Preparation of Herbal Medicine: Er-Xian Decoction and Er-Xian-containing Serum for <em>In Vivo</em> and <em>In Vitro</em> Experiments

Traditional herbal medicine, an alternative medicine in the clinical setting, has received increased attention in recent years. Before delivery to the ...

A Mouse Model of Lumbar Spine Instability

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a common pathological change leading to low back pain. Appropriate animal models are desired for understanding ...

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Neratinib, an irreversible inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor and human epidermal receptor 2, is in phase III clinical trials for patients with human epidermal receptor 2-positive, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The objective of this study was to explore the ability of neratinib to reverse tumor multidrug resistance attributable to overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. Our results showed that neratinib remarkably enhanced the sensitivity of ABCB1-overexpressing cells to ABCB1 substrates. It is noteworthy that neratinib augmented the effect of chemotherapeutic agents in inhibiting the growth of ABCB1-overexpressing primary leukemia blasts and KBv200 cell xenografts in nude mice. Furthermore, neratinib increased doxorubicin accumulation in ABCB1-overexpressing cell lines and Rhodamine 123 accumulation in ABCB1-overexpressing cell lines and primary leukemia blasts. Neratinib stimulated the ATPase activity of ABCB1 at low concentrations but inhibited it at high concentrations. Likewise, neratinib inhibited the photolabeling of ABCB1 with [(125)I]iodoarylazidoprazosin in a concentration-dependent manner (IC(50) = 0.24 μM). Neither the expression of ABCB1 at the mRNA and protein levels nor the phosphorylation of Akt was affected by neratinib at reversal concentrations. Docking simulation results were consistent with the binding conformation of neratinib within the large cavity of the transmembrane region of ABCB1, which provides computational support for the cross-reactivity of tyrosine kinase inhibitors with human ABCB1. In conclusion, neratinib can reverse ABCB1-mediated multidrug resistance in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo by inhibiting its transport function.

Neratinib reverses ATP-binding cassette B1-mediated chemotherapeutic drug resistance in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo.

Diarylquinoline compounds are newly synthesized derivatives of the new anti-tuberculosis drug, TMC207. In this study, nine diarylquinoline compounds were screened for cytotoxic activity against human tumor cells, and their mechanisms of action were investigated. Among the nine compounds, STM-57 [N-((6-bromo-2-methoxyquinolin-3-yl)(phenyl)methl)-N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-(4 -methylpiperazin-1-yl)propanamide] showed potent cytotoxic activity. STM-57 induced caspase-independent cell death in the human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line, CNE-2. Further investigation showed that STM-57 induced autophagy, as determined with the increased expression of green fluorescent protein-light chain 3 (GFP-LC3) and increased LC3-II levels. STM-57 inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in CNE-2 cells. The intracellular calcium concentration and reactive oxygen species levels were increased in CNE-2 cells following treatment with STM-57, whereas the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm) and ATP concentrations were decreased.

Diarylquinoline compounds induce autophagy-associated cell death by inhibiting the Akt pathway and increasing reactive oxygen species in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine protein kinase and a key element in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway. Moreover, it is a negative regulator of autophagy and acts as a central regulator in cell growth. For the treatment of cancer, mTOR is a novel and validated therapeutic target. Previous studies have shown that Akt is frequently activated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues; thus, the inhibition of mTOR may be a treatment strategy for this tumor type. To evaluate the effect of the mTOR inhibitor RAD001 on NPC cell lines, we performed 4-[3-(4-iodophenyl)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-2H-5-tetrazolio]-1,3-benzene disulfonate (WST-1) assays, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, western blotting and flow cytometry to evaluate the mechanisms of cell death. The growth of both CNE-1 and HONE-1 cells was inhibited in a time- and dose-dependent manner. CNE-1 was more sensitive, with a 50% growth inhibition (GI50) of 30.0±1.0 µM compared to HONE-1, cells which had a GI50 of 56.9±13.1 µM. RAD001 induced apoptosis and autophagy in both cell lines. RAD001 induced a significant increase in growth inhibition in the two cell lines when used in combination with the autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine; however, the percentages of apoptotic cells decreased when RAD001 was combined with the caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk. In conclusion, the main mechanism of the mTOR inhibitor RAD001 in these two NPC cells was apoptotic, not autophagic cell death. The combination of RAD001 with autophagy inhibitors may be a useful therapeutic strategy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

mTOR inhibitor RAD001 (everolimus) induces apoptotic, not autophagic cell death, in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Berberine is an alkaloid isolated from the Chinese herbal medicine Huanglian, and has long been used as an antibiotic. Its antineoplastic properties were subsequently discovered in vitro. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of berberine on the growth of human colorectal carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that berberine inhibited human colorectal adenocarcinoma (LoVo) cell growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner. A WST-1 assay showed that the IC50 value after 72 h was 40.79 ± 4.11 μM. Cell cycle analysis of 40 μM berberine-treated LoVo cells by flow cytometry showed accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase. The inhibition of LoVo cell growth by berberine was associated with the suppression of cyclin B1, cdc2, and cdc25c proteins. Berberine at a dose of 50 mg kg(-1) day(-1) showed inhibitory rates of 45.3% in a human colorectal adenocarcinoma xenograft in nude mice. The combination of berberine and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) had a higher inhibitory rate (59.8%) than the berberine group (36.4%, P = 0.01), but no significant difference was observed between the 5-FU group (43.0%, P = 0.06) and the combination group. These results support the possibility that berberine may be useful as an alternative therapy for colorectal carcinoma.

