Specific A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) agonist, 2‑chloro‑N6‑(3‑iodobenzyl)‑5'‑N‑methylcarboxamidoadenosine (2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA), demonstrates anti‑proliferative effects on various types of tumor. In the present study, the cytotoxicity of 2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA was analyzed in a panel of tumor and non‑tumor cell lines and its anticancer mechanisms in JoPaca‑1 pancreatic and Hep‑3B hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines were also investigated. Initially, decreased tumor cell proliferation, cell accumulation in the G1 phase and inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis was found. Furthermore, western blot analysis showed decreased protein expression level of β‑catenin, patched1 (Ptch1) and glioma‑associated oncogene homolog zinc finger protein 1 (Gli1), which are components of the Wnt/β‑catenin and Sonic hedgehog/Ptch/Gli transduction pathways. In concordance with these findings, the protein expression levels of cyclin D1 and c‑Myc were reduced. Using a luciferase assay, it was revealed for the first time a decrease in β‑catenin transcriptional activity, as an early event following 2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA treatment. In addition, the protein expression levels of multidrug resistance‑associated protein 1 and P‑glycoprotein (P‑gp) were reduced and the P‑gp xenobiotic efflux function was also reduced. Next, the enhancing effects of 2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA on the cytotoxicity of conventional chemotherapy was investigated. It was found that 2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA enhanced carboplatin and doxorubicin cytotoxic effects in the JoPaca‑1 and Hep‑3B cell lines, and a greater synergy was found in the highly tumorigenic JoPaca‑1 cell line. This provides a novel in vitro rationale for the utilization of 2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA in combination with chemotherapeutic agents, not only for hepatocellular carcinoma, but also for pancreatic cancer. Other currently used conventional chemotherapeutics, fluorouracil and gemcitabine, showed synergy only when combined with high doses of 2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA. Notably, experiments with A3AR‑specific antagonist, N‑[9‑Chloro‑2‑(2‑furanyl)(1,2,4)‑triazolo(1,5‑c)quinazolin‑5‑yl]benzene acetamide, revealed that 2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA had antitumor effects via both A3AR‑dependent and ‑independent pathways. In conclusion, the present study identified novel antitumor mechanisms of 2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA in pancreatic and hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro that further underscores the importance of A3AR agonists in cancer therapy.

• Klíčová slova
• 2‑Cl‑IB‑MECA, adenosine A3 receptor, chemosensitivity, hepatocellular carcinoma, multidrug resistance, pancreatic carcinoma,
• MeSH
• adenosin analogy a deriváty   MeSH
• buněčné linie MeSH
• léková rezistence MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nádorové buněčné linie MeSH
• nádory jater * farmakoterapie   MeSH
• nádory slinivky břišní * genetika   MeSH
• proliferace buněk MeSH
• protein Gli1 genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• proteiny hedgehog MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• 2-chloro-N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)adenosine-5'-N-methyluronamide MeSH Prohlížeč
• adenosin MeSH
• protein Gli1 MeSH
• proteiny hedgehog MeSH

This review focuses on the specific biological effects of optically pure silymarin flavo-nolignans, mainly silybins A and B, isosilybins A and B, silychristins A and B, and their 2,3-dehydro derivatives. The chirality of these flavonolignans is also discussed in terms of their analysis, preparative separation and chemical reactions. We demonstrated the specific activities of the respective diastereomers of flavonolignans and also the enantiomers of their 2,3-dehydro derivatives in the 3D anisotropic systems typically represented by biological systems. In vivo, silymarin flavonolignans do not act as redox antioxidants, but they play a role as specific ligands of biological targets, according to the "lock-and-key" concept. Estrogenic, antidiabetic, anticancer, antiviral, and antiparasitic effects have been demonstrated in optically pure flavonolignans. Potential application of pure flavonolignans has also been shown in cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Inhibition of drug-metabolizing enzymes and modulation of multidrug resistance activity by these compounds are discussed in detail. The future of "silymarin applications" lies in the use of optically pure components that can be applied directly or used as valuable lead structures, and in the exploration of their true molecular effects.

