Mechanism Exploration of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. for Liver Cancer Based on Aspartic Acid Identification in Metabolomics.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anti-liver cancer effects and aspartic acid (Asp)-related action mechanism of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. (Lang Du, LD). METHODS: The mice model of liver cancer was established by injection of H22 cells. After 5 days, mice were randomly divided into model group, sorafenib group (20 mg/kg), LD high-dose (LDH, 1.36 g/kg) group, LD medium-dose (LDM, 0.68 g/kg) group, and LD low-dose (LDL, 0.34 g/kg) group, 10 mice each group. Drugs were intragastrically administered to the mice once daily for 10 days, respectively. Body weight, tumor size and tumor weight were recorded. Hepatic index was calculated. Pathological changes of liver cancer tissues were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining and TUNEL staining. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer was used to analyze different metabolites between the model and LDH groups. RESULTS: After LD treatment, tumor weight, tumor size and hepatic index were reduced compared with the model group. Necrocytosis and karyorrhexis of tumor cells were found. Moreover, 61 differential metabolites (18 up-regulated, 43 down-regulated) were affirmed and 20 pathways of KEGG (P<0.05) were gotten. In addition, Bel-7402, HepG2 and H22 cell viabilities were significantly increased after adding Asp into the medium. And then, the cell proliferation effect induced by Asp was ameliorated by LD. CONCLUSION: The anti-liver cancer efficacy of LD extract was validated in H22 mice model, and inhibition of Asp level might be the underlying mechanism.

Mechanisms of Euphorbia fischeriana steud. alcohol extracts intreatment of HCC based on network pharmacology and experiment verification / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the molecular mechanisms of alcohol extracts of Euphorbia fischeriana steud. against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through a combination of network pharmacology analysis and experimental validation. Methods The active ingredients and targets of alcohol extracts of Euphorbia fischeriana steud. were determined through TCMSP, Swiss ADME, Swiss Target Prediction database and references. The databases DisGeNET and GeneCards were employed to screen potential HCC-related genes. Venny platform, STRING platform and Cytoscape software were applied to construct active ingredient-target-disease and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network maps. Gene ontology (GO) and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed using the DAVID database. To assess the effects of Euphorbia fischeriana steud. alcohol extracts on BEL-7402 cells, the proliferation and apoptosis were detected by CCK-8, EdU and flow cytometry assays, and the related protein levels of JAK2/STAT3 pathway were analyzed by Western blot. Additionally, H22 hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model was used to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of Euphorbia fischeriana steud. alcohol extracts. Results A total of 916 HCC targeted genes, 30 active ingredients containing the related 567 potential targeted genes, and 115 intersection targets of disease and compounds were obtained. KEGG enrichment analysis identified JAK2/STAT3 signaling as a critical pathway. In vitro experiments showed the alcohol extracts of Euphorbia fischeriana steud. could inhibit proliferation, promote apoptosis and suppress JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in a dose-dependent manner in BEL-7402 cells. In addition, the alcohol extracts of Euphorbia fischeriana steud., either alone or in combination with sorafenib, dramatically blocked tumor growth in in vivo tests. Conclusions Euphorbia fischeriana steud. alcohol extracts have anti-cancer effects in HCC, and the molecular mechanisms may be connected to the regulation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Structurally diverse diterpenoids from the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud.

Four new diterpenoids (1-4), and 18 known ones were isolated from the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud (Euphorbiaceae). These diterpenoids shared six skeleton types, including ent-atisane, kaurane, 3,4-secokaurane, lathyrane, 4,5-secoatisane and ingenane diterpenoids. The structures of the new diterpenoids were characterized by a combination of spectroscopic techniques and X-ray crystallography. Moreover, biological evaluation revealed that compounds (16S*)-atisan-3ß,16,17-triol (7), (16S*)-3ß,16,17,18-tetrahydroxykaurane (12) and (16S*)-3α-hydroxykauran-16,17-acetonide (15) showed inhibitory activity against the interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) involved pathway.

Diverse gallotannins with α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity from the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana steud.

