Meng-Lu Song, Yun-Yun Sun, Hai-Jun Yin, Yi Li, Hua Yang
{"title":"p-Coumaric acid alleviates neuronal damage in ischemic stroke mice by promoting BACH1 nuclear export and degradation.","authors":"Meng-Lu Song, Yun-Yun Sun, Hai-Jun Yin, Yi Li, Hua Yang","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01510-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41401-025-01510-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Oxidative damage induced by glutamate triggers neuronal death in cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury. BTB and CNC homology 1 (BACH1) is a major link between the cellular heme level, the redox state and the transcriptional response. p-Coumaric acid (p-CA) is a natural antioxidant that has been shown to ameliorate ischemic/reperfusion injury. In this study, we investigated whether and how p-CA regulated BACH1 in ischemic/reperfusion injury from the perspective of BACH1 subcellular localization and function. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was established in male mice. MCAO mice were treated with p-CA (50, 100 mg/kg, ip) twice 5 min after MCAO and 5 h after reperfusion operation, respectively. We showed that p-CA treatment exerted dramatic neuroprotective effects, which were associated with the inhibition of BACH1. In HT22 cells, treatment with p-CA (20 μM) ameliorated OGD/R or glutamate-induced oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction through decreasing the protein level of BACH1, the beneficial effect of p-CA was blocked by BACH1 overexpression. We demonstrated that BACH1 level was markedly elevated in the nucleus of HT22 cells under glutamate stimulation, and transcriptionally regulated NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) expression, thus mediating ROS outbreak. p-CA treatment activated the activated Cdc42-associated kinase 1 (ACK1)/protein kinase B (AKT) cascade to facilitate the phosphorylation of BACH1, augmented its interaction with chromosome region maintenance 1 (CRM1), thereby leading to the export of BACH1 from the nucleus and degradation mediated by heme-oxidized IRP2 ubiquitin ligase-1 (HOIL-1). In accord with this, administration of ACK1 inhibitor AIM-100 (20 mg/kg, ip) 5 min after MCAO significantly attenuated the neuroprotective effects of p-CA in MCAO mice. We concluded that ACK1/AKT/BACH1 axis may serve as a promising therapeutic approach for the management of ischemic stroke, thereby broadening the clinical utility of p-CA.Keywords: ischemic/reperfusion injury; p-Coumaric acid; BACH1; NOX4; ACK1/AKT; AIM-100.</p>","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143633280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ting-Ting Li, Xiao-Fan Guo, Yi-Jing Zhao, Ya-Hong Cheng, Dan-Qing Xin, Yan Song, De-Xiang Liu, Zhen Wang
{"title":"Aberrant neuronal excitation promotes neuroinflammation in the primary motor cortex of ischemic stroke mice.","authors":"Ting-Ting Li, Xiao-Fan Guo, Yi-Jing Zhao, Ya-Hong Cheng, Dan-Qing Xin, Yan Song, De-Xiang Liu, Zhen Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01518-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41401-025-01518-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Current treatments for ischemic stroke aim to achieve rapid reperfusion with intravenous thrombolysis and/or endovascular thrombectomy, which have proven to attenuate disability. Despite the significant progress in reperfusion therapies, functional recovery remains inconsistent, primarily due to ongoing neuronal excitotoxicity and neuroinflammation. In this study we investigated the relationship between neuronal activity and neuroinflammation in an ischemic mouse model using chemogenetic techniques. MCAO cerebral ischemia model was established in mice; in vitro oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) was established in PC12 neurons. By measuring c-Fos expression, we showed that MCAO caused the activation of both excitatory and inhibitory neurons within the M1 primary motor cortex, which subsequently induced reactive activation of local microglia through the secretion of unique neuronal extracellular vesicles (EVs). Chemogenetic inhibition of abnormal neuronal activity in stroke-affected cortical neurons reversed microglia activation and reduced neuronal apoptosis. By analyzing the miRNAs in EVs from the ischemic M1 cortex, we found that miR-128-3p was significantly downregulated in ischemia-challenged neurons and their EVs, leading to neuronal injury and proinflammatory polarization of microglia. Intravenous injection of miR-128-3p mimics significantly improved neuronal survival, reduced neuroinflammation accompanied by better functional recovery after ischemic stroke. In summary, stroke-induced abnormal neuronal activity reduces miR-128-3p levels in ischemic neurons and EVs, leading to increased microglia activation and neuronal injury after a stroke. The study highlights that inhibiting abnormal neuronal activity or delivering miR-128-3p-enriched EVs as novel methods for stroke treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143612923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"CircSARS-CV2-N1368 from SARS-CoV-2 impairs endothelial cell function through the upregulation of ATF7 to activate TLR4/NF-κB/ROS signaling.","authors":"Yi-Hong Wen, Heng-Li Zhao, Shao-Yu Wu, Jia-Xue Jiang, Yuan Gao, Zi-Fan Wang, Xiao-Yao Liu, Fei Yu, Tao Ou, An-Zhi Zhao, Li-Wen Chen, Jin-Hua Fang, Hua-Yan Wu, Jie-Ning Zhu, Ning Ma, Jiu-Feng Sun, Xian-Hong Fang, Zhi-Xin Shan","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01516-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41401-025-01516-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>SARS-CoV-2 can encode circular RNAs (circRNAs); however, the potential effects of exogenous SARS-CoV-2 circRNAs on cardiovascular sequelae remain unknown. Three circRNAs derived from the nucleocapsid (N) gene of SARS-CoV-2, namely, circSARS-CV2-Ns, were identified for functional studies. In particular, circSARS-CV2-N1368 was shown to enhance platelet adhesiveness to endothelial cells (ECs) and inhibit EC-dependent vascular relaxation. Moreover, exogenous expression of circSARS-CV2-N1368 suppressed EC proliferation and migration and decreased angiogenesis and cardiac organoid beating. Mechanistically, we elucidated that circSARS-CV2-N1368 sponged the microRNA miR-103a-3p, which could reverse circSARS-CV2-N1368-induced EC damage. Additionally, activating transcription factor 7 (ATF7) was identified as a target gene of miR-103a-3p, and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was verified as a downstream gene of ATF7 that mediates circARS-CV2-N1368-induced activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling and ROS production in ECs. Importantly, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger NAC mitigated the circSARS-CV2-N1368-promoted EC impairment. Our findings reveal that the TLR4/NF-κB/ROS signal pathway is critical for mediating circSARS-CV2-N1368-promoted oxidative damage in ECs, providing insights into the endothelial impairment caused by circSARS-CV2-Ns.</p>","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Li-da Du, Cheng Fang, Yue-Qing Wang, Zi-Ying Feng, Ogunleye Femi Abiola, Zhao-Lin Gao, Ju-Yang Huang, Yin-Zhong Ma
{"title":"MMP-9 inhibitor SB-3CT improves neurological outcomes in ischemic stroke mice by modulation of astrocytic lipid metabolism.","authors":"Li-da Du, Cheng Fang, Yue-Qing Wang, Zi-Ying Feng, Ogunleye Femi Abiola, Zhao-Lin Gao, Ju-Yang Huang, Yin-Zhong Ma","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01505-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41401-025-01505-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The acute phase of ischemic stroke is marked by a surge in matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity. While integral to natural repair processes, MMP-9 exacerbates injury by breaking down the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and promoting edema and inflammation. MMP-9 is predominantly secreted by inflammatory cells such as neutrophils, macrophages and microglia soon after stroke onset. In this study we investigated the effects of MMP-9 inhibition via SB-3CT on astrocytic lipid metabolism, and its potential to enhance neuronal survival and recovery following ischemic stroke. Mice were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) for 60 min, mice then were injected with SB-3CT (25 mg/kg, i.v.). On D3 post tMCAO, neurological outcomes were assessed, and whole brains were collected for analysis. Lipidomic analysis of brain tissue showed that SB-3CT treatment significantly restrained astrocytic cholesterol metabolism by modulating the sphingolipid and glycerophospholipid pathways. Specifically, SB-3CT reduced ceramide accumulation and promoted an increase in neuroprotective hexosylceramides, leading to enhanced neuronal survival and synaptic integrity. In addition, SB-3CT treatment reduced astrocytic and microglial reactivity, thereby mitigating neuroinflammation. In order to optimize the timing and dosage of MMP-9 inhibition to maximize the therapeutic efficacy, tMCAO mice were given three injections of SB-3CT on D0, D2 and D4 within 7 days after modeling. We found that prolonged MMP-9 inhibition alleviated astrogliosis, concurrently impaired neurological recovery and inhibited angiogenesis. These results demonstrate the critical role of lipid metabolism in MMP-9-mediated brain injury and the potential of SB-3CT as a therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke by targeting astrocytic lipid metabolism.</p>","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wu-Li Zhao, Yan Xing, Cheng Ye, Yu-Han Qiu, Yi Li, Xiu-Jun Liu, Meng-Yan Wang, Chong-Wen Bi, Dan-Qing Song, Rong-Guang Shao
{"title":"Author Correction: The novel sophoridine derivate IMB-HDC induced lessened phosphorylation of STAT5a at 694 and 780 and promoted DNA breakage and cell apoptosis via blocking STAT5a nuclear translocation.","authors":"Wu-Li Zhao, Yan Xing, Cheng Ye, Yu-Han Qiu, Yi Li, Xiu-Jun Liu, Meng-Yan Wang, Chong-Wen Bi, Dan-Qing Song, Rong-Guang Shao","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01493-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41401-025-01493-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wen-Sheng Yang, Qing Liu, Yang Li, Guan-Yi Li, Shi Lin, Jie Li, Lin-Yu Li, Yuan Li, Xi-Lin Ge, Xiao-Zhen Wang, Wei Wu, Jun Yan, Guang-Fei Wang, Qing-Tong Zhou, Qiang Liu, Ming-Wei Wang, Zhi-Ping Li
{"title":"Oral FPR2/ALX modulators tune myeloid cell activity to ameliorate mucosal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease.","authors":"Wen-Sheng Yang, Qing Liu, Yang Li, Guan-Yi Li, Shi Lin, Jie Li, Lin-Yu Li, Yuan Li, Xi-Lin Ge, Xiao-Zhen Wang, Wei Wu, Jun Yan, Guang-Fei Wang, Qing-Tong Zhou, Qiang Liu, Ming-Wei Wang, Zhi-Ping Li","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01525-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41401-025-01525-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Current treatments of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) largely depend on anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive strategies with unacceptable efficacy and adverse events. Resolution or repair agents to treat IBD are not available but potential targets like formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2/ALX) may fill the gap. In this study we evaluated the therapeutic effects of two small molecule FPR2/ALX modulators (agonist Quin-C1 and antagonist Quin-C7) against IBD. We first analyzed the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Quin-C1-FPR2 in complex with heterotrimeric G<sub>i</sub> to reveal the structural basis for ligand recognition and FPR2 activation. We then established dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model in both normal and myeloid depletion mice. We showed that oral administration of Quin-C1 for 7 days ameliorated DSS-induced colitis evidenced by alleviated disease activity indexes, reduced colonic histopathological scores, and corrected cytokine disorders. Meanwhile, we found that oral administration of FPR2/ALX antagonist Quin-C7 exerted therapeutic actions similar to those of Quin-C1. In terms of symptomatic improvements, the ED<sub>50</sub> values of Quin-C1 and Quin-C7 were 1.3660 mg/kg and 2.2110 mg/kg, respectively. The underlying mechanisms involved ERK- or ERK/JNK-mediated myeloid cell regulation that limited the development of colitis and inflammation. This is the first demonstration of anti-colitis property caused by synthetic small molecule FPR2/ALX modulators, implying that FPR2/ALX modulation rather than agonism alone ameliorates IBD.</p>","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"CYP2A6 suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma via inhibiting SRC/Wnt/β-Catenin pathway.","authors":"Yi-Fan Liu, Li-Ya Feng, Wan-Ying Zhang, Xu Zhang, Li-Jun Shao, Xiao-Man Zhao, Jian-Bo Ji, Xiu-Li Guo","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01524-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41401-025-01524-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at advanced stages face limited treatment options, highlighting the urgent need for more effective early detection methods and advanced therapeutic modalities. Emerging evidence shows that multiple CYP450 proteins are involved in the pathogenesis of HCC. CYP1A2, CYP2E1 and CYP3A5 have been shown to modulate important signaling pathways, hereby inhibiting the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells. In this study we investigated the role of cytochrome P-450 2A6 (CYP2A6) in HCC progression, focusing on its potential as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target. By analyzing TCGA and GEO databases, we found that the expression levels of CYP2A6 were significantly decreased in HCC compared to normal tissues. Overexpression of CYP2A6 resulted in reduced proliferation, migration, invasion, adhesion, tube-forming in PLC/PRF/5 and HepG2 cells in vitro, as well as tumorigenicity and metastasis in nude mice. Notably, the anti-HCC effects of CYP2A6 were independent of its metabolic functions. We demonstrated that CYP2A6 could bind to proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase SRC (SRC) and inhibit the SRC/Wnt/β-Catenin pathway. Overexpression of SRC abrogated the inhibitory effects of upregulating CYP2A6 on the migration and invasion of PLC/PRF/5 cells. These results together suggest the potential of CYP2A6 as a biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC. Its modulation of the SRC/Wnt/β-Catenin pathway provides a new insight for HCC treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Epigenetic regulation of iron metabolism and ferroptosis in Parkinson's disease: Identifying novel epigenetic targets.","authors":"Xiao-Die Gao, Jian-E Ding, Jun-Xia Xie, Hua-Min Xu","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01499-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41401-025-01499-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease, and emerging