Lanosterol is a key triterpenoid intermediate in the biosynthesis of Cholesterol.
Desacetylcinobufotalin is a natural compound; apoptosis inducer and shows the marked inhibition effect to HepG2 cells and the IC50 value is 0.0279μmol/ml.
Epibrassinolide is a natural brassinosteroid (BR) derivative, is a plant regulator with a similar structure to mammalian steroids. Epibrassinolide is a potential apoptotic inducer in various cancer cells without affecting the non-tumor cell growth.
Cyclopamine is a Hedgehog (Hh) pathway antagonist with an IC50 of 46 nM in the Hh cell assay.
Methyl protodioscin(NSC-698790) is a furostanol bisglycoside with antitumor properties; shows to reduce proliferation, cause cell cycle arrest.IC50 value:Target: in vitro: MPD showed growth inhibitory effects in A549 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The significant G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptotic effect were also seen in A549 cells treated with MPD. MPD-induced apoptosis was accompanied by a significant reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c to cytosol, activation of caspase-3, downregulation of Bcl-2, p-Bad, and upregulation of Bax [1]. In THP-1 macrophages, MPD increases levels of ABCA1 mRNA and protein in dose- and time-dependent manners, and apoA-1-mediated cholesterol efflux. MPD also decreases the gene expressions of HMGCR, FAS and ACC for cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis [2].
Hydrocortisone is a steroid hormone or glucocorticoid secreted by the adrenal cortex.
Withaferin A is a steroidal lactone isolated from Withania somnifera, inhibits NF-kB activation and targets vimentin, with potent antiinflammatory and anticancer activities.
7-Dehydrocholesterol is biosynthetic precursor of cholesterol and vitamin D3.
Estradiol is a steroid sex hormone vital to the maintenance of fertility and secondary sexual characteristics in females.
Tenacissoside H is a Chinese medicine monomer extracted, isolated from Caulis Marsdeniae Tenacissimae.IC50 value:Target:In vitro: TDH significantly inhibited cells proliferation in a time-and-dose-dependent manner. TDH arrested the cell cycle in S phase and significantly inhibited PI3K and NF-κB mRNA expression, compared with blank controlled group (P < 0.05). [1]In vivo: TDH strongly inhibits tumor growth and volume. PCNA expression was significantly decreased after treatment of TDH. TDH downregulated proteins expression in PI3K/Akt-NF-κB transduction cascade (P < 0.05). [1]
Glycochenodeoxycholic acid is a bile salt formed in the liver from chenodeoxycholate and glycine; used to induce hepatocyte apoptosis in research.
Estrone is an estrogenic hormone.Target: Estrogen Receptor/ERREstrone (E1) is an estrogenic hormone secreted by the ovary as well as adipose tissue with the chemical name of 3-hydroxyestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-17-one and the chemical formula C18H22O2. Estrone is one of several natural estrogens, which also include estriol and estradiol. Estrone is the least abundant of the three hormones; estradiol is present almost always in the reproductive female body, and estriol is abundant primarily during pregnancy. Estrone is relevant to health and disease states because of its conversion to estrone sulfate, a long-lived derivative. Estrone sulfate acts as a reservoir that can be converted as needed to the more active estradiol. It is the predominant estrogen in postmenopausal women [1, 2].
Bufotalin is a cardiotoxic bufanolide steroid, cardiac glycoside analogue, secreted by a number of toad species; a novel anti-osteoblastoma agent.IC50 value:Target:in vitro: bufotalin induced osteoblastoma cell death and apoptosis in dose- and time-dependent manners. Further, bufotalin induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress activation in osteoblastoma cells, the latter was detected by the induction of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), phosphorylation of inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) and PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), as well as caspase-12 activation [1]. Bufotalin was the most potent active compound among these four bufadienolides, and it exerted stronger inhibitory effect on the viability of doxorubicin-induced multidrug resistant liver cancer cells (R-HepG2) than that of their parent cells HepG2. bufotalin treatment induced cell cycle arrest at G(2)/M phase through down-regulation of Aurora A, CDC25, CDK1, cyclin A and cyclin B1, as well as up-regulation of p53 and p21. Bufotalin treatment also induced apoptosis which was accompanied by decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, increases in intracellular calcium level and reactive oxygen species production, activations of caspase-9 and -3, cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) as well as changes in the expressions of bcl-2 and bax [2]. Bufotalin promoted death receptor-mediated cell death, especially TRAIL-induced apoptosis, through activation of caspase-3 and PARP-1. Cotreatment of bufotalin with TRAIL resulted in the downregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins, including Bcl-XL, Mcl-1, survivin and XIAP, and the up-regulation of MAPKs and TRAIL receptor DR5. In addition, phosphorylation of STAT1 was strongly inhibited by bufotalin [3]. externalization of phosphatidylserine, accumulation of sub-G(1) cells, fragmentation of DNA, and formation of apoptotic bodies were observed in bufotalin-treated Hep 3B cells [4].
Glycodeoxycholate Sodium is a bile salt.
(20S)-Protopanaxatriol is a metabolite of ginsenoside, works through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and oestrogen receptor (ER), and is also a LXRα inhibitor.
Taurocholic acid is a bile acid involved in the emulsification of fats.
Pinoresinol Diglucoside is one of the major lignans with various pharmacological activities which could be isolated from Duzhong and other plant species.
24-Hydroxycholesterol is a natural sterol, which serves as a positive allosteric modulator of N-Methyl-d-Aspartate (NMDA) receptorsR, and a potent activator of the transcription factors LXR.