A phytochemical investigation of the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. led to the isolation of eleven undescribed gallotannins, fishertannins A-K, together with four known analogues. Their structures were elucidated by the comprehensive spectroscopic data including UV, IR, HR-ESI-MS, and NMR, while the absolute configurations of the sugar moiety were determined by the acid hydrolysis and HPLC analyses. Fishertannin A possessed an unusual skeleton comprised of acetophenone, galloyl group, arabinofuranosyl and glucopyranosyl moieties. Fishertannin B, fishertannin H, fishertannin K, 1,2,3-tri-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucopyranose, 3,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-D-glucopyranose, and 1,6-di-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucopyranose displayed the potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with the IC50 values of 15.48-177.13 µM. Examination of the structure-activity relationships (SAR) demonstrated that the galloyl and glucopyranosyl moieties played a key role in the inhibitory activity for both α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity. Among all isolates, 1,2,3-tri-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucopyranose showed the most potent and highly specific inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase with an IC50 value of 15.48 ± 0.60 µM. The kinetic analysis of 1,2,3-tri-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucopyranose disclosed the mixed inhibition type on α-glucosidase, and the molecular docking visualized the stable binding with the catalytic pocket of α-glucosidase (pdb 3A4A). These findings indicated the excellent antidiabetic potential of the gallotannins from E. fischeriana, while 1,2,3-tri-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucopyranose could be developed as a promising candidate for the treatment of T2DM with fewer side effects.

Bisfischoids A and B, dimeric ent-abietane-type diterpenoids with anti-inflammatory potential from Euphorbia fischeriana Steud.

Two undescribed ent-abietane-type diterpenoid dimers with nonacyclic backbone formed by intermolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition into a spirocyclic skeleton, bisfischoids A (1) and B (2), along with a known one fischdiabietane A (3), were identified from Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, ECD and NMR calculation combined with DP4+ probability analysis, as well as X-ray diffraction. The anti-inflammatory potential of dimers 1-3 were examined using their inhibitory effects on soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), which revealed that 1 and 2 exhibited promising activities with inhibition constant (Ki) of 3.20 and 1.95 µM, respectively. Further studies of molecular docking and molecular dynamics indicated that amino acid residue Tyr343 in the catalytic cavity of sEH was the key site for their inhibitory function.

Existing knowledge on Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. (Euphorbiaceae): Traditional uses, clinical applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. (Euphorbiaceae) is a perennial herb distributed in grassland, hill slopes or gravel hillside, with average altitude of 100-600 m. The whole grass of E. fischeriana is toxic with roots used as folk medicine to treat Zhushui, dyspepsia, abdominal distension, abdominal pain, cough, as well as external applications such as cure of scabies and tuberculosis of lymph nodes. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This systematic review aims to provide a detailed and in-depth summary about the reported advances in traditional uses, clinical applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicity of E. fischeriana, so as to offer fresh ideas and broader vision and insights for subsequent studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Various scientific data bases such as CNKI, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Pubmed, Science Direct, SciFinder Scholar and Web of Science were searched to collect information about E. fischeriana. Other relevant literatures were searched in 'Flora of China Editorial Committee', ancient books, Ph.D and Masters' Dissertation to get more data of E. fischeriana. RESULTS: A total of 241 chemical constituents have been identified from the roots of E. fischeriana, including diterpenoids, triterpenoids, meroterpenoids, acetophenones, flavonoids, coumarins, steroids, phenolic acids, tannins, etc. Various pharmacological activities have been demonstrated, especially anti-tumor, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anti-leukemia activities. Moreover, different investigations about clinical uses and toxicology of E. fischeriana indicated that attention should be paid to its usage and dosage. CONCLUSION: The researches of E. fischeriana are excellent, but gap still remains. As a poisonous traditional Chinese medicine, there are not enough studies on the toxicity of E. fischeriana. In addition, scholars' research on the pharmacological mechanism of E. fischeriana focuses more on the anti-tumor activity, which can be broadened in the future. Presumably, chemical constituents and biological activities of diterpenoids and trace meroterpenoids in E. fischeriana deserve further research in-depth in the future, in order to provide low toxicity and high efficiency lead compounds. Meanwhile, further studies on other medicinal aspects may lay a foundation for the comprehensive development and utilization of E. fischeriana.

