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Lymphangiogenesis, the formation of new lymphatic vessels from pre-existing vasculature, plays critical roles in disease, including in cancer metastasis and chronic inflammation. Preclinical and recent clinical studies have now demonstrated therapeutic utility for several anti-lymphangiogenic agents, but optimal agents and efficacy in different settings remain to be determined. We tested the anti-lymphangiogenic property of 3,4-Difluorobenzocurcumin (CDF), which has previously been implicated as an anti-cancer agent, using zebrafish embryos and cultured vascular endothelial cells. We used transgenic zebrafish labelling the lymphatic system and found that CDF potently inhibits lymphangiogenesis during embryonic development. We also found that the parent compound, Curcumin, does not inhibit lymphangiogenesis. CDF blocked lymphatic and venous sprouting, and lymphatic migration in the head and trunk of the embryo. Mechanistically, CDF impaired VEGFC-VEGFR3-ERK signalling in vitro and in vivo. In an in vivo pathological model of Vegfc-overexpression, treatment with CDF rescued endothelial cell hyperplasia. CDF did not inhibit the kinase activity of VEGFR3 yet displayed more prolonged activity in vivo than previously reported kinase inhibitors. These findings warrant further assessment of CDF and its mode of action as a candidate for use in metastasis and diseases of aberrant lymphangiogenesis.

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency has been associated with a higher risk of developing colorectal, endometrial, and ovarian cancer, and confers resistance in conventional chemotherapy. In addition to the lack of treatment options that work efficaciously on these MMR-deficient cancer patients, there is a great need to discover new drug leads for this purpose. In this study, we screened through a library of commercial and semisynthetic natural compounds to identify potential synthetic lethal drugs that may selectively target MLH1 mutants using MLH1 isogenic colorectal cancer cell lines and various cancer cell lines with known MLH1 status. We identified a novel diarylpentanoid analogue, 2-benzoyl-6-(2,3-dimethoxybenzylidene)-cyclohexenol, coded as AS13, that demonstrated selective toxicity toward MLH1-deficient cancer cells. Subsequent analysis suggested AS13 induced elevated levels of oxidative stress, resulting in DNA damage where only the proficient MLH1 cells were able to be repaired and hence escaping cellular death. While AS13 is modest in potency and selectivity, this discovery has the potential to lead to further drug development that may offer better treatment options for cancer patients with MLH1 deficiency.

Natural products are prolific producers of diverse chemical scaffolds, which have yielded several clinically useful drugs. However, the complex features of natural products present challenges for identifying bioactive molecules using high-throughput screens. For most assays, measured endpoints are either colorimetric or luminescence based. Thus, the presence of the major metabolites, tannins, and chlorophylls, in natural products could potentially interfere with these measurements to give either false-positive or false-negative hits. In this context, zebrafish phenotypic assays provide an alternative approach to bioprospect naturally occurring bioactive compounds. Whether tannins and/or chlorophylls interfere in zebrafish phenotypic assays, is unclear. In this study, we evaluated the interference potential of tannins and chlorophylls against efficacy of known small-molecule inhibitors that are known to cause phenotypic abnormalities in developing zebrafish embryos. First, we fractionated tannin-enriched fraction (TEF) and chlorophyll-enriched fraction (CEF) from Camellia sinensis and cotreated them with PD0325901 [mitogen-activated protein kinase-kinase (MEK) inhibitor] and sunitinib malate (SM; anti-[lymph]angiogenic drug). While TEF and CEF did not interfere with phenotypic or molecular endpoints of PD0325901, TEF at 100 μg/mL partially masked the antiangiogenic effect of SM. On the other hand, CEF (100 μg/mL) was toxic when treated up to 6 dpf. Furthermore, CEF at 100 μg/mL potentially enhanced the activity of γ-secretase inhibitors, resulting in toxicity of treated embryos. Our study provides evidence that the presence of tannin and/or chlorophyll in natural products do interfere with zebrafish phenotype assays used for identifying potential hits. However, this may be target/assay dependent and thus requiring additional optimization steps to assess interference potential of tannins and chlorophylls before performing any screening assay.

Poor prognosis of most cancer patients is in part, due to limited therapeutic options. Furthermore, as chemotherapy remains the standard-of-care for several cancers, partial or lack of response remains a concern and compounding this are the adverse side effects of the treatment that severely impacts the quality of life and survival. In pursuit of improving treatment options, we have opted to investigate the unique chemical skeleton of natural compounds as anticancer therapies. In this study, from an initial screen of 31 crude methanol extracts from -15 plant species using HL60 cells, the root extract of Bruceajavanica (L.) Merr indicated the presence of bioactive compounds. Subsequent bioassay-guided purification on the root extract yielded two alkaloids canthin-6-one (1) and bruceolline J (2), which were further investigated for their bioactivity in representative human cancer lines and normal phenotypic counterparts. MTT assay demonstrated ED50 values from 34.7-72.9 gM for 1 and 16.0-54.0 gM for 2 for the cancer cell lines panel. NP69 cells also demonstrated sensitivity to. both compounds (9.3 piM and 4.5 pM). As amount of 2 isolated were limiting, we focused on 1 to further identify novel anticancer properties in PC3 and HeLa cancer lines. We observed at 30 gM, I induced a G2/M phase arrest coinciding with decreased cell proliferation. Furthermore, I was able to synergize the cytotoxic effect of cisplatin when used in combination, suggesting the potential of combination therapy for those less responsive lesions to standard chemotherapy.

Zebrafish is gaining prominence as an important vertebrate model for investigating various human diseases. Zebrafish provides unique advantages such as optical clarity of embryos, high fecundity rate, and low cost of maintenance, making it a perfect complement to the murine model equivalent in biomedical research. Due to these advantages, researchers in Malaysia are starting to take notice and incorporate the zebrafish model into their research activities. However, zebrafish research in Malaysia is still in its infancy stage and many researchers still remain unaware of the full potential of the zebrafish model or have limited access to related tools and techniques that are widely utilized in many zebrafish laboratories worldwide. To overcome this, we organized the First Malaysia Zebrafish Disease Model Workshop in Malaysia that took place on 11th and 12th of November 2015. In this workshop, we showcased how the zebrafish model is being utilized in the biomedical field in international settings as well as in Malaysia. For this, notable international speakers and those from local universities known to be carrying out impactful research using zebrafish were invited to share some of the cutting edge techniques that are used in their laboratories that may one day be incorporated in the Malaysian scientific community.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Several members of the genus Lignosus , which are collectively known as cendawan susu rimau (in Malay) or tiger׳s milk mushrooms (TMM), are regarded as important local medicine particularly by the indigenous communities in Malaysia. The mushroom sclerotia are purportedly effective in treating cancer, coughs, asthma, fever, and other ailments. The most commonly encountered Lignosus spp. in Malaysia was authenticated as Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden (synonym: Polyporus rhinocerus ), which is also known as hurulingzhi in China and has been used by Chinese physicians to treat liver cancer, gastric ulcers, and chronic hepatitis. In spite of growing interest in the therapeutic potential of TMM, there is no compilation of scientific evidence that supports the ethnomedicinal uses of these mushrooms. Therefore, the present review is intended (i) to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the ethnomedicinal uses, pharmacological activities, and cultivation of TMM in general and L. rhinocerotis in particular, (ii) to demonstrate how recent scientific findings have validated some of their traditional uses, and (iii) to identify opportunities for future research and areas to prioritize for TMM bioprospecting. Materials and methods A detailed literature search was conducted via library search (books, theses, reports, newspapers, magazines, and conference proceedings) and electronic search (Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar) for articles published in peer-reviewed journals. These sources were scrutinized for information on TMM and specifically for L. rhinocerotis . Results Ethnomycological knowledge about TMM, with an emphasis on cultural associations and use as local medicine, has been comprehensively and systematically compiled for the first time. Some of the reported medicinal properties of TMM have been validated by scientific studies. The anti-tumor, immuno-modulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-microbial, neurite outgrowth stimulation, and other pharmacological activities of L. rhinocerotis sclerotial extracts have been explored. The nature of sclerotial bioactive components, such as proteins, polysaccharides, and/or polysaccharide–protein complexes, has been identified, whereas the low-molecular-weight constituents remain poorly studied. The artificial cultivation of L. rhinocerotis via solid substrate and liquid fermentations successfully yielded fruiting bodies, sclerotium, mycelium, and culture broth that could be exploited as substitutes for the wild resources. The cultivated sclerotium and mycelium were shown to be safe from a toxicological point of view. Other research areas, e.g. , chemical studies, genomics, and proteomics, have been employed to gain insights into the medicinal properties of TMM. Conclusions This review clarified the medicinal properties of TMM as recorded in various ethnomycological records, and it simultaneously highlighted the current efforts to provide scientific evidence by using various in vitro and in vivo models. Thus far, only the anti-tumor and immuno-modulatory effects of L. rhinocerotis sclerotial aqueous extracts have been extensively investigated, and other medicinal properties relevant to their traditional uses, e.g. , anti-tussive and anti-pyretic properties, have yet to be validated. Further studies focusing on (i) the isolation and characterization of active components, (ii) the elucidation of their modes of action, and (iii) an evaluation of their safety and efficacy, when compared with the crude aqueous preparations, are warranted to accelerate potential drug discovery from TMM.

Targeted therapy, the treatment of cancer based on an underlying genetic alteration, is rapidly gaining favor as the preferred therapeutic approach. To date, although natural products represent a rich resource of bio-diverse drug candidates, only a few have been identified to be effective as targeted cancer therapies largely due to the incompatibilities to current high-throughput screening methods. In this article, we review the utility of a zebrafish developmental screen for bioactive natural product-based compounds that target signaling pathways that are intimately shared with those in humans. Any bioactive compound perturbing signaling pathways identified from phenotypic developmental defects in zebrafish embryos provide an opportunity for developing targeted therapies for human cancers. This model provides a promising tool in the search for targeted cancer therapeutics from natural products.