• Klíčová slova
• Silybum marianum, chirality, dehydroflavonolignan, diastereomer, flavonoid, flavonolignan, isosilybin, milk thistle, silibinin, silybin, silychristin, silydianin, silymarin,
• MeSH
• antiinfekční látky chemie   farmakologie   MeSH
• antioxidancia chemie   farmakologie   MeSH
• antitumorózní látky fytogenní chemie   farmakologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• silibinin chemie   farmakologie   MeSH
• stereoizomerie MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antiinfekční látky MeSH
• antioxidancia MeSH
• antitumorózní látky fytogenní MeSH
• silibinin MeSH

Herbal preparations from Silybum marianum have been used since the fourth century BC in liver disease treatment and against numerous other pathologies. Consumption of silymarin containing drugs and food supplements continues to increase. Precise, fast, reliable, and complex determination of all components of silymarin preparations is paramount for assessing its pharmacological quality. We present here simple and fast HPLC-DAD and LC-MS analytical methods for the determination and quantification of all known silymarin components, including 2,3-dehydroflavonolignans that has not been achieved so far. The first method, using a common C18 column, allows baseline separation of previously inseparable silychristin A, B, isosilychristin, and silydianin. Moreover, this method allowed detection of three so far unknown silymarin components. In addition, the first analytical separation of enantiomers of 2,3-dehydrosilybin was achieved using a Lux 3μ Cellulose-4 chiral column, providing even more accurate description of silymarin composition. 2,3-Dehydroflavonolignans were isolated for the first time from silymarin using preparative chromatography on C18 and ASAHIPAK columns, and 2,3-dehydrosilychristin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin were for the first time conclusively confirmed by HPLC, MS, and NMR to be silymarin components. Using the optimized analytical methods, six various silymarin preparations were analyzed showing substantial differences in the composition.

• Klíčová slova
• HPLC-MS separation, diastereoisomers, enantiomers, flavonolignans, milk thistle, quantification, silymarin,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Silymarin is a traditional drug and food supplement employed for numerous liver disorders. The available studies indicate that its activities may be broader, in particular due to claimed benefits in some cardiovascular diseases, but the contributions of individual silymarin components are unclear. Therefore, we tested silymarin flavonolignans as pure diastereomers as well as their sulfated metabolites for potential vasorelaxant and antiplatelet effects in isolated rat aorta and in human blood, respectively. Eleven compounds from a panel of 17 tested exhibited a vasorelaxant effect, with half maximal effective concentrations (EC50) ranging from 20 to 100 µM, and some substances retained certain activity even in the range of hundreds of nM. Stereomers A were generally more potent as vasorelaxants than stereomers B. Interestingly, the most active compound was a metabolite-silychristin-19-O-sulfate. Although initial experiments showed that silybin, 2,3-dehydrosilybin, and 2,3-dehydrosilychristin were able to substantially block platelet aggregation, their effects were rapidly abolished with decreasing concentration, and were negligible at concentrations ≤100 µM. In conclusion, metabolites of silymarin flavonolignans seem to have biologically relevant vasodilatory properties, but the effect of silymarin components on platelets is low or negligible.

• Klíčová slova
• Silybum marianum, aorta, blood coagulation, metabolites, milk thistle, sulfates, thrombocytes, vasorelaxant,
• MeSH
• agregace trombocytů účinky léků   MeSH
• aorta účinky léků   MeSH
• flavonolignany chemie   farmakologie   MeSH
• inhibitory agregace trombocytů chemie   farmakologie   MeSH
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• molekulární struktura MeSH
• vazodilatancia MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• flavonolignany MeSH
• inhibitory agregace trombocytů MeSH
• vazodilatancia MeSH

Silychristin A is the second most abundant compound of silymarin. Silymarin complex was previously described as an antioxidant with multidrug resistance modulation activity. Here, the results of a classical biochemical antioxidant assay (ORAC) were compared with a cellular assay evaluating the antioxidant capacity of pure silychristin A and its derivatives (anhydrosilychristin, isosilychristin and 2,3-dehydrosilychristin A). All the tested compounds acted as antioxidants within the cells, but 2,3-dehydro- and anhydro derivatives were almost twice as potent as the other tested compounds. Similar results were obtained in LPS-stimulated macrophages, where 2,3-dehydro- and anhydrosilychristin inhibited NO production nearly twice as efficiently as silychristin A. The inhibition of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) was determined in vitro, and the respective sensitization of doxorubicin-resistant ovarian carcinoma overproducing P-gp was detected. Despite the fact that the inhibition of P-gp was demonstrated in a concentration-dependent manner for each tested compound, the sensitization of the resistant cell line was observed predominantly for silychristin A and 2,3-dehydrosilychristin A. However, anhydrosilychristin and isosilychristin affected the expression of both the P-gp (ABCB1) and ABCG2 genes. This is the first report showing that silychristin A and its 2,3-dehydro-derivative modulate multidrug resistance by the direct inhibition of P-gp, in contrast to anhydrosilychristin and isosilychristin modulating multidrug resistance by downregulating the expression of the dominant transmembrane efflux pumps.

• Klíčová slova
• ABC superfamily, Adriamycin, BCRP, P-glycoprotein, expression profile, immunomodulation, silychristin, silymarin,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Antioxidants protect the structural and functional components in organisms against oxidative stress. Most antioxidants are of plant origin as the plants are permanently exposed to oxidative stress (UV radiation, photosynthetic reactions). Both carotenoids and flavonoids are prominent antioxidant and anti-radical agents often occurring together in the plant tissues and acting in lipophilic and hydrophilic milieu, respectively. They are complementary in their anti-radical activity. This study describes the synthesis of a series of hybrid ester conjugates of retinoic acid with various flavonolignans, such as silybin, 2,3-dehydrosilybin and isosilybin. Antioxidant/anti-radical activities and bio-physical properties of novel covalent carotenoid-flavonoid hybrids, as well as various mixtures of the respective parent components, were investigated. Retinoyl conjugates with silybin-which is the most important flavonolignan in silymarin complex-(and its pure diastereomers) displayed better 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity than both the parent compounds and their equimolar mixtures.

• Klíčová slova
• anti-radical, antioxidant, carotenoids, conjugate, esterification, flavonolignans, retinoic acid, retinol, silymarin, vitamin A,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Silymarin, an extract from milk thistle (Silybum marianum) fruits, is consumed in various food supplements. The metabolism of silymarin flavonolignans in mammals is complex, the exact structure of their metabolites still remains partly unclear and standards are not commercially available. This work is focused on the preparation of sulfated metabolites of silymarin flavonolignans. Sulfated flavonolignans were prepared using aryl sulfotransferase from Desulfitobacterium hafniense and p-nitrophenyl sulfate as a sulfate donor and characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD) radical scavenging; ferric (FRAP) and Folin⁻Ciocalteu reagent (FCR) reducing activity; anti-lipoperoxidant potential; and effect on the nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway were examined. Pure silybin A 20-O-sulfate, silybin B 20-O-sulfate, 2,3-dehydrosilybin-20-O-sulfate, 2,3-dehydrosilybin-7,20-di-O-sulfate, silychristin-19-O-sulfate, 2,3-dehydrosilychristin-19-O-sulfate, and silydianin-19-O-sulfate were prepared and fully characterized. Sulfated 2,3-dehydroderivatives were more active in FCR and FRAP assays than the parent compounds, and remaining sulfates were less active chemoprotectants. The sulfated flavonolignans obtained can be now used as authentic standards for in vivo metabolic experiments and for further research on their biological activity.