Gamabufotalin (Gamabufagin), a major bufadienolide of Chansu, has been used for cancer therapy due to its desirable metabolic stability and less adverse effect.IC50 value:Target: in vitro: Gamabufotalin (CS-6) strongly suppressed COX-2 expression by inhibiting the phosphorylation of IKKβ via targeting the ATP-binding site, thereby abrogating NF-κB binding and p300 recruitment to COX-2 promoter. In addition, CS-6 induced apoptosis by activating the cytochrome c and caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway [1]. Gamabufotalin significantly potentiated human breast cancer cells with different status of ER-alpha to apoptosis induction of TRAIL, as evidenced by enhanced Annexin V/FITC positive cells (apoptotic cells), cytoplasmic histone-associated-DNA-fragments, membrane permeability transition (MPT), caspases activation and PARP cleavage [2].in vivo: CS-6 markedly down-regulated the protein levels of COX-2 and phosphorylated p65 NF-κB in tumor tissues of the xenograft mice, and inhibited tumor weight and size [1].
Digoxin is a potent inhibitor of Na+/K+-ATPase, clinically used to treat arrhythmia and heart failure.
Arenobufagin is a natural bufadienolide from toad venom; has potent antineoplastic activity against HCC HepG2 cells as well as corresponding multidrug-resistant HepG2/ADM cells.IC50 value: Target: in vitro: arenobufagin induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in HCC cells, with decreasing mitochondrial potential, as well as increasing Bax/Bcl-2 expression ratio, Bax translocation from cytosol to mitochondria. Arenobufagin also induced autophagy in HepG2/ADM cells. Autophagy-specific inhibitors (3-methyladenine, chloroquine and bafilomycin A1) or Beclin1 and Atg 5 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) enhanced arenobufagin-induced apoptosis, indicating that arenobufagin-mediated autophagy may protect HepG2/ADM cells from undergoing apoptotic cell death [1]. arenobufagin inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced viability, migration, invasion and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro [2]. Arenobufagin blocked the Na+/K+ pump current in a dose-dependent manner with a half-maximal concentration of 0.29 microM and a Hill coefficient of 1.1 [3].in vivo: arenobufagin inhibited the growth of HepG2/ADM xenograft tumors, which were associated with poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, light chain 3-II activation and mTOR inhibition [1]. Arenobufagin also suppressed sprouting formation from VEGF-treated aortic rings in an ex vivo model [2].
Digitoxin is an effective Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitor, the EC50 value of Digitoxin is 0.78 μM.IC50 value: 0.78 μM (EC50)Target: Na+/K+-ATPasein vitro: Digitoxin shows a significantly cytotoxic effect in H1975 cells by causing G2 phase arrest, also remarkably activates 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Moreover, Digitoxin suppresses microtubule formation through decreasing α-tubulin. Digitoxin effectively depresses the growth of TKI-resistance NSCLC H1975 cells by inhibiting microtubule polymerization and inducing cell cycle arrest. Digitoxin has the highest cytotoxicity in H1975 cells, whose CC50 value was 0.19 ± 0.06 μM. Digitoxin-induced inhibition mechanism is likely due to causing G2/M cell cycle arrest in H1975 cells in dose dependent manners.
Telocinobufagin is one of anti-hepatoma constituent in Venenum Bufonis.
Ursodiol reduces cholesterol absorption and is used to dissolve gallstones.Target: OthersUrsodiol, also known as ursodeoxycholic acid and the abbreviation UDCA, is one of the secondary bile acids, which are metabolic byproducts of intestinal bacteria. The drug reduces cholesterol absorption and is used to dissolve (cholesterol) gallstones in patients who want an alternative to surgery. The drug is very expensive, however, and if the patient stops taking it, the gallstones tend to recur if the condition that gave rise to their formation does not change. For these reasons, it has not supplanted surgical treatment by cholecystectomy.Ursodeoxycholic acid is currently the only established drug for the treatment of chronic cholestatic liver diseases. It has cytoprotective, anti-apoptotic, membrane stabilizing, anti-oxidative and immunomodulatory effects. Prolonged administration of ursodeoxycholic acid in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is associated with survival benefit and a delaying of liver transplantation.
Lanatoside C is a cardiac glycoside, can be used in the treatment of congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia.Lanatoside C has an IC50 of 0.19 μM for dengue virus infection in HuH-7 cells. Target:in vitro: Dose-dependent reduction in dengue viral RNA and viral proteins synthesis were also observed upon treatment with increasing concentrations of Lanatoside C. Time of addition study indicated that Lanatoside C inhibits the early processes of the dengue virus replication cycle. Furthermore, Lanatoside C can effectively inhibit all four serotypes of dengue virus, flavivirus Kunjin, alphavirus Chikungunya and Sindbis virus as well as the human enterovirus 71. Lanatoside C possesses broad spectrum antiviral activity against several groups of positive-sense RNA viruses. [2]
Brassinolide is a predominant plant growth modulator that regulate plant cell elongation.
Epiandrosterone is a steroid hormone with weak androgenic activity. Epiandrosterone is naturally produced by the enzyme 5α-reductase from the adrenal hormone DHEA.
Pregnenolone acts as a signaling-specific inhibitor of cannabinoid CB1 receptor, reduces several effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Desacetylcinobufagin is a natural compound used for microbial transformation.
Cholesterol is the major sterol in mammals, and its importance in fundamental cellular processes is becoming more appreciated. IC50 value:Target:In vitro: GT1-7 hypothalamic cells subjected to cholesterol depletion in vitro produced 20-31% reductions in cellular cholesterol content, similar to the decrease in cholesterol synthesis observed in diabetes [1].In vivo: