Antrodia cinnamomea exerts an anti-hepatoma effect by targeting PI3K/AKT-mediated cell cycle progression in vitro and in vivo

Antrodia cinnamomea is extensively used as a traditional medicine to prevention and treatment of liver cancer. However, its comprehensive chemical fingerprint is uncertain, and the mechanisms, especially the potential therapeutic target for anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are still unclear. Using UPLC‒Q-TOF/MS, 139 chemical components were identified in A. cinnamomea dropping pills (ACDPs). Based on these chemical components, network pharmacology demonstrated that the targets of active components were significantly enriched in the pathways in cancer, which were closely related with cell proliferation regulation. Next, HCC data was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and DisGeNET were analyzed by bioinformatics, and 79 biomarkers were obtained. Furtherly, nine targets of ACDP active components were revealed, and they were significantly enriched in PI3K/AKT and cell cycle signaling pathways. The affinity between these targets and their corresponding active ingredients was predicted by molecular docking. Finally, in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that ACDPs could reduce the activity of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and downregulate the expression of cell cycle-related proteins, contributing to the decreased growth of liver cancer. Altogether, PI3K/AKT-cell cycle appears as the significant central node in anti-liver cancer of A. Cinnamomea.

Synthesis and anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity of novel O-vinyl diazeniumdiolate-based nitric oxide-releasing derivatives of oleanolic acid / 中国天然药物

Considering that high levels of nitric oxide (NO) exert anti-cancer effect and the derivatives of oleanolic acid (OA) have shown potent anti-cancer activity, new O-vinyl diazeniumdiolate-based NO releasing derivatives (5a-l, 11a-l) of OA were designed, synthesized, and biologically evaluated in the present study. These derivatives could release different amounts of NO in liver cells. Among them, 5d, 5i, 5j, 11g, 11h, and 11j released more NO in SMMC-7721 cells and displayed stronger proliferative inhibition against SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells than OA and other tested compounds. The most active compound 5j showed almost 20-fold better solubility than OA in aqueous solution, released larger amounts of NO in liver cancer cells than that in normal ones, and exhibited potent anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity but little effect on the normal liver cells. The inhibitory activity against the cancer cells was significantly diminished upon addition of an NO scavenger, suggesting that NO may contribute, at least in part, to the activity of 5j.

Anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects of Grifola frondosa extract and its underlying mechanisms / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effect and underlying mechanisms. METHODS: In PLC/PRF/5 and HepG2, after treatment with Grifola frondosa extract, MTT method, chemical method, JC-1 staining and Western Blot were applied to determine cell viability, caspase 3 activity, mitochondrial membrane potential, the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax, and the phosphorylation of Akt/GSK3β. The anti-tumor activity of Grifola frondosa extract was further confirmed in PLC/PRL/5-xengrafted mice model. RESULTS: Grifola frondosa extract significantly reduced cell viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, the expression of Bcl-2 and the phosphorylation of Akt/GSK3β, and enhanced LDH release, caspase 3 activity and the expression of Bax in both PLC/PRF/5 and HepG2 cells. 12-day Grifola frondosa extract treatment significantly inhibited the PLC/PRF/5-xenografted tumor growth without influence the body weight of mouse. CONCLUSION: All these data indicate that Grifola frondosa extract-mediated anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects are related to its modulation of the activations of Akt/GSK3β and mitochondrial pathway.