mechanism of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction in RAW264.7 macrophage-derived foam cells.Results: We identified 213 targets of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction and 331 targets of atherosclerosis. The PPI networks of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction and atherosclerosis were constructed. Furthermore, the two PPI networks were merged and the core PPI network was obtained. Then, functional enrichment analysis was conducted with GO and KEGG signaling pathway analysis. KEGG analysis indicated Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction was correlated with ubiquitin mediated proteolysis pathway, PI3K-AKT pathway, MAPK pathway, Notch signaling pathway, and TGF-β signaling pathway. At last, we validated the function of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction with atherosclerosis in vitro. Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction reduced lipid accumulation and promoted the outflow of cholesterol in RAW264.7-derived foam cells. Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction increased the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 protein in foam cells. ABCA1 and ABCG1 were related with regulation of the inflammatory pathway and cell proliferation in atherosclerosis.Conclusions: Combined the mechanism of available treatments of atherosclerosis, we inferred Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction could alleviate atherosclerosis by inhibiting inflammatory response and cell proliferation.

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Curcumol inhibits malignant biological behaviors and TMZ-resistance of glioma cells via reducing long noncoding RNA FoxD2-As1 promoted EZH2 activation

10.21203/rs.3.rs-415245/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xuyang Lv ◽

Jiangchuan Sun ◽

Linfeng Hu ◽

Ying Qian ◽

Chunlei Fan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Noncoding Rna ◽

Glioma Cell ◽

Glioma Cells ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Antitumor Effects ◽

Self Renewal

Abstract Background: Although curcumol has been shown to possess antitumor effects in several cancers, its effects on glioma are largely unknown. Recently, lncRNAs have been reported to play an oncogenic role through epigenetic modifications. Therefore, here, we investigated whether curcumol inhibited glioma progression by reducing FOXD2-AS1-mediated enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) activation.Methods: MTT, colony formation, flow cytometry, Transwell, and neurosphere formation assays were used to assess cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, the percentage of CD133+ cells, the migration and invasion abilities, and the self-renewal ability. qRT-PCR, western blotting, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect mRNA and protein levels. Isobologram analysis and methylation-specific PCR were used to analyze the effects of curcumol on TMZ resistance in glioma cells. DNA pull-down and Chip assays were employed to explore the molecular mechanism underlying the functions of curcumol in glioma cells. Tumorigenicity was determined using a xenograft formation assay. Results: Curcumol inhibited the proliferation, metastasis, self-renewal ability, and TMZ resistance of glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. FOXD2-AS1 was highly expressed in glioma cell lines, and its expression was suppressed by curcumol treatment in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The forced expression of FOXD2-AS1 abrogated the effect of curcumol on glioma cell proliferation, metastasis, self-renewal ability, and TMZ resistance. Moreover, the forced expression of FOXD2-AS1 reversed the inhibitory effect of curcumol on EZH2 activation.Conclusions: We showed for the first time that curcumol is effective in inhibiting malignant biological behaviors and TMZ-resistance of glioma cells by suppressing FOXD2-AS1-mediated EZH2 activation on anti-oncogenes. Our findings offer the possibility of exploiting curcumol as a promising therapeutic agent for glioma treatment and may provide an option for the clinical application of this natural herbal medicine.

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Long noncoding RNA 00976 promotes pancreatic cancer progression through OTUD7B by sponging miR-137 involving EGFR/MAPK pathway

Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research ◽

10.1186/s13046-019-1388-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Shan Lei ◽

Zhiwei He ◽

Tengxiang Chen ◽

Xingjun Guo ◽

Zhirui Zeng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Mapk Pathway ◽

Mapk Signaling ◽

Mapk Signaling Pathway ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Potential Biomarker