Zebrafish represents a powerful in vivo model for phenotype-based drug discovery to identify clinically relevant small molecules. By utilizing this model, we evaluated natural product derived compounds that could potentially modulate Notch signaling that is important in both zebrafish embryogenesis and pathogenic in human cancers. A total of 234 compounds were screened using zebrafish embryos and 3 were identified to be conferring phenotypic alterations similar to embryos treated with known Notch inhibitors. Subsequent secondary screens using HEK293T cells overexpressing truncated Notch1 (HEK293TΔE) identified 2 compounds, EDD3 and 3H4MB, to be potential Notch antagonists. Both compounds reduced protein expression of NOTCH1, Notch intracellular domain (NICD) and hairy and enhancer of split-1 (HES1) in HEK293TΔE and downregulated Notch target genes. Importantly, EDD3 treatment of human oral cancer cell lines demonstrated reduction of Notch target proteins and genes. EDD3 also inhibited proliferation and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest of ORL-150 cells through inducing p27KIP1. Our data demonstrates the utility of the zebrafish phenotypic screen and identifying EDD3 as a promising Notch antagonist for further development as a novel therapeutic agent.

Poor prognosis of most cancer patients is in part, due to limited therapeutic options. Furthermore, as chemotherapy remains the standard-of-care for several cancers, partial or lack of response remains a concern and compounding this are the adverse side effects of the treatment that severely impacts the quality of life and survival. In pursuit of improving treatment options, we have opted to investigate the unique chemical skeleton of natural compounds as anticancer therapies. In this study, from an initial screen of 31 crude methanol extracts from ~15 plant species using HL60 cells, the root extract of Brucea javanica (L.) Merr indicated the presence of bioactive compounds. Subsequent bioassay-guided purification on the root extract yielded two alkaloids canthin-6-one (1) and bruceolline J (2), which were further investigated for their bioactivity in representative human cancer lines and normal phenotypic counterparts. MTT assay demonstrated ED50values from 34.7–72.9 μM for 1 and 16.0–54.0 μM for 2 for the cancer cell lines panel. NP69 cells also demonstrated sensitivity to both compounds (9.3 μM and 4.5 μM). As amount of 2 isolated were limiting, we focused on 1 to further identify novel anticancer properties in PC3 and HeLa cancer lines. We observed at 30 μM, 1 induced a G2/M phase arrest coinciding with decreased cell proliferation. Furthermore, 1 was able to synergize the cytotoxic effect of cisplatin when used in combination, suggesting the potential of combination therapy for those less responsive lesions to standard chemotherapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an alternative treatment for cancer that involves administration of a photosensitive drug or photosensitizer that localizes at the tumor tissue followed by in situ excitation at an appropriate wavelength of light. Tumour tissues are then killed by cytotoxic reactive oxygen species generated by the photosensitizer. Targeted excitation and photokilling of affected tissues is achieved through focal light irradiation, thereby minimizing systemic side effects to the normal healthy tissues. Currently, there are only a small number of photosensitizers that are in the clinic and many of these share the same structural core based on cyclic tetrapyrroles. This paper describes how metabolic tools are utilized to prioritize natural extracts to search for structurally new photosensitizers from Malaysian biodiversity. As proof of concept, we analyzed 278 photocytotoxic extracts using a hyphenated technique of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with principal component analysis (LC-MS-PCA) and prioritized 27 extracts that potentially contained new photosensitizers for chemical dereplication using an in-house UPLC-PDA-MS-Photocytotoxic assay platform. This led to the identification of 2 new photosensitizers with cyclic tetrapyrrolic structures, thereby demonstrating the feasibility of the metabolic approach.

Background Twenty-seven extracts from 26 plants were identified as photo-cytotoxic in the course of our bioassay guided screening program for photosensitisers from 128 extracts prepared from 64 terrestrial plants in two different collection sites in Malaysia - Royal Belum Forest Reserve in the State of Perak and Gunung Nuang in the State of Selangor. One of the photo-cytotoxic extracts from the leaves of Phaeanthus ophtalmicus was further investigated. Results The ethanolic extract of the leaves from Phaeanthus ophtalmicus was able to reduce the in vitro viability of leukaemic HL60 cells to < 50% when exposed to 9.6 J/cm2 of a broad spectrum light at a concentration of 20 μg/mL. Dereplication of the photo-cytotoxic fractions from P. ophthalmicus extracts based on TLC Rf values and HPLC co-injection of reference tetrapyrrolic compounds enabled quick identification of known photosensitisers, pheophorbide-a, pheophorbide-a methyl ester, 132-hydroxypheophorbide-a methyl ester, pheophytin-a and 151-hydroxypurpurin 7-lactone dimethyl ester. In addition, compound 1 which was not previously isolated as a natural product was also identified as 7-formyl-151-hydroxypurpurin-7-lactone methyl ester using standard spectroscopic techniques. Conclusions Our results suggest that the main photosensitisers in plants are based on the cyclic tetrapyrrole structure and photosensitisers with other structures, if present, are present in very minor amounts or are not as active as those with the cyclic tetrapyrrole structure.