Berberine inhibits the growth of human colorectal adenocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo.

Small molecule BH3 mimetics comprise a promising new chemotherapeutic strategy for treating relapsed or chemoresistant cancer. In this study, we investigated the cellular mechanism of action by which BM-1197, a Bcl-xL/Bcl-2 dual inhibitor, triggers apoptosis in a panel of colorectal cancer (CRC) lines. Using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays, we determined that BM-1197 inhibited CRC cell growth in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for the most sensitive cell lines, SW620 and SW480, ranged from 0.07 to 1.10 μM in response to a 72-h treatment. In CRC cells, BM-1197 induced apoptotic death without affecting the expression of Bcl-2 family proteins. However, BM-1197 effectively triggered a conformational change in Bax, releasing Bim from Bcl-xL by disrupting the interaction between Bcl-xL and Bak/Bax. Compared with the control group, BM-1197 treatment significantly increased the fraction of SW480 cells in the sub-G1 phase, the apoptosis rate, and cellular internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. The proapoptotic activity was associated with cytochrome c release, caspase-3 activation, and PARP-1 cleavage. Collectively, BM-1197 effectively suppressed the growth of the human CRC cell line SW480 by inducing mitochondria-dependent apoptotic cell death. These data have specific implications for the in vivo analysis and clinical evaluation of BM-1197 in CRC.

The small-molecule compound BM-1197 inhibits the antiapoptotic regulators Bcl-2/Bcl-xL and triggers apoptotic cell death in human colorectal cancer cells.

Previous studies have indicated that trichosanthin (TCS) exerts antitumor activity by inducing apoptosis in numerous tumor cell lines. However, the effects of TCS on lymphoma remain to be elucidated. The current study demonstrated that TCS inhibited the proliferation of thirteen lymphoma cell lines in a dose‑dependent manner, with SU‑DHL‑2 cells exhibiting the greatest sensitivity to TCS. Treatment of SU‑DHL‑2 cells with TCS led to cell cycle arrest at the S to G2/M phase transition. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis, Hoechst 33258 staining and western blotting indicated that TCS induced the apoptosis of SU‑DHL‑2 cells in a time‑ and concentration‑dependent manner. In addition, the activation of caspase‑3 and ‑7 and poly (ADP‑ribose) polymerase were observed. Pharmacological pan-caspase inhibition was observed to reduce TCS‑induced apoptosis. Inhibition of caspase‑8 or ‑9 alone was observed to partially reverse the effect of TCS on apoptosis. In conclusion, the current study indicates that TCS may induce apoptosis in SU‑DHL‑2 cells via the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways.

Trichosanthin reduces the viability of SU‑DHL‑2 cells via the activation of the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways.

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a leading cause of spinal cord dysfunction with few treatment options. Although mitochondrial dynamics are linked to a wide range of pathological changes in neurodegenerative diseases, a connection between aberrant mitochondrial dynamics and CSM remains to be illuminated. In addition, mechanisms underlying the emerging anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of echinacoside (ECH), the main active ingredient of Cistanche salsa, are poorly understood. We hypothesized that excessive mitochondrial fission plays a critical role in regulating inflammatory responses in CSM, and ECH might alleviate such responses by regulating mitochondrial dynamics. To this end, we assessed the effects of ECH and Mdivi-1, a selective inhibitor of dynamin-related protein (Drp1), in a rat model of chronic cervical cord compression and activated BV2 cells. Our results showed that rats with Mdivi-1 intervention had improved motor function compared with vehicle-treated rats. Indeed, Mdivi-1 treatment attenuated pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, as well as activation of the nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB), and Drp1 in lesions. Compared with vehicle-treated rats, compression sites of Mdivi-1-treated animals exhibited elongated mitochondrial morphologies and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS). Similarly, ECH-treated rats exhibited neurological recovery and suppression of inflammatory response or related signals in the lesion area after treatment. Interestingly, ECH treatment partly reversed aberrant mitochondrial fragmentation and oxidative stress within the lesion area. In vitro data suggested that ECH suppressed activated microglia by modulating activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signaling. Furthermore, we observed that ECH markedly inhibited Drp1 translocation onto mitochondria, whereby it regulated mitochondrial dynamics and ROS production, which act as regulators of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and NF-κB signaling. Thus, our findings reveal that mitochondrial dynamics modulate inflammatory responses during CSM. Moreover, ECH may attenuate neuroinflammation in rats subjected to chronic cervical cord compression by regulating Drp1-dependent mitochondrial fission and activation of downstream signaling.

Yueli Sun

Longhua Hospital,
Spine Research Institute,
Spine Research Institute, Longhua Hospital

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Preparation of Herbal Medicine: Er-Xian Decoction and Er-Xian-containing Serum for In Vivo and In Vitro Experiments

A Mouse Model of Lumbar Spine Instability

Yueli Sun

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Longhua Hospital,Spine Research Institute,Spine Research Institute, Longhua Hospital

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Preparation of Herbal Medicine: Er-Xian Decoction and Er-Xian-containing Serum for In Vivo and In Vitro Experiments

A Mouse Model of Lumbar Spine Instability

Longhua Hospital,
Spine Research Institute,
Spine Research Institute, Longhua Hospital