OBJECTIVE: To entrap carvacrol (CAR) in bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSANPs) to form CAR-loaded BSANPs (CAR@BSANPs) and to explore the anti-cancer effects in breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7 cells) treated with CAR and CAR@BSANPs. METHODS: A desolvation method was used to synthesize BSANPs and CAR@BSANPs. The BSANPs and CAR@BSANPs were characterized by several physicochemical methods, including visual observation, high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography. MCF-7 cells were used and analyzed after 24 h of exposure to CAR and CAR@BSANPs at half-maximal inhibitory concentration. The anti-proliferative, apoptotic, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging activity as well as gene expression analysis were investigated by the cell viability assay, phase-contrast microscopy, 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate assay, Griess-Illosvoy colorimetric assay, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. RESULTS: CAR and CAR@BSANPs showed anti-proliferative, apoptotic, ROS generation, and NO scavenging effects on MCF-7 cells. Expression profile of B-cell lymphoma 2-like 11 (BCL2L11), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), hypoxia inducible factor factor-1α (HIF1A), BCL2L11/apoptosis regulator (BAX), and BCL2L11/Bcl2 homologous antagonist/killer 1 (BAK1) ratios revealed downregulated genes; and BAX, BAK1, and CASP8 were upregulated by CAR and CAR@BSANPs treatment. In vitro anticancer assays of the CAR and CAR@BSANPs showed that CAR@BSANPs demonstrated higher therapeutic efficacy in the MCF-7 cells than CAR. CONCLUSIONS CAR and CAR@BSANPs affect gene expression and may subsequently reduce the growth and proliferation of the MCF-7 cells. Molecular targeting of regulatory genes of the MCF-7 cells with CAR and CAR@BSANPs may be an effective therapeutic strategy against breast cancer.
Humans ; Cymenes ; Nanoparticles/ultrastructure* ; MCF-7 Cells ; Breast Neoplasms/genetics* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Serum Albumin, Bovine/chemistry* ; Monoterpenes/therapeutic use* ; Adenocarcinoma/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Female ; Cell Survival/drug effects* ; Animals ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects* ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism* ; Cattle

This paper aims to study the effect of p-cymene on mice with deficiency-cold syndrome induced by hydrocortisone and deficiency-heat syndrome induced by dexamethasone and explore the medicinal properties and mechanism of p-cymene with mild and warm nature based on the dominant characteristics of the two-way applicable conditions of mild drugs. A total of 80 KM mice were randomly divided into blank group, deficiency-cold syndrome model group, deficiency-cold syndrome + ginseng group, and deficiency-cold syndrome + low-dose and high-dose p-cymene groups, as well as blank group, deficiency-heat syndrome model group, deficiency-heat syndrome + American ginseng group, and deficiency-heat syndrome + low-dose and high-dose p-cymene groups. Hydrocortisone and dexamethasone solution were intragastrically administered for 14 consecutive days to prepare deficiency-cold syndrome and deficiency-heat syndrome models. Except for the blank group and the model group intragastrically administered with normal saline, the other groups were intragastrically administrated with drugs for 14 days. The levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate(cGMP), triiodothyronine(T3), thyroxine(T4), total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), immunoglobin G(IgG), and immunoglobin M(IgM) in serum, as well as the activity of Na~+-K~+-ATPase in liver tissue were detected. The expression of transient receptor potential melastatin 8(TRPM8), transient receptor potential vanilloid 1(TRPV1), and uncoupling protein 1(UCP1) in brown adipose tissue of deficiency-cold syndrome model after intervention with p-cymene was studied. The results showed that p-cymene could effectively improve the levels of cAMP, cAMP/cGMP, TC, IgM, and IgG in serum and the activity of Na~+-K~+-ATPase in liver tissue of mice with deficiency-cold syndrome and reduce the content of cGMP. The effects on T3, T4, and TG were not statistically significant. At the same time, p-cymene could reduce the levels of cAMP, cAMP/cGMP, and T4 in serum and the activity of Na~+-K~+-ATPase in liver tissue of mice with deficiency-cold syndrome and increase the levels of cGMP, IgM, and IgG, and it had no effect on T3, TC, and TG. In addition, p-cymene could up-regulate the expression of TRPV1 and UCP1 in brown fat of mice with deficiency-cold syndrome and down-regulate the expression of TRPM8. In summary, p-cymene could significantly regulate the syndrome indexes of mice with deficiency-cold syndrome, and some indexes of mice with deficiency-heat syndrome could be improved, but the effects on lipid metabolism and energy metabolism indexes were not obvious, indicating that the regulation effect of p-cymene on deficiency-cold syndrome model was more prominent and that the medicinal properties of p-cymene were mild and warm. The regulation of TRPV1/TRPM8/UCP1 channel expression may be the molecular biological mechanism of p-cymene with mild and warm nature affecting the energy metabolism of the body.
Animals ; Cymenes ; Mice ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal ; Humans ; Cyclic AMP/metabolism* ; Monoterpenes/administration & dosage* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Cyclic GMP/metabolism* ; TRPV Cation Channels/genetics* ; Uncoupling Protein 1/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of carvacrol on the biological behavior of leukemia cells and its regulation to circ-0008717/miR-217 molecular axis. METHODS: Human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells Molt-4 were cultured in vitro, and different concentrations of carvacrol were added to the cells. si-NC and si-circ-0008717 were transfected into Molt-4 cells (si-NC group, si-circ-0008717 group). pcDNA, pcDNA-circ-0008717, anti-miR-NC, anti-miR-217 were transfected into Molt-4 cells and then added to carvacrol-treated cells (carvacrol+pcDNA group, carvacrol+pcDNA-circ-0008717 group, carvacrol+anti-miR-NC group, carvacrol+anti-miR-217 group). MTT, plate clone formation experiment, and flow cytometry were used to detect the viability of the cell, colony formation number, and apoptosis rate of cells, respectively. The RT-qPCR method was used to detect the expression levels of circ-0008717 and miR-217. The dual luciferase reporter gene experiment was used to detect the targeting relationship between circ-0008717 and miR-217. RESULTS: After carvacrol treatment, the cell viability decreased significantly (r=-0.9405), expression level of circ-0008717 decreased (r=-0.9117), colonies formed number decreased (r=-0.9256), while the cell apoptosis rate increased (r= 0.8464), and the expression level of miR-217 increased (r=0.9468). Compared with the si-NC group, the expression level of miR-217 in si-circ-0008717 group increased (P＜0.001), the cell apoptosis rate increased (P＜0.001), while cell viability decreased (P＜0001), the number of colonies formed decreased (P＜0.001). Compared with the carvacrol+pcDNA group, the cell viability of the carvacrol+pcDNA-circ-0008717 group increased (P＜0.001), the number of colonies formed increased (P＜0.001), while the cell apoptosis rate decreased (P＜0.001). circ-0008717 could target miR-217. The cell viability of the carvacrol+anti-miR-217 group increased (P＜0.001), and the number of colonies formed increased (P＜0.001), while the cell apoptosis rate decreased (P＜0001) as compared with the carvacrol+anti-miR-NC group. CONCLUSION Carvacrol can promote the expression of miR-217 by down-regulating the expression of circ-0008717, thereby reducing the proliferation and cloning ability of leukemia cells and promoting cell apoptosis.
Antagomirs ; Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Cymenes ; Humans ; Leukemia ; MicroRNAs/genetics*