Triterpene saponosides from Lysimachia ciliata differentially attenuate invasive potential of prostate cancer cells.

Neither androgen ablation nor chemotherapeutic agents are effective in reducing the risk of prostate cancer progression. On the other hand, multifaceted effects of phytochemicals, such as triterpene saponins, on cancer cells have been suggested. A promising safety and tolerability profile indicate their possible application in the treatment of advanced prostate cancers.

Lclet 4 enhances pro-apoptotic and anti-invasive effects of mitoxantrone on human prostate cancer cells - in vitro study.

Triterpene saponosides are widely distributed plant secondary metabolites characterized by relatively low systemic cytotoxicity and a range of biological activities. These include anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, vasoprotective and antitumor properties. In particular, the ability of saponins to enhance the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs opened perspectives for their application in combined cancer chemotherapy.

Lovastatin-induced decrease of intracellular cholesterol level attenuates fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition in bronchial fibroblasts derived from asthmatic patients.

Chronic inflammation of the airways and structural changes in the bronchial wall are basic hallmarks of asthma. Human bronchial fibroblasts derived from patients with diagnosed asthma display in vitro predestination towards TGF-β-induced fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition (FMT), a key event in the bronchial wall remodelling. Statins inhibit 3-hydroxymethyl-3-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase, a key enzyme in the cholesterol synthesis pathway and are widely used as antilipidemic drugs.

Lithium Attenuates TGF-β(1)-Induced Fibroblasts to Myofibroblasts Transition in Bronchial Fibroblasts Derived from Asthmatic Patients.

Bronchial asthma is a chronic disorder accompanied by phenotypic transitions of bronchial epithelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts. Human bronchial fibroblasts (HBFs) derived from patients with diagnosed asthma display predestination towards TGF-β-induced phenotypic switches. Since the interference between TGF-β and GSK-3β signaling contributes to pathophysiology of chronic lung diseases, we investigated the effect of lithium, a nonspecific GSK-3β inhibitor, on TGF-β(1)-induced fibroblast to myofibroblast transition (FMT) in HBF and found that the inhibition of GSK-3β attenuates TGF-β(1)-induced FMT in HBF populations derived from asthmatic but not healthy donors.

Transition of asthmatic bronchial fibroblasts to myofibroblasts is inhibited by cell-cell contacts.

The role of airway wall remodelling in bronchial asthma is well established. Myofibroblasts, the cells displaying features intermediate between fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells, are involved in this process but the mechanism of myofibroblasts activation in the onset of the disease remains obscure. Myofibroblasts can differentiate from various cell types, including resident fibroblasts, and the fibroblasts to myofibroblasts transition (FMT) can be reproduced in vitro.