The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Metastasis is the most prevalent cause of cancer-associated deaths amongst patients with cervical cancer. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is essential for carcinogenesis, and it confers metastatic properties to cancer cells. Gossypol is a natural polyphenolic compound with anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, and anticancer activities. ⋯ Gossypol also decreased tumour growth in vivo in the nude mouse xenograft model. All these findings suggest that gossypol suppressed the invasion and migration of human cervical cancer cells by targeting the FAK signaling pathway and reversing TGF-[Formula: see text]1-induced EMT. Hence, gossypol warrants further attention for basic mechanistic studies and drug development.
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Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is the leading cause of acute liver failure (ALF) in the Western world, with limited treatment opportunities. 3,5,7,4[Formula: see text]-Tetrahydroxyflavanone (Dihydrokaempferol, DHK, Aromadendrin) is a flavonoid isolated from Chinese herbs and displays high anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities. In this study, we investigated the protective effect by DHK against APAP-induced liver injury in vitro and in vivo and the potential mechanism of action. Cell viability assays were used to determine the effects of DHK against APAP-induced liver injury. ⋯ Furthermore, SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527 aggravated APAP-induced hepatotoxicity when treating with DHK. Molecular docking results suggested potential interaction between DHK and SIRT1. Taken together, our study demonstrates that DHK protects against APAP-induced liver injury by activating the SIRT1 pathway, thereby promoting autophagy, reducing oxidative stress injury, and inhibiting inflammatory responses.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a well-established medical system with a long history. Currently, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly expanding in many fields including TCM. AI will significantly improve the reliability and accuracy of diagnostics, thus increasing the use of effective therapeutic methods for patients. ⋯ AI may bring clinical TCM diagnostics closer to western medicine. With the help of AI, more scientific evidence about TCM will be discovered. It can be expected that more unified guidelines for specific TCM syndromes will be issued with the development of AI-assisted TCM therapies in the future.
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Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a deadly malignant brain tumor that is resistant to most clinical treatments. Novel therapeutic agents that are effective against GBM are required. Antrodia cinnamomea has shown antiproliferative effects in GBM cells. ⋯ The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), Hippo/yes-associated protein (YAP), and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) pathways were suppressed by 4AALT3. Moreover, 4AALT3 decreased the level of DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase and showed a synergistic effect with temozolomide. Our findings provide the basis for exploring the beneficial effect of 4AALT3 on GBM in vivo.
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Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in tumor growth and metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated endothelial cell proliferation and migration are critical steps in tumor angiogenesis. Here, we investigated the anti-angiogenic activity of xanthorrhizol, a sesquiterpenoid isolated from the Indonesian medicinal plant Curcuma xanthorrhiza. ⋯ The in vitro and in vivo anti-angiogenic activities of xanthorrhizol were as potent as those of curcumin, a well-known anticancer agent derived from C. longa. Taken together, xanthorrhizol inhibits VEGF-induced angiogenesis of endothelial cells by blocking the activation of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS axis and subsequent upregulation of adhesion molecules induced by the transcriptional activation of NF-[Formula: see text]B. Xanthorrhizol is a promising anti-angiogenic agent and can serve as a beneficial agent to enhance anticancer treatments.