Kun-Dan Decoction Ameliorates Insulin Resistance by Activating AMPK/mTOR-Mediated Autophagy in High-Fat Diet-Fed Rats.

Background: Metabolic syndrome is characterized by central obesity, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Insulin resistance is the leading risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Kun-Dan decoction (KD), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been applied to treat patients with metabolic syndrome for over ten years. It is increasingly recognized that autophagy deficiency is the key cause of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, we aimed to explore whether KD can activate autophagy to improve metabolic syndrome. Methods: Network pharmacology was used to explore the underlying mechanism of KD in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. The high-fat diet-fed rats and oleic acid-induced LO2 cells were employed in our study. Oral glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test, obesity and histological examination, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet-fed rats were analyzed. Furthermore, the protein expressions of adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), phospho-AMPK, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), phospho-mTOR, p62, autophagy related protein (Atg) 5, Atg7, Atg12, Atg13, Atg16L1 and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3)-Ⅱ/Ⅰ were examined in rats and LO2 cells. Moreover, autophagy activator rapamycin and inhibitor 3-methyladenine, and small interfering RNA against Atg7 were utilized to verify the role of autophagy in the treatment of metabolic syndrome by KD in oleic acid-induced LO2 cells. Results: Results from network pharmacology indicated that targeted insulin resistance might be the critical mechanism of KD in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. We found that KD significantly suppressed obesity, serum cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL-C levels and increased serum HDL-C level in high-fat diet-fed rats. Furthermore, KD enhanced insulin sensitivity and attenuated HOMA-IR in high-fat diet-fed rats. Western blot showed that KD could enhance autophagy to increase the insulin sensitivity of high-fat diet-fed rats and oleic acid-induced LO2 cells. Furthermore, 3-methyladenine and small interfering RNA against Atg7 could reverse the protective effect of KD on LO2 cells. However, rapamycin could cooperate with KD to enhance autophagic activation to increase insulin sensitivity in LO2 cells. Conclusion: The induction of autophagy may be the major mechanism for KD to improve insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

Downregulated miR-187 contributes to the keratinocytes hyperproliferation in psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation. However, the pathogenesis of psoriasis is multifactorial and is not fully understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a promising class of small, noncoding RNA molecules that have a large impact on cellular functions by regulating gene expression. Here we reported that microRNA-187 (miR-187), which is one of the most dynamic microRNAs identified in the deep screening miRNAs profile, is downregulated in inflammatory cytokines-stimulated keratinocytes and psoriatic skins. By luciferase activity assay and gain-of-function studies, we showed that miR-187 inhibits keratinocytes hyperproliferation by targeting CD276. Moreover, overexpression of miR-187 decreases acanthosis and reduces the disease severity in psoriasis mouse models. Taken together, the results of our study implies miR-187 as a critical factor in psoriasis pathogenesis, which could be a potent target for psoriasis treatment.

Scutellarin induces apoptosis and autophagy in NSCLC cells through ERK1/2 and AKT Signaling Pathways in vitro and in vivo.

Curative molecular therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still lacking. Scutellarin, an active flavone extracted from Erigeron breviscapus Hand-Mazz, displays anti-tumor property in diverse cancer types, yet its tumor-suppressive effect on NSCLC is not reported. In this study, we found that scutellarin significantly inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC cells, induced cell apoptosis, and triggered autophagy. Notably, inhibition of autophagy with inhibitor HCQ attenuated the anti-proliferative activity of scutellarin, indicating that scutellarin-induced autophagy is antineoplastic. In addition, HCQ treatment reduced scutellarin-induced apoptosis. Further study demonstrated that scutellarin stimulated phosphorylation of ERK1/2, and inhibition of ERK1/2 with inhibitor U0126 markedly attenuated scutellarin-induced autophagy. Similarly, scutellarin downregulated the expression of p-AKT, and AKT inhibitor MK-2206 induced autophagy. Moreover, there also existed crosstalk between ERK and AKT pathways. Finally, in vivo xenograft nude mice experiment proved that scutellarin treatment significantly reduced tumor growth and increased the levels of LC3-II and p-ERK1/2, suppressed p-AKT in mice tumors. Thus, our study for the first time uncovered the anti-cancer function of scutellarin on NSCLC cells, and might provide a potential novel therapy for treatment of patients with NSCLC.

Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by activating mTOR signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite new technologies in diagnosis and treatment, the incidence and mortality of HCC continue rising. And its pathogenesis is still unclear. As a highly conserved protein of the Golgi apparatus, Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) has been shown to be involved in tumorigenesis of HCC. This study aimed to explore the exact oncogenic mechanism of GOLPH3 and provide a novel diagnose biomarker and therapeutic strategy for patients with HCC. METHODS: Firstly, the expression of GOLPH3 was detected in the HCC tissue specimens and HCC cell lines. Secondly, RNA interference was used for GOLPH3 gene inhibition. Thirdly, cell proliferation was analyzed by MTT; cell apoptosis was analyzed by Annexin-V/PI staining, Hoechst 33,342 staining and caspase 3/7 activity assay. Fourthly, xenograft tumor model was used to study the function of GOLPH3 in tumor growth in vivo. Finally, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to investigate the role of GOLHP3 in the mTOR signaling pathway. RESULTS: Data showed that the mRNA and protein expression of GOLPH3 were up-regulated in HCC tumor tissue and cell lines compared with those of control (P < 0.05). Correlation analyses showed that GOLPH3 expression was positively correlated with serum alpha-fetoprotein level (AFP, P = 0.006). Knockdown GOLPH3 expression inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis in HCC cell lines. What's more, knockdown GOLPH3 expression led to tumor growth restriction in xenograft tumor model. The expression of phosphorylated mTOR, AKT and S6 K1 were significantly higher in HCC tumor tissue and cell lines compared with those in normal liver tissues (p < 0.05). While the phosphorylated mTOR, AKT and S6 K1 were much lower when diminished GOLPH3 expression in HCC cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: The current study suggests that GOLPH3 contributes to the tumorigenesis of HCC by activating mTOR signaling pathway. GOLPH3 is a promising diagnose biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC. Our study may provide a scientific basis for developing effective approaches to treat the HCC patients with GOLPH3 overexpression.