Large-scale advances in SSR markers with high-throughput sequencing in Euphorbia fischeriana Steud

BACKGROUND: Euphorbia fischeriana Steud is a very important medicinal herb and has significant medical value for healing cancer, edema and tuberculosis in China. The lack of molecular markers for Euphorbia fischeriana Steud is a dominant barrier to genetic research. For the purpose of developing many simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers, we completed transcriptome analysis with the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. RESULTS: Approximately 9.1 million clean reads were acquired and then assembled into approximately 186.3 thousand nonredundant unigenes, 53,146 of which were SSR-containing unigenes. A total of 76,193 SSR loci were identified. Of these SSR loci, 28,491 were detected at the terminal position of ESTs, which made it difficult to design SSR primers for these SSR-containing sequences, and the residual SSRs were thus used to design primer pairs. Analyzing the results of these markers revealed that the mononucleotide motif A/T (44,067, 57.83% of all SSRs) was the most abundant, followed by the dinucleotide type AG/CT (9430, 12.38%). Using 100 randomly selected primer pairs, 77 primers were successfully amplified in Euphorbia fischeriana Steud, and 79 were successfully amplified in three other related species. The markers developed displayed relatively high quality and cross-species transferability. CONCLUSIONS: The large number of EST-SSRs exploited successfully in Euphorbia fischeriana Steud for the first time could provide genetic information for research on linkage maps, variety identification, genetic diversity analysis, and molecular marker-assisted breeding.

Daphnane-type diterpenoids from Euphorbia fischeriana Steud and their cytotoxic activities.

Two new daphnane-type diterpenoids fischerianin A (1) and fischerianin B (2), as well as two known ones langduin A (3) and langduin A6 (4), were isolated from the extracts of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud dry roots. Their structures including the absolute stereochemistry were determined by various spectroscopic methods and comparing their experimental and calculated CD spectra. 1 and 2 harbor a ketal group and a 9,13-oxide bridge in their C ring which is rare in daphnane-type diterpenoids. In cytotoxic assays, moderately inhibitory activities of 1-4 against human cancer cell lines (human malignant melanoma cell line, A375; human liver carcinoma cell line, HepG2; human promyelocytic leukemia cell line, HL-60; human Caucasian chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line, K562; human cervix epithelioid carcinoma cell line, HeLa) were observed, with IC50 values ranging from 5.31 to 21.46 µM.

Optimization of extraction for diterpenoids from Euphorbia fischeriana Steud using response surface methodology and structure identification by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS.

Jolkinolide A, jolkinolide B, 17-hydroxyjolkinolide A and 17-hydroxyjolkinolide B are abundant constitutes in Euphorbia Fischeriana Steud and exhibit profound bioactivities. In this study, they were selected as quality control to optimize the extraction of E. fischeriana. Response surface methodology employing Box-Behnken design was applied to test the optimal conditions for the extraction. The optimized conditions for the simultaneous extraction of four diterpenoids from E. fischeriana were: ethanol concentration 100%, extraction temperature 74 °C and extraction time 2.0 h. The extraction contents for jolkinolide A, jolkinolide B, 17-hydroxyjolkinolide A and 17-hydroxyjolkinolide B were 0.1763, 0.9643, 0.4245 and 2.8189 mg/g. The extract obtained under the optimal conditions was injected into UPLC-Q-TOF-MS system. Fifty-one peaks were identified. Two peaks were tentatively identified as new compounds. The compounds were diterpenoids, fatty oil, phenolics and others.

Antiproliferative diterpenoids and acetophenone glycoside from the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana.

Three undescribed compounds and nine known compounds were isolated from the Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. Their structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of the 1D and 2D NMR spectra and HRESIMS data. The absolute configurations of two undescribed diterpenoids were determined by comparing their experimental and calculated ECD data. To further understand the antitumor effects of E. fischeriana, we tested the antiproliferative activities of these compounds against AGS, Hep-G2 cell lines in vitro using CCK-8 assays. The results showed that both types of compounds had significant antiproliferative effects, among which a diterpenoid with a galloyl moiety (IC50 = 7.03 µM) was the most significant one that could be regarded as a potential leading compound against liver cancer for further comprehensive study.

A new highly oxygenated abietane diterpenoid and a new lysosome generating phorbol ester from the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud.

Twenty-two diterpenoids (1-22), including two new ones (1, a tigliane-type diterpenoid and 8, an abietane-type diterpenoid) were isolated from the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. Among them, compounds 4, 7, 12, 14-16, 19-21 are isolated from this plant for the first time. Their structures were elucidated through extensive 1D, 2D NMR and the HRESIMS data. The 13C data of 4 is hereby presented for the first time. The macrocyclic diterpenes 1 and 2 showed marked enhancement of lysosomal biosynthesis after evaluation using lysoTracker staining method.

