The American journal of Chinese medicine
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This study intends to explore the effects of Cucurbitacin B (CuB) and KIF20A on esophageal carcinoma (ESCA). Data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The expression properties of KIF20A have been confirmed by GEPIA and ualcan from TCGA. ⋯ Similarly, CuB treatment could inhibit cell proliferation, migration, and invasion concentration dependently. Furthermore, KIF20A accelerated the expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3, while the application of CuB inhibited KIF20A expression and attenuated the activation of the JAK/STAT3 pathway. These findings revealed that CuB could inhibit the growth, migration, and invasion of ESCA through downregulating the KIF20A/JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway, and CuB could serve as an essential medicine for therapeutic intervention.
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The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway is crucial for the pathogenesis of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, including acute lung injury (ALI). Apigenin (4[Formula: see text],5,7-trihydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonoid widely found in fruits, vegetables, and Chinese medicinal herbs that exhibits a range of pharmacological effects, such as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the efficacy of apigenin in STING pathway-mediated diseases remains unclear. ⋯ Importantly, SR-717 significantly reversed the inhibitory effects of apigenin in LPS-induced THP1-BlueTM ISG macrophages. Collectively, apigenin effectively alleviated innate immune responses and mitigated inflammation in LPS-induced ALI via inhibition of the STING/IRF3 pathway. These findings suggest the potential of apigenin as a prophylactic and therapeutic candidate for managing STING-mediated diseases.
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Flavonol and flavonoid compounds are important natural compounds with various biomedical activities. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop a strategy for the specific extraction of flavonol and flavonoid compounds. Quercetin is a well-studied flavonoid possessing many health benefits. ⋯ The specific adsorption ability of quercetin by QMIP was further explained using computation simulation that molecules with non-planar 3D conformations hardly entered the molecularly imprinted cavities on QMIP. Finally, QMIP was successfully used for the specific extraction of quercetin and five other flavonol and flavonoid compounds in the crude extracts from Sapium sebiferum. This study proposes a new strategy to synthesize the molecularly imprinted polymer based on a single template for enriching and loading a certain class of active ingredients with similar core structures from variable botanicals.
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Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Hence, there is a need to identify new therapeutic agents to improve the current repertoire of therapeutic drugs. Wogonin, a flavonoid from the herbal medicine Scutellaria baicalensis, has unique antitumor activity. ⋯ We detected phosphorylation of tumor-associated signaling pathways using a phosphorylated protein microarray and found that wogonin intervention significantly inhibited the phosphorylation level of the AKT protein in colorectal cancer cells. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, it was confirmed that wogonin exerted its antitumor effects against colorectal cancer by inhibiting phosphorylation in the AKT pathway. Our discovery of wogonin as an inhibitor of AKT phosphorylation provides new opportunities for the pharmacological treatment of colorectal cancer.
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Sophora flavescens has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 1700 years. This plant is known for its heat-clearing, damp-drying, insecticidal, and diuretic properties. Phytochemical research has identified prenylated flavonoids as a unique class of bioactive compounds in S. flavescens. ⋯ Despite the diverse biological effects of prenylated flavonoid compounds against similar diseases, their structure-activity relationship is not yet fully understood. This review aims to summarize the latest findings regarding the chemical composition, drug metabolism, pharmacological properties, toxicity, and structure-activity relationship of prenylated flavonoids from S. flavescens. It seeks to highlight their potential for clinical use and suggest directions for future related studies.