The role of BDNF transcription in the antidepressant-like effects of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid in a chronic social defeat stress model.

Background: Xiaoyaosan (XYS), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, has been used in the treatment of depression. However, no studies have yet identified the active compounds responsible for its antidepressant effects in the brain.

Study Design: We investigated the antidepressants effects of XYS and identified 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (18β-GA) as the primary compound present in the brain following XYS injection.

Xiaoyaosan ameliorates depressive-like behavior and susceptibility to glucose intolerance in rat: involvement of LepR-STAT3/PI3K pathway in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus.

Background: Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus is likely responsible for the close association between chronic stress, depression, and diabetes. Xiaoyaosan (XYS), a Chinese herbal formula, remarkably improves depressive-like behavior and glucose intolerance, but the mechanism remains unclear. Leptin receptor (LepR) regulates energy expenditure and depression by mediating the action of leptin on the ARC.

Xiaoyaosan inhibits neuronal apoptosis by regulating the miR-200/NR3C1 signaling in the prefrontal cortex of chronically stressed rats.

Background: Depression is a prevalent emotion disorder which is thought to be due to neuronal structural alterations and/or functional impairment within specific brain regions. Several studies have shown that microRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of depression. As a Chinese herbal formula, Xiaoyaosan (XYS) could have antidepressive effects, although the mechanisms associated with microRNAs are poorly understood.

Simotang Alleviates the Gastrointestinal Side Effects of Chemotherapy by Altering Gut Microbiota.

Simotang oral liquid (SMT) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) consisting of four natural plants and is used to alleviate gastrointestinal side effects after chemotherapy and functional dyspepsia (FD). However, the mechanism by which SMT helps cure these gastrointestinal diseases is still unknown. Here, we discovered that SMT could alleviate gastrointestinal side effects after chemotherapy by altering gut microbiota.

Effects of Histone Modification in Major Depressive Disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a disease associated with many factors; specifically, environmental, genetic, psychological, and biological factors play critical roles. Recent studies have demonstrated that histone modification may occur in the human brain in response to severely stressful events, resulting in transcriptional changes and the development of MDD. In this review, we discuss five different histone modifications, histone methylation, histone acetylation, histone phosphorylation, histone crotonylation and histone β-hydroxybutyrylation, and their relationships with MDD.

Circular RNAs in depression: Biogenesis, function, expression, and therapeutic potential.

Depression is the second most common disease burden worldwide that threatens human health; however, mechanisms underlying the development of depression remain unclear. A family of non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs (circRNAs), has been shown to play a critical role in the development of depression by competitively binding to certain microRNAs (miRNA) and regulating the expression of target genes. Behavioral symptoms of depression may be ameliorated by knockdown or overexpression of depression-associated circRNAs.

Feruloylated oligosaccharides and ferulic acid alter gut microbiome to alleviate diabetic syndrome.

Gut microbiome has been proven to be involved in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Additionally, increasing evidence showed that the composition of gut microbiome is highly associated with the outcome of T2D therapy. Previously we demonstrated that feruloylated oligosaccharides (FOs) and ferulic acid (FA) alleviated diabetic syndrome in rats, but the detailed mechanism has not been explored yet.

Digitoxin inhibits proliferation of multidrug-resistant HepG2 cells through G/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a challenge in the medical field due to its high malignancy and mortality rates particularly for HCC, which has developed multidrug resistance. Therefore, the identification of efficient chemotherapeutic drugs for multidrug resistant HCC has become an urgent issue. Natural products have always been of significance in drug discovery.

CB-5083, an inhibitor of P97, suppresses osteosarcoma growth and stem cell properties by altering protein homeostasis.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents, and its treatment still needs to be improved. Here, we assessed the antitumor ability of CB-5083, an oral inhibitor of P97, in osteosarcoma. MTT, colony formation, sphere formation, cell cycle and apoptosis assays and animal studies showed that CB-5083 significantly inhibited osteosarcoma cell growth in vitro and in vivo.

Xiaoyaosan improves depressive-like behavior in rats with chronic immobilization stress through modulation of the gut microbiota.

