Evodiamine, a bioactive indole alkaloid from Evodia rutaecarpa, E. rutaecarpa var. officinalis, or E. rutaecarpa var. bodinieri, has been extensively investigated due to its pharmacological activities in recent years. At present, evodiamine is proved to significantly suppress the proliferation of a variety of cancer cells and mediate cell processes such as cell cycle arrest and cell migration. In addition, evodiamine displays significant pharmacological activities against cardiovascular diseases(hyperlipidemia, etc.), and tinea manus and pedis. Recently, evodiamine has been found to have potential toxic effects, such as hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and cardiotoxicity. However, the pharmacological and toxicological mechanism of evodiamine is not clear, and its toxicity in vitro and in vivo has been rarely reported. Therefore, this study reviewed the pharmacological and toxicological articles of evodiamine in recent years, aiming at providing new ideas and references for future research.
Evodia ; Hand Dermatoses ; Humans ; Plant Extracts ; Quinazolines/toxicity* ; Tinea

OBJECTIVE: To investigate evodiamine (EVO)-induced hepatotoxicity and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: HepG2 cells were treated with EVO (0.04-25 μmol/L) for different time intervals, and the cell survival rate was examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method. After HepG2 cells were treated with EVO (0.2, 1 and 5 μmol/L) for 48 h, the alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities and total bilirubin (TBIL) content of supernatant were detected. A multifunctional microplate reader was used to detect the intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in HepG2 cells to evaluate the level of cell lipid peroxidation damage. The interactions between EVO and apoptosis, autophagy or ferroptosis-associated proteins were simulated by molecular docking. The HepG2 cells were stained by mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) fluorescent probe (JC-10) and annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide (Annexin V-FITC/PI), and MMP and apoptosis in HepG2 cells were detected by flow cytometry. The protein expression levels of caspase-9, caspase-3, bile salt export pump (BSEP) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The cell survival rate was significantly reduced after the HepG2 cells were exposed to EVO (0.04-25 μmol/L) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the HepG2 cells treated with EVO for 24, 48 and 72 h were 85.3, 6.6 and 4.7 μmol/L, respectively. After exposure to EVO (0.2, 1 and 5 μmol/L) for 48 h, the ALT, AST, LDH, ALP activities and TBIL content in the HepG2 cell culture supernatant, and the MDA content in the cells were increased, and SOD enzyme activity was decreased. Molecular docking results showed that EVO interacted with apoptosis-associated proteins (caspase-9 and caspase-3) better. JC-10 and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining assays demonstrated that EVO could decrease MMP and promote apoptosis in the HepG2 cells. Western blot results indicated that the protein expressions of cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3 were upregulated in the HepG2 cell treated with EVO for 48 h. In contrast, the protein expressions of pro-caspase-3, BSEP and MRP2 were downregulated. CONCLUSION These results suggested that 0.2, 1 and 5 μmol/L EVO had the potential hepatotoxicity, and the possible mechanism involved lipid peroxidation damage, cell apoptosis, and cholestasis.
ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 11 ; Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Caspase 9 ; Cholestasis ; Hep G2 Cells/drug effects* ; Humans ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Liver/drug effects* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Multidrug Resistance-Associated Protein 2 ; Quinazolines/toxicity*

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a prototypic halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon (HAH), is known as one of the most potent toxicants. At least a part of its toxic effects appears to be derived from its ability to induce TNF-alpha production. However, the signaling pathway of TCDD that leads to TNF-alpha expression has not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the signaling mechanism of TCDD-induced TNF-alpha expression in PMA-differentiated THP-1 macrophages. TCDD induced both mRNA and protein expression of TNF-alpha in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Alpha-Naphthoflavone (NF), an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) inhibitor, prevented the TCDD-induced expression of TNF-alpha at both mRNA and protein levels. Genistein, a protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitor, and PD153035, an EGFR inhibitor, also blocked the increase of TNF-alpha expression by TCDD, indicating the role of EGFR in TCDD-induced TNF-alpha expression. On the other hand, PP2, a c-Src specific inhibitor, did not affect TCDD-induced TNF-alpha expression. EGFR phosphorylation was detected as early as 5 min after TCDD treatment. TCDD-induced EGFR activation was AhR-dependent since co-treatment with alpha-NF prevented it. ERK was found to be a downstream effector of EGFR activation in the signaling pathway leading to TNF-alpha production after TCDD stimulation. Activation of ERK was observed from 30 min after TCDD treatment. PD98059, an inhibitor of the MEK-ERK pathway, completely prevented the TNF-alpha mRNA and protein expression induced by TCDD, whereas inhibitors of JNK and p38 MAPK had no effect. PD153035, an EGFR inhibitor, as well as alpha-NF significantly reduced ERK phosphorylation, suggesting that ERK activation by TCDD was mediated by both EGFR and AhR. These results indicate that TNF-alpha production by TCDD in differentiated THP-1 macrophages is AhR-dependent and involves activation of EGFR and ERK, but not c-Src, JNK, nor p38 MAPK. A signaling pathway is proposed where TCDD induces sequential activation of AhR, EGFR and ERK, leading to the increased expression of TNF-alpha.
Animals ; Benzoflavones/pharmacology ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Enzyme Activation ; Genistein/pharmacology ; Hazardous Substances/*toxicity ; Humans ; MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects/physiology ; Macrophages/*metabolism ; Mice ; Phosphorylation ; Pyrimidines/pharmacology ; Quinazolines/pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor/antagonists & inhibitors/metabolism ; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/antagonists & inhibitors ; Signal Transduction ; Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin/*toxicity ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/*biosynthesis ; src-Family Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors/metabolism

BACKGROUNDGefitinib, an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase, is an effective treatment for epithelial tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and is generally well tolerated. However, some clinical trials revealed that gefitinib exposure caused lung fibrosis, a severe adverse reaction. This study investigated the effect of gefitinib on lung fibrosis in mice.

METHODSWe generated a mouse model of lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin to investigate the fibrotic effect of gefitinib. C57BL/6 mice were injected intratracheally with bleomycin or saline, with intragastric administration of gefitinib or saline. Lung tissues were harvested on day 14 or 21 for histology and genetic analysis.

RESULTSThe histological results showed that bleomycin successfully induced lung fibrosis in mice, and gefitinib prevented lung fibrosis and suppressed the proliferation of S100A4-positive fibroblast cells. In addition, Western blotting analysis revealed that gefitinib decreased the expression of phosphorylated EGFR (p-EGFR). Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) demonstrated that gefitinib inhibited the accumulation of collagens I and III.

CONCLUSIONSThese results reveal that gefitinib reduces pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin in mice and suggest that administration of small molecule EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors has the potential to prevent pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the proliferation of mesenchymal cells, and that targeting tyrosine kinase receptors might be useful for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in humans.

Animals ; Bleomycin ; toxicity ; Blotting, Western ; Collagen Type I ; genetics ; Collagen Type III ; genetics ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Quinazolines ; therapeutic use ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction