Pharmaceutical Biology

Integrated pharmacoanalysis, bioinformatics analysis, and experimental validation to identify the ingredients and mechanisms of Xiao-Luo-Wan in uterine fibroids treatment

Xiao-Luo-Wan (XLW), a classical prescription in traditional Chinese medicine, has therapeutic effects on uterine fibroids (UFs). Herein, its anti-UF effects were examined using a systematic pharmacological method. To explore the active ingredients of XLW A mass spectrometer was used to scrutinize the composition of the XLW drug-containing serum. The critical targets and potential mechanisms of XLW against UFs were predicted by network pharmacology and molecular docking. Next, human uterine leiomyoma cells (UMCs) were treated with 20%, 30%, or 40% XLW serum for 24 h, 48 h or 72 h. Cell viability was analyzed There were 16 chemical components identified in XLW drug-containing serum, with 53 target genes predicated in the treatment of UFs. The molecular binding of core targets, including TRIM9, NF-κB and p38MAPK, was relatively stable to components, especially buergerinin B, cedrol and ent-15B-16-epoxy- kauan-17-ol. The The integration of mass spectrometry, network pharmacology, molecular docking and biological experiments revealed the key constituents of XLW and its pharmacological mechanism in UFs, which may help in the discovery of therapeutic agents for treating UFs.

Comparative efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine injections as an adjunctive therapy for cervical cancer in Chinese patients: a network meta-analysis

Chinese medicine injections (CMIs) are widely used as adjuvant therapy for cervical cancer in China. However, the effectiveness of different types of CMIs remains uncertain. To assess the effectiveness and safety of CMIs when used in conjunction with radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), particularly in combination with cisplatin (DDP), docetaxel plus cisplatin (DP), and paclitaxel plus cisplatin (TP). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in databases including CNKI, WanFang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science from inception to September 2023. We calculated the risk ratio with a 95% confidence interval and the surface under the cumulative ranking area curve (SUCRA) for the clinical efficacy rate (CER), the efficacy rate by Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), and the rates of leukopenia reduction (LRR) and gastrointestinal reactions (GRR). Forty-seven RCTs were included, including nine CMI types: The optimal recommendation depends on whether CMIs are used with radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy. More high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm further and update the existing evidence.

Cytotoxic activity of standardized extracts, a fraction, and individual secondary metabolites from fenugreek seeds against SKOV-3, HeLa and MOLT-4 cell lines

The cytotoxic activities of standardized extracts and a fraction from fenugreek seeds and their compounds (sapogenins, flavone C-glycosides, alkaloid trigonelline) against human cancer SKOV-3, HeLa and MOLT-4 cells were evaluated. Fenugreek seeds were extracted with 70% methanol (A) or water (B). Furthermore, the seeds were purified with petroleum ether and chloroform and next extracted with methanol to obtain fraction (C). The quantitative analysis of saponins and flavonoids in the extracts was done with HPLC methods. The extracts (5-120 µg/mL) and compounds (1-50 µg/mL) were tested on the cells by MTT assay and RTCA system. The effect of a fraction on ROS production, mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase-3/7 activity in HeLa and SKOV-3 cells was also evaluated by flow cytometry. The strongest cytotoxic activity on cancer cells showed the fraction C (IC The obtained results complement the data on the cytotoxic activity of

Nanocurcumin preserves kidney function and haematology parameters in DMBA-induced ovarian cancer treated with cisplatin via its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effect in rats

Cisplatin, as a first-line treatment for ovarian cancer, is associated with debilitating adverse effects, including nephrotoxic and haematotoxic effects. This study determines whether nanocurcumin, combined with cisplatin, would give additional benefit to kidney function and haematological parameters in rats with ovarian cancer. Twenty-five Wistar rats were divided into five untreated rats and 20-dimethylbenz( Nanocurcumin alleviates the increase in kidney function markers and abnormalities in haematological indices in rats treated with cisplatin. Compared to cisplatin-treated rats, plasma urea levels decreased from 66.4 to 47.7 mg/dL, creatinine levels lowered from 0.87 to 0.82 mg/dL, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels declined from 8.51 to 3.59 mIU/mg protein. Furthermore, the therapy increased glutathione activities (from 2.02 to 3.23 U/µL), reduced lipid peroxidation (from 0.54 to 0.45 nmol/mL), and decreased plasma TNF-α (from 270.6 to 217.8 pg/mL). Cisplatin with nanocurcumin in an ovarian cancer rat model may provide additional benefits as a preventive agent against renal impairment and cisplatin-induced haematological toxicity. However, further research is required to prove that using nanocurcumin for a more extended time would not affect its anticancer properties.

Methyl lucidone induces apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest via the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway in ovarian cancer cells

Vitexin suppresses the proliferation, angiogenesis and stemness of endometrial cancer through the PI3K/AKT pathway

Endometrial cancer is a common gynecologic malignancy. Vitexin is an active flavonoid compound with an antitumor function. This study elucidated the role of vitexin in endometrial cancer development and clarified the potential mechanism. The toxicity of vitexin (0-80 μM) treatment for 24 h on HEC-1B and Ishikawa cells was tested utilizing the CCK-8 assay. Endometrial cancer cells were divided into vitexin 0, 5, 10, and 20 μM groups. Cell proliferation, angiogenesis and stemness Vitexin suppressed cell viability of HEC-1B (IC Vitexin has therapeutic potential on endometrial cancer, which supports further clinical trials.

Bersaldegenin-1,3,5-orthoacetate induces caspase-independent cell death, DNA damage and cell cycle arrest in human cervical cancer HeLa cells

Bufadienolide compounds occur in many plants and animal species and have strong cardiac and anti-inflammatory properties. The compounds have been recently investigated for cytotoxic and antitumor activity. The cytotoxic effect of bersaldegenin-1,3,5-orthoacetate The cytotoxic activity of the compound (at 0.1-20.0 μg/mL) on the cells was determined by Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA) system for 24 h. The estimation of cell cycle arrest, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and caspases-3/7/9 activity in the HeLa cells treated with the compound was done by flow cytometry and luminometric technique. DNA damage in the cells was estimated by immunofluorescence staining and the comet assay with etoposide as a positive control. The compound had strong effect on the cells (IC Bersaldegenin-1,3,5-orthoacetate induces cell cycle arrest and caspase-independent cell death through double-stranded DNA damage. These results are an important step in further studies on cell death signalling pathways induced by bufadienolides.