Depression has become the leading cause of disability worldwide and a growing public health problem in China. In addition, intestinal flora may be associated with depression. This study investigated the effect of the decoction Xiaoyaosan (XYS) against depressive behavior through the regulation of intestinal flora.

Betulinic acid inhibits the migration and invasion of fibroblast-like synoviocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The aggressive phenotype displayed by fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) contributes to cartilage and bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Betulinic acid has been demonstrated to have a positive therapeutic effect on tumor, inflammation and immune disorder, however, the effects of betulinic acid on RA FLSs have not been verified. Therefore, in the present study, we observed the effect of betulinic acid on the migration and invasion of RA FLSs and explored its underlying signal mechanisms.

Degalactotigonin, a Natural Compound from ., Inhibits Growth and Metastasis of Osteosarcoma through GSK3β Inactivation-Mediated Repression of the Hedgehog/Gli1 Pathway.

Agents extracted from natural sources with antitumor property have attracted considerable attention from researchers and clinicians because of their safety, efficacy, and immediate availability. Degalactotigonin (DGT), extracted from , has anticancer properties without serious side effects. Here, we explored whether DGT can inhibit the growth and metastasis of osteosarcoma.

Targeting BMI1 Cancer Stem Cells Overcomes Chemoresistance and Inhibits Metastases in Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck (HNSCC) is a common yet poorly understood cancer, with adverse clinical outcomes due to treatment resistance, recurrence, and metastasis. Putative cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in HNSCC, and BMI1 expression has been linked to these phenotypes, but optimal treatment strategies to overcome chemotherapeutic resistance and eliminate metastases have not yet been identified. Here we show through lineage tracing and genetic ablation that BMI1 CSCs mediate invasive growth and cervical lymph node metastasis in a mouse model of HNSCC.

Dihydromyricetin activates AMP-activated protein kinase and P38(MAPK) exerting antitumor potential in osteosarcoma.

Numerous patients with osteosarcoma either are not sensitive to chemotherapy or develop drug resistance to current chemotherapy regimens. Therefore, it is necessary to develop several potentially useful therapeutic agents. Dihydromyricetin is the major flavonoid component derived from Ampelopsis grossedentata, which has a long history of use in food and medicine.

Downregulation of MCT1 inhibits tumor growth, metastasis and enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy in osteosarcoma through regulation of the NF-κB pathway.

Monocarboxylate transporter isoform 1 (MCT1) is an important member of the proton-linked MCT family and has been reported in an array of human cancer cell lines and primary human tumors. MCT1 expression is associated with developing a new therapeutic approach for cancer. In this study, we initially showed that MCT1 is expressed in a variety of human osteosarcoma cell lines.

Nigericin selectively targets cancer stem cells in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is prevalent in southern China, northern Africa, and Alaska. The prognosis for NPC patients at early stage is good, while it is poor for patients at late stages. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been proposed to be associated with tumor initiation, relapse and metastasis, and the poor prognosis of NPC likely results from residual CSCs after therapy.

Smac mimetics in combination with TRAIL selectively target cancer stem cells in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a common malignancy in Southern China. After radiotherapy and chemotherapy, a considerable proportion of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma suffered tumor relapse and metastasis. Cancer stem cells (CSC) have been shown with resistance against therapies and thus considered as the initiator of recurrence and metastasis in tumors, where the antiapoptotic property of CSCs play an important role.

Repressing malic enzyme 1 redirects glucose metabolism, unbalances the redox state, and attenuates migratory and invasive abilities in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines.

A large amount of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) is required for fatty acid synthesis and maintenance of the redox state in cancer cells. Malic enzyme 1(ME1)-dependent NADPH production is one of the three pathways that contribute to the formation of the cytosolic NADPH pool. ME1 is generally considered to be overexpressed in cancer cells to meet the high demand for increased de novo fatty acid synthesis.

MiR-138 suppressed nasopharyngeal carcinoma growth and tumorigenesis by targeting the CCND1 oncogene.

The microRNA miR-138 is dysregulated in several human cancers, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we report that miR-138 is commonly underexpressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) specimens and NPC cell lines. The ectopic expression of miR-138 dramatically suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro and inhibited tumorigenesis in vivo.