1.
In silico identification of natural products from Traditional Chinese Medicine for cancer immunotherapy.
Cai, C, Wu, Q, Hong, H, He, L, Liu, Z, Gu, Y, Zhang, S, Wang, Q, Fan, X, Fang, J
Scientific reports. 2021;(1):3332
Abstract
Advances in immunotherapy have revolutionized treatments in many types of cancer. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has a long history of clinical adjuvant application against cancer, is emerging as an important medical resource for developing innovative cancer treatments, including immunotherapy. In this study, we developed a quantitative and systems pharmacology-based framework to identify TCM-derived natural products for cancer immunotherapy. Specifically, we integrated 381 cancer immune response-related genes and a compound-target interaction network connecting 3273 proteins and 766 natural products from 66 cancer-related herbs based on literature-mining. Via systems pharmacology-based prediction, we uncovered 182 TCM-derived natural products having potential anti-tumor immune responses effect. Importantly, 32 of the 49 most promising natural products (success rate = 65.31%) are validated by multiple evidence, including published experimental data from clinical studies, in vitro and in vivo assays. We further identified the mechanism-of-action of TCM in cancer immunotherapy using network-based functional enrichment analysis. We showcased that three typical natural products (baicalin, wogonin, and oroxylin A) in Huangqin (Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi) potentially overcome resistance of known oncology agents by regulating tumor immunosuppressive microenvironments. In summary, this study offers a novel and effective systems pharmacology infrastructure for potential cancer immunotherapeutic development by exploiting the medical wealth of natural products in TCM.
2.
Anti-cancer effect of toosendanin and its underlying mechanisms.
Zhang, S, Cao, L, Wang, ZR, Li, Z, Ma, J
Journal of Asian natural products research. 2019;(3):270-283
Abstract
Toosendanin (TSN) is a triterpenoid purified from the medicinal herb Melia toosendan Sieb. et Zucc and has been used as an insecticide for decades. Recent studies have attracted increasing interest of TSN due to its novel anti-cancer effect in diverse cancer models. The broad spectrum anti-cancer activity suggests that TSN inhibits multiple pathways/targets that are critical for cancer cell survival and proliferation. Our recent study indicated that TSN has anti-cancer effect in glioblastoma through induction of estrogen receptor β (ERβ) and p53. This review highlights the anti-cancer efficacy of TSN and provides proof-of-principle insight into the underlying mechanisms.