Abstract Background Accumulation evidence indicates the vital role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis and the progression of malignant tumors, including pancreatic cancer (PC). However, the role and the molecular mechanism of long non-coding RNA 00976 is unclear in pancreatic cancer. Methods In situ hybridization (ISH) and qRT-PCR was performed to investigate the association between linc00976 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with PC. Subsequently, linc00976 over-expression vector and shRNAs were transfected into PC cells to up-regulate or down-regulate linc00976 expression. Loss- and gain-of function assays were performed to investigate the role of linc00976 in proliferation and metastasis in vitro and vivo. ITRAQ, bioinformatic analysis and rescue assay were used to illustrate the ceRNA mechanism network of linc00976/miR-137/OTUD7B and its downstream EGFR/MAPK signaling pathway. Results linc00976 expression was overexpressed in PC tissues and cell lines and was positively associated with poorer survival in patients with PC. Function studies revealed that linc00976 knockdown significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vivo and in vitro, whereas its overexpression reversed these effects. Based on Itraq results and online database prediction, Ovarian tumor proteases OTUD7B was found as a downstream gene of linc00976, which deubiquitinated EGFR mediates MAPK signaling activation. Furthermore, Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assays and rescue experiments revealed that linc00976/miR137/OTUD7B established the ceRNA network modulating PC cell proliferation and tumor growth. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that linc00976 enhances the proliferation and invasion ability of PC cells by upregulating OTUD7B expression, which was a target of miR-137. Ultimately, OTUD7B mediates EGFR and MAPK signaling pathway, suggesting that linc00976/miR-137/OTUD7B/EGFR axis may act as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for PC.

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Dynasore suppresses cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and enhances the antitumor capacity of cisplatin via STAT3 pathway in osteosarcoma

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-019-1917-2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Binlong Zhong ◽

Deyao Shi ◽

Fashuai Wu ◽

Shangyu Wang ◽

Hongzhi Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Mapk Pathway ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

G1 Arrest ◽

Stat3 Signaling ◽

Stat3 Signaling Pathway ◽

Candidate Drug

Abstract Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor. The prognosis of metastatic and recurrent OS patients still remains unsatisfactory. Cisplatin reveals undeniable anti-tumor effect while induces severe side effects that threatening patients’ health. Dynasore, a cell-permeable small molecule that inhibits dynamin activity, has been widely studied in endocytosis and phagocytosis. However, the anti-tumor effect of dynasore on OS has not yet been ascertained. In the present study, we suggested that dynasore inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and induced G0/G1 arrest of OS cells. Besides, dynasore repressed tumorigenesis of OS in xenograft mouse model. In addition, we demonstrated that dynasore improved the anti-tumor effect of cisplatin in vitro and in vivo without inducing nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. Mechanistically, dynasore repressed the expression of CCND1, CDK4, p-Rb, and MMP-2. Furthermore, we found that dynasore exerts anti-tumor effects in OS partially via inhibiting STAT3 signaling pathway but not ERK-MAPK, PI3K-Akt or SAPK/JNK pathways. P38 MAPK pathway served as a negative regulatory mechanism in dynasore induced anti-OS effects. Taken together, our study indicated that dynasore does suppress cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via STAT3 signaling pathway, and enhances the antitumor capacity of cisplatin in OS. Our results suggest that dynasore is a novel candidate drug to inhibit the tumor growth of OS and enhance the anti-tumor effects of cisplatin.

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Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase B1 Regulates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Proliferation and Invasion via the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity ◽

10.1155/2018/5287971 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Qiang He ◽

Hui Li ◽

Fanzhi Meng ◽

Xiangjun Sun ◽

Xu Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Mapk Pathway ◽

Methionine Sulfoxide ◽

Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase ◽

Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Mesenchymal Transition

Methionine sulfoxide reductase B1 (MsrB1) is a member of the selenoprotein family, which contributes to the reduction of methionine sulfoxides produced from reactive oxygen species (ROS) by redox processes in energy pathways. However, few studies have examined the role of MsrB1 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We observed that MsrB1 is highly expressed in HCC tissues and that its expression correlated with the prognoses of patients with HCC after hepatectomy. In vitro, knockdown of MsrB1 inhibits HCC cell growth by MTT and EdU proliferation assay, and MsrB1 interference enhances H2O2/trx-induced apoptosis. We observed that phosphorylation of the key proteins of the MAPK pathway, namely, ERK, MEK, and p53, was inhibited, but PARP and caspase 3 were increased, thus infecting mitochondrial integrity. In vivo, MsrB1 knockdown effectively inhibited tumor growth. Furthermore, MsrB1 knockdown reduced HCC cell migration and invasion in a transwell assay through inhibition of cytoskeletal rearrangement and spread. This change was linked to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inhibition resulting from increases in E-cadherin expression and decreases in expression in TGF-β1, Slug, MMP-2/9, and so on. MsrB1 regulates HCC cell proliferation and migration by modulating the MAPK pathway and EMT. Thus, MsrB1 may be a novel therapeutic target with respect to the treatment of HCC.

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