Curcumae Rhizoma - combined with Sparganii Rhizoma in the treatment of liver cancer: Chemical analysis using UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MSn, network analysis, and experimental assessment

Jing Wei, Xiaoping Wang, Ying Dong, Xiangjian Zhong, Xueyang Ren, Ruolan Song, Jiamu Ma, Axiang Yu, Qiqi Fan, Jianling Yao, Dongjie Shan, Fang Lv, Yuan Zheng, Qingyue Deng, Xianxian Li, Yingyu He, Shusheng Fan, Chongjun Zhao, Xiuhuan Wang*, Ruijuan Yuan*Gaimei She*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: Curcumae Rhizoma–Sparganii Rhizoma (CR-SR) is a traditional botanical drug pair that can promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and treat tumors in clinics. The aim of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic material basis and potential mechanisms of CR-SR, CR, and SR for the treatment of liver cancer. Method: The chemical profile analyses of CR-SR, CR, and SR were performed by molecular networking and UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MSn. The anti-liver cancer activities of CR-SR, CR, and SR were assessed by using a zebrafish xenograft model in vivo for the first time and detected by the HepG2 cell model in vitro. Combining the network analysis and molecular docking, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) experiments were undertaken to further explore the mechanisms of CR-SR, CR, and SR for the treatment of liver cancer. Results: In total, 65 components were identified in CR-SR, CR, and SR. Based on the clusters of molecular networking, a total of 12 novel diarylheptanoids were identified from CR-SR and CR. By combining our results with information from the literature, 32 sesquiterpenoids and 21 cyclic dipeptides were identified from CR-SR, CR, and SR. The anti-liver cancer activities were observed in both the drug pair and the single botanical drugs in vitro and in vivo, and the order of activity was CR-SR > CR > SR. They could downregulate the expression of proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Src (SRC), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), estrogen receptor-α (ESR1), prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), and amyloid precursor protein (APP). Conclusion: Taken together, the present study provided an experimental basis for the therapeutic material basis and potential molecular mechanisms of CR-SR, CR, and SR. This study provided a novel insight for objective clinical treatment of liver cancer.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1027687
JournalFrontiers in Pharmacology
Volume13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Dec 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Curcumae Rhizoma - Sparganii Rhizoma
  • UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS
  • liver cancer
  • molecular networking
  • zebrafish xenograft model

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