Ru-Ming Liu

Ganoderic acid Mf and S induce mitochondria mediated apoptosis in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells.

In this work, the effects of a pair of positional isomer of ganoderic acids (GAs), namely ganoderic acid Mf (GA-Mf) and ganoderic acid S (GA-S) purified from the fermented mycelia of Ganoderma lucidum, on induction of cell apoptosis and the apoptotic pathway in HeLa cells were investigated. The results demonstrate that both isomers decreased cell population growth on various human carcinoma cell lines by MTT assay, while GA-Mf had better selectivity between normal and cancer cells. The flow cytometry analysis indicated that treatment of HeLa cells with GA-S caused cell cycle arrest in the S phase, while GA-Mf caused cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase. Compared with GA-S, GA-Mf had more potent increase in the number of early and late apoptotic cells. Treatment of HeLa cells with each isomer decreased the mitochondria membrane potential and caused the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol. In addition, stimulation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity was observed. The Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was also increased in GA-treated HeLa cells. The results demonstrated that both isomers GA-Mf and GA-S induced apoptosis of human HeLa cells through a mitochondria mediated pathway, but they had the different cell cycle arrest specificity. The findings will be helpful to the development of useful cancer chemopreventive compounds from G. lucidum.

Cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects of novel ganoderic acid derivatives on human cervical cancer cells in vitro.

Ganoderic acid T, a triterpenic acid produced by Ganoderma lucidum, has demonstrated therapeutic potential for tumor disease. In the current work, ganoderic acid T was modified to produce more effective small-molecule inhibitors of cancer cell proliferation. Moreover, the anticancer effects of three new ganoderic acid T derivatives, i.e., (22S,24E)-3α,15α,22-triacetoxy-5α-lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-26-oic acid ethyl ester (TLTO-Ee), (22S,24E)-3α,15α,22-triacetoxy-5α-lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-26-oic acid propyl ester (TLTO-Pe), and (22S,24E)-3α,15α,22-triacetoxy-5α-lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-26-oic acid amide (TLTO-A), and one known derivative, (22S,24E)-3α,15α,22-triacetoxy-5α-lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-26-oic acid methyl ester (TLTO-Me), on the cervical cell line HeLa were investigated and compared. MTT assay indicated that, among the tested compounds, TLTO-A displayed the highest inhibitory effect on the growth of HeLa cells, whereas it showed less cytotoxicity to the non-tumorous cell line MCF-10A than ganoderic acid T. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that all the compounds caused cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, they decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential and enhanced the activities of pro-apoptotic factors caspase-3 and caspase-9 in a dose-dependent manner. Accordingly, the apoptosis induction was presumed to occur through the endogenous pathway. The following order ranks both cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects of the compounds against HeLa cells: TLTO-A>ganoderic acid T≈TLTO-Me≈TLTO-Ee≈TLTO-Pe. This study suggests that the carboxyl group of ganoderic acid T is not the main active group and is suitable for its further structural modification. The current work presents valuable information on the design of ganoderic acid T derivatives to develop potential chemotherapy agents.

A new ganoderic acid from Ganoderma lucidum mycelia and its stability

A new ganoderic acid (GA), 3α,22β-diacetoxy-7α-hydroxyl-5α-lanost-8,24E-dien-26-oic acid (1), together with four known compounds GA-Mk (2), -Mc (3), -S (4) and -Mf (5), was isolated and characterized from Ganoderma lucidum mycelia. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated on the basis of interpretation of extensive spectroscopic data (HRMS, IR, UV, 1D and 2D NMR). Due to its apparent degradation during preparation procedures, the stability of compound 1 was assessed in several solvents in a short-term study that demonstrated the optimal stability in aproptic environment. A possible mechanism of acid-catalyzed degradation of compound 1 in methanol was proposed, consisting of a fast protonation, followed by a committed step of hydroxyl group removal. In addition, all isolated compounds were tested in vitro for their cytotoxic activities against 95D and HeLa tumor cell lines, with IC(50) values ranging from14.7 to 38.5μM. The results may improve the understanding of chemical stability of GAs and provide valuable information on their separation, analysis and application.

A new ganoderic acid from Ganoderma lucidum mycelia

A new ganoderic acid (GA), 7-O-ethyl ganoderic acid O (GA-O) (1), together with two known compounds, GA-T (2) and GA-Me (3), was isolated and purified from fermented mycelia of Ganoderma lucidum. The structure of the new triterpenoid was elucidated on the basis of the interpretation of extensive spectroscopic data (HR-MS, IR, UV, 1D and 2D NMR) as 3α,15α,22-triacetoxy-7α-ethoxy-5α-lanost-8,24E-dien-26-oic acid. The new compound was found to contain a rare ethoxyl group at C-7. In addition, its cytotoxicity against 95D and HeLa human cancer cell lines was also evaluated.

Hyaluronic acid enhances proliferation of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells through activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

This study investigated the pro-proliferative effect of hyaluronic acid (HA) on human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) and the underlying mechanisms. Treatment with HA increased cell population growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Analyses by flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry revealed that HA did not change the cytophenotypes of hAMSCs. Additionally, the osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic differentiation capabilities of these hAMSCs were retained after HA treatment. Moreover, HA increased the mRNA expressions of wnt1, wnt3a, wnt8a, cyclin D1, Ki-67, and β-catenin as well as the protein level of β-catenin and cyclin D1 in hAMSCs; and the nuclear localization of β-catenin was also enhanced. Furthermore, the pro-proliferative effect of HA and up-regulated expression of Wnt/β-catenin pathway-associated proteins - wnt3a, β-catenin and cyclin D1 in hAMSCs were significantly inhibited upon pre-treatment with Wnt-C59, an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These results suggest that HA may positively regulate hAMSCs proliferation through regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

New cytochalasins from medicinal macrofungus Crodyceps taii and their inhibitory activities against human cancer cells.

Three new cytochalasins (1-3) together with two known cytochalasin analogues (4 and 5) were isolated from the chloroform fraction of ethanolic extract of a medicinal macrofungus Cordyceps taii. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR experiments. The cytotoxicities of Compounds 1-5 were investigated by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) method in vitro against human highly metastatic lung cancer cell 95-D, human lung cancer cell line A-549 and normal hepatocyte HL-7702. The results revealed that Compounds 4 and 5 showed potent antitumor activities against human lung cancer cell 95-D with IC50 value of 3.67 and 4.04 μM, respectively. In comparison with cisplatin, the first-line chemotherapy drug, they had little or no cytotoxicity on normal cells, but showed stronger cytotoxic effects on cancer cells 95-D.

Synergistic antitumor efficacy of antibacterial helvolic acid from Cordyceps taii and cyclophosphamide in a tumor mouse model

The antibacterial agent helvolic acid, which was isolated from the active antitumor fraction of Cordyceps taii, showed potent cytotoxicity against different human cancer cells. In the present study, the in vivo antitumor effect of helvolic acid was investigated in murine sarcoma S180 tumor-bearing mice. Doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg/day helvolic acid did not exert significant antitumor activity. Interestingly, co-administration of 10 mg/kg/day helvolic acid and 20 mg/kg/day cyclophosphamide (CTX) – a well-known chemotherapy drug – showed promising antitumor activity with a growth inhibitory rate of 70.90%, which was much higher than that of CTX alone (19.5%). Furthermore, the combination markedly prolonged the survival of tumor-bearing mice. In addition, helvolic acid enhanced the immune organ index. The protein expression levels of β-catenin, cyclin D1, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen were significantly suppressed in mice treated with 20 mg/kg/day helvolic acid and in those receiving combination therapy. Taken together, these results indicated that helvolic acid in combination with CTX showed potent in vivo synergistic antitumor efficacy, and its mechanism of action may involve the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.