Celastraceae are characterized by a cymose pattern of inflorescence ramification. Under this basic pattern, many inflorescence forms have been described within the family, e.g., dichasium, monochasium, pleiochasium, botryoid, thyrsoid, fascicle. Thus, the question has arisen—how have these varieties evolved or transformed from one to another? Through morphogenetic observations using paraffin sections, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and stereomicroscopy, we studied the architecture and developmental processes of the inflorescences of five species of Celastrus and Euonymus. We found in C. orbiculatus that the reduction of subtending leaves of the axillary dichasia on a developing flowering shoot made it become a terminal thyrsoid. A dichasium in the leaf axil as commonly seen in Euonymus is the most frequent type of inflorescence in Celastraceae. An analysis of character evolution suggested that a dichasium is the ancestral state for Celastraceae. Therefore, within Celeastaceae, an axillary dichasium may be the basic type or unit of inflorescences. Transitions from dichasium to thrysoid and other types of cymes, and even to solitary flowers might have occurred repeatedly in the family, probably a phenomenon of evolutionary convergence due to changing environmental conditions. The present study provided helpful information for understanding the evolution of the cymose type of inflorescence in flowering plants.
Isoorientin (ISO) is a naturally occurring C‑glycosyl flavone that has various pharmacological properties, such as anti‑bacterial and anti‑inflammatory effects. However, its underlying molecular mechanisms in human lung cancer cells remain unknown. In the present study, the effects of ISO on the induction of apoptosis and relative molecular mechanisms in A549 human lung cancer cells were investigated. The results of Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay (CCK‑8) indicated that ISO exerted significant cytotoxic effects on 3 lung cancer cell lines, but had no obvious side‑effects on normal cells. Moreover, flow cytometry and western blot analysis revealed that ISO induced mitochondrial‑dependent apoptosis by reducing mitochondrial membrane potential. ISO also increased the expression levels of Bax, cleaved‑caspase‑3 (cle‑cas‑3) and poly(ADP‑ribose) polymerase (PARP; cle‑PARP), and decreased the expression levels of Bcl‑2 in A549 cells. Furthermore, ISO induced G2/M cell cycle arrest by decreasing the expression levels of cyclin B1 and CDK1/2, and increasing the expression levels of p21 and p27 in A549 cells. As the duration of ISO treatment increased, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in A549 cells also increased. However, pre‑treatment of the cells with the ROS scavenger, N‑acetylcysteine (NAC), inhibited ISO‑induced apoptosis. In addition, ISO increased the expression levels of p‑p38, p‑JNK and IκB‑α; and decreased the expression levels of p‑extracellular signal‑regulated kinase (ERK), p‑signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3, p‑nuclear factor (NF)‑κB, NF‑κB and p‑IκB; these effects were induced by mitogen‑activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors and blocked by NAC. Taken together, the results of the present study indicate that ISO induces the apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells via the ROS‑mediated MAPK/STAT3/NF‑κB signaling pathway, and thus may be a potential drug for use in the treatment of lung cancer.
Abstract Euonymus , a cosmopolitan genus of the family Celastraceae, has its species diversity centered in East Asia. It exhibits a complex pattern of morphological variation, making its taxonomy difficult. Monophyly of the genus remains uncertain, and the evolutionary implications of the infrageneric division and delimitation of many species are debatable. In this study, we sampled a total of 62 accessions representing 48 species/taxa covering a broad range of diversity of the genus and its allies. We first investigated the phylogeny of Euonymus using DNA sequences of multiple nuclear and plastid markers, and then used this phylogeny to discuss the circumscription and classification of the genus in combination with evolution of fruit characters, which has been used as an important criterion for the generic subdivision. The resultant data revealed the monophyly of Euonymus sensu lato with inclusion of Glyptopetalum , resolved the major lines of phylogeny of the genus, and clarified the echinate and winged capsules each as lineage‐specific. Therefore, among the five sections accepted by Flora of China , only Sect. Echinococcus (with spiny fruits) and Sect. Kalonymus (with winged fruits) correspond to the molecular grouping. The globose capsule may represent an ancestral character state, and the other types of fruits, that is, the shallowly to deeply lobed capsules, may belong to a broad range of continuous variation derived from the globose.
Abstract Peimine (PM), a natural product extracted from Fritillaria , has anti‐inflammatory, drug resistance reversal, and other pharmacological effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antitumor effects and the molecular mechanisms of PM using gastric cancer MKN‐45 cells. Cell counting kit‐8 assays were used to evaluate the viability of gastric cancer cells after treatment with PM. The results showed that PM significantly reduced the activity of gastric cancer cells, and the effect was most obvious in MKN‐45 cells. Annexin V‐FITC/propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry were used to assess apoptosis of MKN‐45 cells after PM treatment. Our results showed that PM‐induced apoptosis of MKN‐45 cells. Flow cytometry was also used to determine the mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and to assess PM‐induced cell‐cycle arrest. Additionally, Western blot was used to analyze the expression of signaling pathway proteins and the relationship between apoptosis and ROS accumulation. Our findings showed that PM destroyed the mitochondria by diminishing the mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, PM regulated the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, and nuclear factor kappa‐B signaling pathways by promoting the accumulation of ROS in MKN‐45 cells. PM also caused cell‐cycle arrest in the G2/M phase by increasing ROS accumulation. Furthermore, PM inhibited cell migration by regulating the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway. In conclusion, PM plays an anticancer role through endogenous apoptosis pathways and by inhibiting cell migration, and it has the potential to be a useful treatment for gastric cancers.
Cover Caption: The cover image is based on the Research Article Peimine-induced apoptosis and inhibition of migration by regulating reactive oxygen species-mediated MAPK/STAT3/NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways in gastric cancer MKN-45 cells by Tong Zhang et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/ddr.21987
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