Research progress on chemical constituents of diterpenoids of Euphorbiae Ebracteolatae Radix and its pharmacological activities / 中草药

Euphorbiae Ebracteolatae Radix is the dry root of plant Euphorbia fischeriana or E. ebracteolata of Euphorbiaceae, which is a widely utilized natural medicine with broad development prospect. It has been discovered that Euphorbiae Ebracteolatae Radix contains several biologically active constituents, among which diterpenoids are the most important. The diterpenoids of Euphorbiae Ebracteolatae Radix contain eight types including abietane-type, tigliane-type, pimarane-type, rosane-type, cembrane-type, ent-kaurane-type, ingenane-type and atisane-type. Diterpenoids of Euphorbiae Ebracteolatae Radix have significant anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and other pharmacological activities. In this paper, the chemical constituents of diterpenoids and pharmacological activities of Euphorbiae Ebracteolatae Radix in recent years were reviewed in order to provide references for better developing the resources of Euphorbiae Ebracteolatae Radix and its clinical application.

High-throughput sequencing analysis of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud provides insights into the molecular mechanism of pharmaceutical ingredient biosynthesis.

High-throughput sequencing is an effective approach to analyse the bioinformation on the molecular biological and whole genome levels, especially in non-model plants for which reference genome sequences are unavailable. In this study, high-throughput sequencing analysis of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud was conducted on the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. A total of 9,6481,893 raw reads were generated and assembled into 304,217 transcripts and 186,384 unigenes. Of the 186,384 unigenes, 77.45% were annotated in at least one database, and some pathways involved in the biosynthesis of the terpenoid backbone were closely linked to the main anticancer components. In addition, 7452 transcription factors and 76,193 SSRs were detected. This study may provide a candidate pathway for terpenoid backbone biosynthesis in this medicinal plant.

Structural Diversity and Biological Activities of Diterpenoids Derived from Euphorbia fischeriana Steud.

Diterpenoids are the focus of natural product drug discovery because of their great structural diversity and pronounced biological activities. Euphorbia fischeriana Steud is a Chinese traditional medicinal herb for curing edema, ascites, and cancer. This plant contains rich diterpenoids. Based on the carbon skeleton and substituents, it can be classified into thirteen subtypes: ent-abietane, daphnane, tigliane, ingenane, ent-atisane, ent-rosane, ent-kaurene, ent-kaurane, secotigliane, lathyrane, ent-pimarene, isopimarene and dimeric. In this paper, we reviewed the chemical structures and biological activities of 90 diterpenoids isolated from this medicinal herb. We hope that this work can serve as a reference for further research of these diterpenoids and lay the foundation for drug discovery.

Anti-Cancer Activities of Diterpenoids Derived from Euphorbia fischeriana Steud.

Euphorbia fischeriana Steud is an essential oriental folk medicine used for healing cancer, edema and tuberculosis. Recently, its anticancer activitity has attracted more attention. A volume of research has indicated that diterpenoids are the major anticancer active constituents from this medicinal herb. In this review, we aimed to provide a summary of the promising anticancer diterpenoids from this plant; many diterpenoids mentioned in this article are newly discovered diterpenoids. According to the carbon skeleton and substituents, they can be classified into eight subtypes: ent-abietane, daphnane, tigliane, ingenane, ent-atisane, ent-rosane, ent-kaurane, and lathyrane. Futhermore, their key anticancer mechanisms and protein targets of these compounds will be discussed. These natural diterpenoids could provide a reservoir for drug discovery.

Chemical profiling of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. by UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS.

Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS) in positive ion mode was used to profile and identify the major constituents in Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. (E. fischeriana). An Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18 column was used to separate the crude extract of E. fischeriana, and the mobile phases were acetonitrile and 0.1% aqueous formic acid (v/v). A total of 40 peaks were detected, and 37 components, including phloroglucinol derivatives, diterpenoids and nitrogenous compounds, were identified based on their accurate masses and fragmentation characteristics. The chemical structures of 7 of the detected compounds were determined by comparing standard compounds to the compounds that were isolated from E. fischeriana. Reasonable fragmentation mechanisms and key fragment ions of the four jolkinolide components were determined to aid in the identification of the other diterpenoids in E. fischeriana. In addition, the compound corresponding to peak 18, namely, jolkinomethylide, was determined to be new, and its chemical structure was determined and elucidated based on MS and NMR spectroscopic data. The present study provided valuable information on the new components in E. fischeriana and established a practical method for evaluating the quality of E. fischeriana.

