ß-carboline derivative Z86 attenuates colorectal cancer cell proliferation and migration by directly targeting PI3K.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3Ks) are lipid kinases widely involved in cell proliferation, metastasis and differentiation. Constitutive activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling are well confirmed in colorectal cancers (CRCs). In this study, we identified isopropyl 9-ethyl-1-(naphthalen-1-yl)-9 H-pyrido[3,4-b] indole-3-carboxylate (Z86), as a novel PI3Kα inhibitor with the IC50 value of 4.28 µM. The binding of Z86 to PI3Kα was further confirmed with DARTS and CETSA assay. Immunofluorescence analysis and western blotting data demonstrated that Z86 effectively attenuated PI3K/AKT pathway. Z86 caused dramatic proliferation inhibition of CRCs through G0/G1 cycle arrest rather than apoptosis induction. Besides, the migration of CRCs was also relieved by Z86. The present study not only identified Z86 as a novel PI3Kα inhibitor with potent inhibitory efficiency on PI3K-mediated CRCs growth and migration, but also elucidated a reasonable molecular mechanism of Z86 in the Wnt signaling pathway inhibition.

Osthole Antagonizes Microglial Activation in an NRF2-Dependent Manner.

Microglia are neuroglia in the brain with an innate immune function and participate in the progress of neurodegenerative diseases. Osthole (OST) is a coumarin derivative extracted from Cnidium monnieri and bears a microglia-antagonizing ability. However, the underlying mechanism of the antagonism is not clear. The lipopolysaccharides-induced microglial BV2 cell line and amyloid-overexpressing fruit fly were used as models to study OST treatment. We found that OST treatment is sufficient to evoke NRF2 cascade under an LPS-induced inflammatory environment, and silencing NRF2 is sufficient to abolish the process. Moreover, we found that OST is sufficient to antagonize microglial activation in both LPS-induced BV2 cells and Aß-overexpressing fruit flies, and silencing NRF2 abolishes OST's antagonism. Furthermore, OST treatment rescued survival, climbing, and the learning ability of Aß-overexpressing fruit flies and relieved oxidative stress. In conclusion, we proved that OST antagonizes microglial activation induced by either LPS or Aß and that NRF2 is necessary for OST's antagonism.

Ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3ß-ol Rescues AD Deficits by Modulating Microglia Activation but Not Oxidative Stress.

Ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3ß-ol (EK100) was isolated from the Taiwan-specific medicinal fungus Antrodia camphorata, which is known for its health-promotion and anti-aging effects in folk medicine. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major aging-associated disease. We investigated the efficacy and potential mechanism of ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3ß-ol for AD symptoms. Drosophila with the pan-neuronal overexpression of human amyloid-ß (Aß) was used as the AD model. We compared the life span, motor function, learning, memory, oxidative stress, and biomarkers of microglia activation and inflammation of the ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3ß-ol-treated group to those of the untreated control. Ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3ß-ol treatment effectively improved the life span, motor function, learning, and memory of the AD model compared to the untreated control. Biomarkers of microglia activation and inflammation were reduced, while the ubiquitous lipid peroxidation, catalase activity, and superoxide dismutase activity remained unchanged. In conclusion, ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3ß-ol rescues AD deficits by modulating microglia activation but not oxidative stress.