Anhuienoside C Ameliorates Collagen-Induced Arthritis through Inhibition of MAPK and NF-κB Signaling Pathways.

Anemone flaccida Fr. Schmidt (Ranunculaceae) (Di Wu in Chinese) is used to treat punch injuries and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our previous report has shown that crude triterpenoid saponins from Anemone flaccida exhibited anti-arthritic effects on type II collagen-induced arthritis in rats. Furthermore, anhuienoside C (AC), a saponin compound isolated from A. flaccida, was observed to suppress the nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. In this study, we examined the effects of AC on the prevention and treatment of collagen-induced arthritis in a mouse model and evaluated the potential mechanisms involved. We observed that oral administration of AC significantly suppressed the paw swelling and arthritic score, decreased the body weight loss, and decreased the spleen index. Improvement in the disease severity was accompanied by the reduction of cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68)-positive cells in the ankle joint and inhibition of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in the synovium of the joint. Mechanistic studies indicated that AC exerted its anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the mRNA expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 and by suppressing the production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells. AC also blocked the LPS-induced activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Additionally, the LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) was significantly suppressed by AC treatment, as indicated by down-regulation of TLR4 and inhibition of the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 and by activation and degradation of the inhibitor of kappa B. These findings indicated that AC has a great potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent for human RA.

Paris saponin-induced autophagy promotes breast cancer cell apoptosis via the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Paris saponins possess anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects. However, the anticancer effect of Paris saponins has not been well elucidated and the mechanisms underlying the potential function of Paris saponins in cancer therapy are needed to be further identify. In this study, we report that saponin compounds isolated from Paris polyphylla exhibited antitumor activity against breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Paris saponin XA-2 induced apoptosis in both cell lines, as evidenced by the activation of caspases and cleavage of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. The ability of XA-2 to induce autophagy was confirmed by acridine orange staining, accumulation of autophagosome-bound Long chain 3 (LC3)-II, and measurement of autophagic flux. XA-2-induced autophagy was observed to promote apoptosis by the combined treatment of breast cancer cell lines with XA-2 and autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine and bafilomycin A1, respectively. Moreover, we report a decrease in the levels of Akt/mTOR signaling pathway proteins, such as the phosphorylated forms of Akt, mTOR, P70S6K, and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1). Taken together, these results provide important insights explaining the anticancer activity of Paris saponins and the potential development of XA-2 as a new therapeutic agent.