Development of matrix solid-phase dispersion coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for determination of jolkinolide A and jolkinolide B in Euphorbia fischeriana Steud.

A novel and simple method was established for the extraction and determination of jolkinolide A and B in Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. using matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The optimised conditions for the MSPD extraction were determined to be that silica gel was served as dispersant, the mass ratio of sample to silica gel was selected to be 1:4, and 5 mL of acetonitrile was used as elution solvent. The method exhibited a good performance in terms of linearity (r2 ≥ 0.9997) and the limits of detection in the range of 0.052-0.065 µg mL-1. The recoveries were in the range of 90.2-98.9% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 1.3 to 3.5%. The extraction efficiencies obtained by the MSPD were higher than other extraction method with less cost of sample and solvent. At last, the optimised method was applied for analysing real samples.

Euphorbia fischeriana Steud inhibits malignant melanoma via modulation of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway.

Euphorbia fischeriana Steud, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to inhibit the growth of various cancers by the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway and the inhibitory effect of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud on the growth and metastasis of melanoma B16 cells in vitro, and the underlying mechanisms. MTT assay results indicated that Euphorbia fischeriana Steud inhibited the growth of B16 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that Euphorbia fischeriana Steud markedly induced apoptosis of the B16 cells, with arrest at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. In addition, in a Transwell assay Euphorbia fischeriana Steud significantly suppressed the migration of B16 cells. Western blot analysis revealed that the expression levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) were upregulated, and the phosphorylation of Akt was downregulated, which resulted in inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and the eventual suppression of its downstream targets, such as matrix metalloproteinase-2 mRNA, in B16 cells. The results demonstrated that Euphorbia fischeriana Steud inhibited the growth and migration of B16 cells, possibly via modulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and upregulation of PTEN expression levels, in addition to downregulation of p-Akt expression. The aforementioned findings suggest that Euphorbia fischeriana Steud may have broad therapeutic applications in the treatment of malignant melanoma.

Two new ent-atisanes from the root of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud.

Two new ent-atisanes ent-1ß,3ß,16ß,17-tetrahydroxyatisane (1), ent-1ß,3α,16ß,17-tetrahydroxyatisane (2) together with 11 known diterpenes were isolated from the anti-tumour activity fraction of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud. The compounds were identified by detailed spectroscopic analysis, including extensive 2D-NMR experiments. X-ray analysis was applied to determine the structure of compound 2. All 13 compounds were screened for cytotoxicity in vitro against human tumour MCF-7, HepG-2 and SGC-7901 cell lines. Compounds 1 and 2 showed the inhibitory effects against MCF-7 with IC50 levels of 23.21 and 15.42 µM; simultaneously, compounds 4, 6, 8 and 11 also had definite inhibitory effect against different cell lines.

An HPLC method for determination of ebracteolatain A content in the root of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud and Euphorbia ebracteolata Hayata / 第二军医大学学报

Objective To establish a method for determination of ebracteolatain A content in the root of traditional Chinese medicine white Langdu, including Euphorbia fischeriana Steud and Euphorbia ebracteolata Hayata. Methods An HPLC-DAD method was created for determination at the following condition:the column was Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 (4.6 mm×150 mm, 5 μm);mobile phase was acetonitrile:0.1% formic acid in water=55:45(V:V), isocratic elution, the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1, the temperature of column was 25°C, the detection wavelength was set at 290 nm, the injection volume was 20 μL, and the running time was 20 min. Results Ebracteolatain A was separated from the interference in the baseline, and the linear range was 4.545-227.3 μg·mL-1, with the linear correlation being 0.9999 for ebracteolatain A. The result of intra-day and inter-day precisions were both within 2%(n=3), and the average recovery was (99.14±3.4)%(n=6). The content of ebracteolatain A in two batches of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud and Euphorbia ebracteolata Hayata were (56.73±1.09) μg/g, (18.98±2.11) μg/g and (235.2±2.4) μg/g (n=6), respectively. Conclusion The present method is simple, rapid, accurate and convenient for determination of ebracteolatain A in the root of traditional Chinese medicine white Langdu.