evidence has shown that iron deposition, ferroptosis and epigenetic modifications are implicated in the pathogenesis of PD. However, the interplay among these factors in PD has not been fully understood. In this review, we provide an overview of the current research progress on iron metabolism, ferroptosis and epigenetic alterations associated with PD. Furthermore, we present new frontiers concerning various epigenetic modifications related to iron metabolism and ferroptosis that might contribute to the pathology of PD. Notably, epigenetic modifications of iron metabolism and ferroptosis as both diagnostic and therapeutic targets in PD have been discussed. This opens new avenues for the regulation of iron homeostasis and ferroptosis in PD from epigenetic perspectives, and provides evidence for their potential implications in the diagnosis and treatment of PD.</p>","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An efficient deep learning-based strategy to screen inhibitors for GluN1/GluN3A receptor.","authors":"Ze-Chen Wang, Yue Zeng, Jin-Yuan Sun, Xue-Qin Chen, Hao-Chen Wu, Yang-Yang Li, Yu-Guang Mu, Liang-Zhen Zheng, Zhao-Bing Gao, Wei-Feng Li","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01513-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41401-025-01513-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The GluN1/GluN3A receptor, a unique excitatory glycine receptor recently identified in the central nervous system, challenges traditional perspectives of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor diversity and glycinergic signaling. Its role in emotional regulation positions it as a potential therapeutic target for neuropsychiatric disorders. However, pharmacological research on GluN1/GluN3A receptors remains at an early stage. Traditional high-throughput screening methods for ion channel drug discovery often lack efficiency, particularly when applied to large compound libraries. To address this concern, we designed a deep learning-based strategy that balances efficiency and accuracy for identifying GluN1/GluN3A inhibitors. First, a sequence-based scoring function was developed to rapidly screen a library containing 18 million compounds, reducing the pool to approximately 10<sup>5</sup> candidates. Next, two complex-based scoring functions, IGModel and RTMScore, were employed to precisely score and rank the remaining candidates. Finally, an active molecule with an IC<sub>50</sub> of 2.87 ± 0.80 μM for the GluN1/GluN3A receptor was confirmed through whole-cell voltage-clamp electrophysiology. This study also presents a paradigm for integrating deep learning into rapid and precise high-throughput screening.</p>","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gracillin suppresses cancer progression through inducing Merlin/LATS protein-protein interaction and activating Hippo signaling pathway.","authors":"Jin-Xuan Su, Hai-Xia Zhou, Zhi-Jing Zhang, Xiao-Feng Zhou, Qiu-Ming Zou, Si-Jia Li, Xiao-Song Zhuang, Jian-Qin Lai, Si-Yu Yang, Kai Cui, Yong-Qi Liu, Rui-Jie Yuan, Heng-Xin Pan, Zi-Sheng Li, Han-Yun Tu, Mei Cheng, Yu Yan, Qi Qi, Yu-Bo Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s41401-025-01514-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41401-025-01514-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gene therapy, epigenetic therapies, natural compounds targeted therapy, photodynamic therapy, nanoparticles, and precision medicines are becoming available to diagnose and treat cancer. Gracillin, a natural steroidal saponin extracted from herbs, has shown potent efficacy against a range of malignancies. In this study, we investigated the molecular anticancer mechanisms of gracillin. We showed that gracillin dose-dependently suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion in breast cancer, liver cancer, and glioblastoma cells with IC<sub>50</sub> values around 1 μM, which were associated with MST-independent activation of Hippo signaling pathway and subsequent decreased YAP activity. We demonstrated that gracillin activated the Hippo signaling by inducing Merlin/LATS protein-protein interaction (PPI). A competitive inhibitory peptide (SP) derived from the binding interface of the PPI, disrupted the interaction, abolishing the anticancer activity of gracillin. In nude mice bearing MDA-MB-231, HCCLM3, or U87MG xenograft tumor, administration of gracillin (5, 10 mg·kg<sup>-1</sup>·d<sup>-1</sup>, i.g. for 21 days) dose-dependently suppressed the tumor growth, associated with the induced Merlin/LATS PPI, activated Hippo signaling, as well as decreased YAP activity in tumor tissues. Our data demonstrate that gracillin is an efficacious therapeutic agent for cancer treatment, induction of Merlin/LATS PPI might provide proof-of-concept in developing therapeutic agent for cancer treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":6942,"journal":{"name":"Acta Pharmacologica Sinica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143584238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}