Scutellarin Increases Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis and Autophagy to Overcome Cisplatin Resistance in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer via ERK/p53 and c-met/AKT Signaling Pathways.

Cisplatin, as the first-line anti-tumor agent, is widely used for treatment of a variety of malignancies including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the acquired resistance has been a major obstacle for the clinical application. Scutellarin is a active flavone extracted from Erigeron breviscapus Hand-Mazz that has been shown to exhibit anticancer activities on various types of tumors. Here, we reported that scutellarin was capable of sensitizing A549/DDP cells to cisplatin by enhancing apoptosis and autophagy. Mechanistic analyses indicated that cisplatin-induced caspase-3-dependent apoptosis was elevated in the presence of scutellarin through activating extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)-mediated p53 pathway. Furthermore, scutellarin also promoted cisplatin-induced cytotoxic autophagy, downregulated expression of p-AKT and c-met. Deficiency of c-met reduced p-AKT level, and inhibition of p-AKT or c-met improved autophagy in A549/DDP cells. Interestingly, loss of autophagy attenuated the synergism of this combination. In vivo, the co-treatment of cisplatin and scutellarin notably reduced the tumor size when compared with cisplatin treatment alone. Notably, scutellarin significantly reduced the toxicity generated by cisplatin in tumor-bearing mice. This study identifies the unique role of scutellarin in reversing cisplatin resistance through apoptosis and autophagy, and suggests that combined cisplatin and scutellarin might be a novel therapeutic strategy for patients with NSCLC.

Cryptotanshinone reduces psoriatic epidermal hyperplasia via inhibiting the activation of STAT3.

The discovery of new therapeutic drugs with the efficacious and safe ability to prevent epidermal hyperplasia is extremely urgent for psoriasis. Cryptotanshinone (CTS), an active component isolated from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, has been reported to have antibacterial and antitumor effects. However, its effects on psoriasis have not been reported. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effects of CTS on imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriatic-like skin model and explored the underlying mechanisms. Our results revealed that CTS effectively alleviates IMQ-induced epidermal hyperplasia. In vitro studies also indicated that CTS potently inhibits the growth of keratinocytes. We further found that STAT3, a transcription factor for the cell growth, is the key mediator of CTS on the proliferation of keratinocytes. Taken together, our findings indicated that the curative effects of CTS on psoriasis are accomplished mainly through modulating STAT3, which providing evidences to develop CTS as a potential therapeutic agent for patients with psoriasis.

Geniposide attenuates Aß25-35-induced neurotoxicity via the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in HT22 cells.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is marked by the accumulation of amyloid-ß (Aß) and neuroinflammation which promote the development of AD. Geniposide, the main ingredient isolated from Chinese herbal medicine Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, has a variety of pharmacological functions such as anti-apoptosis and anti-inflammatory activity. Hence, we estimated the inflammatory cytotoxicity caused by Aß25-35 and the neuroprotective effects of geniposide in HT22 cells. In this research, following incubation with Aß25-35 (40 µM, 24 h) in HT22 cells, the methylthiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays showed that the cell survival rate was significantly decreased. In contrast, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay indicated that Aß25-35 enhanced ROS accumulation and apoptosis showed in both hoechst 33342 staining and annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. And then, immunofluorescence test revealed that Aß25-35 promoted p65 to transfer into the nucleus indicating p65 was activated by Aß25-35. Moreover, western blot analysis proved that Aß25-35 increased the expression of nitric oxide species (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß). Simultaneously, Aß25-35 also promoted the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), p-p65 and p-IκB-α accompanied with the increase in the level of beta-secretase 1 (BACE1) and caspase-3 which further supported Aß25-35 induced apoptosis and inflammation. Fortunately, this up-regulation was reversed by geniposide. In conclusion, our data suggest that geniposide can alleviate Aß25-35-induced inflammatory response to protect neurons, which is possibly involved with the inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in HT22 cells. Geniposide may be the latent treatment for AD induced by neuroinflammation and apoptosis.

Norcantharidin alone or in combination with crizotinib induces autophagic cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma by repressing c-Met-mTOR signaling.

There is an urgent need for effective molecular therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Norcantharidin (NCTD), a demethylated derivative of cantharidin, reportedly exhibits anticancer activity against various types of tumors, including HCC, though the mechanisms involved remain largely unknown. Here, we report that NCTD reduces viability of human MHCC-97H (97H) and HepG2 HCC cells, and induces cell death by triggering high levels of autophagy. Moreover, a significant attenuation of tumor growth was observed after NCTD treatment of HepG2 tumors in vivo, and this effect was enhanced by co-treatment with the c-Met inhibitor crizotinib. Interestingly, western blot analyses showed that the cytotoxic autophagy induced by NCTD correlates with a reduction in the phosphorylation status of both c-Met and m-TOR. These results suggest that cytotoxic autophagy resulting from inhibition of c-Met/mTOR signaling may be achieved in HCC by combined NCTD and crizotinib administration. Further studies to validate the therapeutic potential of this approach are warranted.