• Klíčová slova
• Silybum marianum, activity, biotransformation, metabolites, sulfate, sulfotransferase,
• MeSH
• antioxidancia chemie   MeSH
• flavonolignany chemie   MeSH
• hmotnostní spektrometrie MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční spektroskopie MeSH
• molekulární struktura MeSH
• ostropestřec mariánský chemie   MeSH
• ovoce chemie   MeSH
• potravní doplňky MeSH
• rostliny chemie   ultrastruktura   MeSH
• scavengery volných radikálů chemie   MeSH
• sírany chemie   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antioxidancia MeSH
• flavonolignany MeSH
• scavengery volných radikálů MeSH
• sírany MeSH

Silybum marianum (milk thistle) is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of various liver disorders. This study examined whether the main flavonolignans from S. marianum (i.e. silybin, silychristin, silydianin) and their 2,3-dehydro derivatives (i.e. 2,3-dehydrosilybin, 2,3-dehydrosilychristin, 2,3-dehydrosilydianin) activate the Nrf2 pathway, which regulates the expression of genes encoding many cytoprotective enzymes, including NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). After 48h of exposure, 2,3-dehydrosilydianin at concentrations of 25μM and higher significantly elevated the activity of NQO1 in murine hepatoma Hepa1c1c7 cells. In contrast, other tested compounds at non-cytotoxic concentrations had a mild or negligible effect on the NQO1 activity. Using a luciferase reporter assay, 2,3-dehydrosilydianin was found to significantly activate transcription via the antioxidant response element in stably transfected human AREc32 reporter cells. Moreover, 2,3-dehydrosilydianin caused the accumulation of Nrf2 and significantly induced the expression of the Nqo1 gene at both the mRNA and protein levels in Hepa1c1c7 cells. We found that 2,3-dehydrosilydianin also increased to some extent the expression of other Nrf2 target genes, namely of the heme oxygenase-1 gene (Hmox1) and the glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit gene (Gclm). We conclude that 2,3-dehydrosilydianin activates Nrf2 and induces Nrf2-mediated gene expression in Hepa1c1c7 cells.

• Klíčová slova
• Flavonolignans, NQO1, Nrf2, Silybin, Silybum marianum, Silymarin,
• MeSH
• exprese genu účinky léků   MeSH
• faktor 2 související s NF-E2 metabolismus   MeSH
• glutamátcysteinligasa genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• hemoxygenasa-1 genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• membránové proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• molekulární struktura MeSH
• myši MeSH
• NAD(P)H dehydrogenasa (chinon) genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• nádorové buněčné linie MeSH
• ostropestřec mariánský chemie   MeSH
• silibinin MeSH
• silymarin farmakologie   MeSH
• upregulace MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• faktor 2 související s NF-E2 MeSH
• GCLM protein, mouse MeSH Prohlížeč
• glutamátcysteinligasa MeSH
• hemoxygenasa-1 MeSH
• Hmox1 protein, mouse MeSH Prohlížeč
• membránové proteiny MeSH
• NAD(P)H dehydrogenasa (chinon) MeSH
• NFE2L2 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• Nqo1 protein, mouse MeSH Prohlížeč
• silibinin MeSH
• silidianin MeSH Prohlížeč
• silychristin MeSH Prohlížeč
• silymarin MeSH

We examined the inhibitory effects of three flavonolignans and their dehydro- derivatives, taxifolin and quercetin on the activity of the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (NKA). The flavonolignans silychristin, dehydrosilychristin and dehydrosilydianin inhibited NKA with IC50 of 110 ± 40 μM, 38 ± 8 μM, and 36 ± 14 μM, respectively. Using the methods of molecular modeling, we identified several possible binding sites for these species on NKA and proposed the possible mechanisms of inhibition. The binding to the extracellular- or cytoplasmic C-terminal sites can block the transport of cations through the plasma membrane, while the binding on the interface of cytoplasmic domains can inhibit the enzyme allosterically. Fluorescence spectroscopy experiments confirmed the interaction of these three species with the large cytoplasmic segment connecting transmembrane helices 4 and 5 (C45). The flavonolignans are distinct from the cardiac glycosides that are currently used in NKA treatment. Because their binding sites are different, the mechanism of inhibition is different as well as the range of active concentrations, one can expect that these new NKA inhibitors would exhibit also a different biomedical actions than cardiac glycosides.

• Klíčová slova
• Na+/K+-ATPase, binding sites, flavonolignans, inhibition, sodium pump,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH