Eight compounds were isolated from Bufonis periostracum by repeated column chromatography on silica gel, ODS and Sephadex LH-20 and their structures were characterized as palmitatic acid cholesteryl ester (1), cholesterol (2), 5alpha, 8alpha-epidioxycholesta-6-en-3beta-ol (3), cholest-5-en-3beta, 7beta-diol (4), cholest-7-en-3beta, 5alpha, 6beta-triol (5), 3-octaddecyloxy-1, 2-propanediol (6), isisamide (7) and bufothionine (8) on the base of spectral analysis. Compounds 1-8 were isolated from Bufonis periostracum for the first time and compounds 3, 5, 6, 7 were obtained from Bufo bufo gargarizans and Bufo genus for the first time. The bioassays showed all tested samples displayed no antitumor activity against the cell lines such as A549, BeL 7402, HGC-27 and HL-60, except the control compound bufalin.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Bufo bufo ; metabolism ; Bufonidae ; metabolism ; Humans

Acetates ; metabolism ; Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; metabolism ; pharmacokinetics ; Biotransformation ; Diterpenes ; metabolism ; Paclitaxel ; metabolism ; Taxoids ; metabolism ; pharmacokinetics

Guanylate-binding protein 1 (GBP1) is an interferon induced protein, that belongs to the guany late-binding protein family. GBP1 is widely involved in anti-infection immune responses, anti-tumor activity and various biological reactions. Recent studies have proved that IFN-alpha, IFN-beta, IFN-gamma, IL1alpha, IL1beta, TNF-alpha and LPS can induce GBP1 expression; hence, the diverse biological functions of GBP1 have been gradually deduced and exploited. Many studies have been performed over recent years to understand the exact mechanisms that underlie the anti-infection and anti-tumor properties of GBP1. This review describes the molecular structure, biological activity, anti-infective properties and other functions of GBP1, in order to provide insights into the divergent roles of GBP1 in the regulation of various biological processes.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; metabolism ; Antiviral Agents ; metabolism ; GTP-Binding Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Interferons ; genetics ; metabolism

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a malignant tumor of the digestive tract with poor patient prognosis. The PC incidence is still increasing with a 5-year survival rate of only 10%. At present, surgical resection is the most effective method to treat PC, however, 80% of the patients missed the best time for surgery after they have been diagnosed as PC. Chemotherapy is one of the main treating methods but PC is insensitive to chemotherapy, prone to drug resistance, and is accompanied by many side effects which are related to a lack of specific target. Exosomes are nanoscale vesicles secreted by almost all cell types and can carry various bioactive substances which mediate cell communication and material transport. They are characterized by a low immunogenicity, low cytotoxicity, high penetration potential and homing capacity, and possess the potential of being used as advanced drug carriers. Therefore, it is a hot research topic to use drug-loaded exosomes for tumor therapy. They may alleviate chemotherapy resistance, reduce side effects, and enhance the curative effect. In recent years, exosome drug carriers have achieved considerable results in PC chemotherapy studies.
Humans ; Exosomes/metabolism* ; Drug Carriers/metabolism* ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use*

The regio- and stereo-selective hydroxylations of two ingenane diterpenoids, 20-deoxyingenol (1) and 13-oxyingenol dodecanoat (2), by the filamentous fungi Mortierella ramanniana and Gibberella fujikuroi were investigated in the present study. Four undescribed metabolites (3-6) of substrate 1 and two undescribed metabolites (7 and 8) of substrate 2 were isolated. All the metabolites were identified as hydroxylated ingenane derivatives by extensive NMR and HR-ESI-MS data analyses. All the biotransformed compounds and the substrates were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against three human cancer cell lines, including human colon cancer Caco-2, breast cancer MCF-7, and adriamycin (ADM)-resistant MCF-7/ADM cell lines. All ingenane alcohols (1, and 3-6) displayed no significant cytotoxic activities. The substrate 13-oxyingenol dodecanoat (2) showed moderate cytotoxicity with IC values being 35.59 ± 5.37 μmol·L (Caco-2), 24.04 ± 4.70 μmol·L (MCF-7), and 22.24 ± 5.19 μmol·L (MCF-7/ADM). However, metabolites 7 and 8 displayed no significant cytotoxicity. These results indicated that the hydroxylation at the C-13 aliphatic acid ester of substrate 2 can significantly reduce the cytotoxic activity.
Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Biotransformation ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Diterpenes ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Gibberella ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hydroxylation ; Molecular Structure ; Mortierella ; metabolism ; Stereoisomerism

Hypericin is one of the most important phenanthoperylene quinones extracted mainly from plants of the genus Hypericum belonging to the sections Euhypericum and Campylosporus of Keller's classification. Widespread attention to the antiviral and anti-tumor properties of hypericin has spurred investigations of the chemical synthesis and biosynthesis of this unique compound. However, the synthetic strategies are challenging for organic and biological chemists. In this review, specific significant advances in total synthesis, semi-synthesis, and biosynthesis in the past decades are summarized.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; Antiviral Agents ; Humans ; Hypericum ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Perylene ; analogs & derivatives ; chemical synthesis ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; biosynthesis ; chemical synthesis

Produced by and purified from Taxus brevifolia, Taxol (paclitaxel) has become a widely used cancer drug in clinic. Due to the rapid growing market, current industrial production of taxol by semi-synthesis that consumes large amount of Taxus trees cannot meet the requirement of the market. The discovery of taxol-producing fungus Taxomyces andeanae, an endophyte of T. brevifolia, by Stierle et al (1993), paves a new way to the production of the drug, i.e. employing large-scale fungal fermentation to make Taxol at lower cost and yet higher yield. This review discusses the present problems in taxol production in pharmaceutical industry, the finding and research progress on taxol-producing fungi, and the potential application of fungal fermentation to manufacture this important drug.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; biosynthesis ; Fermentation ; Mitosporic Fungi ; metabolism ; Paclitaxel ; biosynthesis ; Taxus ; microbiology ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

Personalising cancer treatment to optimise therapeutic efficacy while minimising exposure to the toxicities of ineffective drugs is the holy grail of medical oncology. Clinical parameters and conventional histopathological characterisations of cancers are no longer adequate to guide the practising oncologists in treatment planning. The explosion of knowledge in cancer molecular biology has led to the availability of tumour-specific molecules that serve as predictive and prognostic markers. In breast cancer, HER-2 positivity is a good predictor for success of anti-HER-2 trastuzumab monoclonal antibody therapy. K-ras mutational status predicts the likelihood of response to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies in advanced colorectal cancers. Similarly, EGFR mutational status in pulmonary adenocarcinoma is highly predictive for responses or otherwise to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Notwithstanding our deeper understanding of tumour biology and the availability of predictive and prognostic laboratory tools, we are still far from achieving our dream of the perfect personalised cancer treatment, as each tumour in a particular patient is unique to itself. A much coveted, real-time, anti-tumour drug sensitivity testing in the future may one day pave the way for truly treating the right tumour with the right drug in the right patient.
Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; genetics ; Genomics ; methods ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Prognosis

Camptothecin is a strong anti-tumor compound isolated from Camptotheca acuminata. One of the most important way for the production of Camptothecin is by cell cultures of Camptotheca acuminata. The effect of Cu2+ on camptothecin accumulation in Camptotheca acuminata cell line was described in this paper. The results showed that the optimum CuCl2 concentration in B5 medium was 0.008 mg/mL, which increased camptothecin production for 30 times compare to the control while has no inhibitive effects on cell growth, at the same time, the peroxidase activity was increased and the anthocyanidin accumulation was inhibited. The promotive effects of Cu2+ on camptothecin accumulation in light was higher than that in dark.
Anthocyanins ; biosynthesis ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; biosynthesis ; Camptotheca ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Camptothecin ; biosynthesis ; Copper ; pharmacology ; Light

Tumorous cells are characterized by distinctive metabolic reprogramming and living conditions. Understanding drug metabolizing features in tumor cells will not only favor the estimation of metabolic rate, elimination half life and the assessment of potency, but also facilitate the optimal design of anti-tumor drugs/prodrugs. This article reviewed the expression and activity features of major drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) in solid tumorous tissues, such as liver, intestine, breast and lung, and the difference from the correspondingly normal tissues, exemplified by the metabolic properties of some classic antitumor-agents in tumorous tissues. In combination with the data retrieved in vitro tumor cell lines, we discussed the similarities and differences of DMEs expression and function between tumor tissues (in vivo) and tumor cells (in vitro), and proposed the possible factors that cause the differences.
Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacokinetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Inactivation, Metabolic ; Liver ; metabolism ; Neoplasms ; enzymology ; Prodrugs ; pharmacokinetics