The compound casticin, isolated from Vitex rotundifolia, exerts anti-inflammatory effects and causes apoptosis of cancer cells. In this study, we explored the anti-inflammatory effects of casticin and modulation of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), and mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) expression in interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-activated A549 human pulmonary epithelial cells. A549 ...

Although many advances have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis, few options are available for treatment. Casticin, one of the major flavonoids in Fructus Viticis extracts, has shown hepatoprotective potential, but its effects on liver fibrosis are not clear. In this study, we investigated the antifibrotic activity of casticin and its underlying mechanism in vivo and i...

Casticin, as a major effective component in Chinese herbal medicine Vitex agnus-castus exhibits an antiinflammatory property to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), while the potential mechanism is unclear. We aim at investigating the mechanism of Casticin on lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced fibroblast-like synoviocytes (LiFLSs) inflammation model. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) were treated with 2...

A subpopulation of cancer stem cells is recognized as the cause of tumorigenesis and spreading. To investigate the effects of casticin (5,3'-dihydroxy-3,6,7,4'-tetramethoxyflavone), derived from Fructus Viticis Simplicifoliae, on lung cancer stem cells, we isolated and identified a subpopulation of lung cancer stem-like cells (LCSLCs) from non-small-cell lung carcinoma A549 cells with the featu...

Casticin, one of the main components from Fructus Viticis, has been reported to inhibit the growth of various cancer cells, including the human cervical cancer cell line HeLa. The purpose of this study was to examine the apoptotic activity and molecular mechanism of casticin action on human cervical cancer cells. The apoptotic activity of casticin on human cervical cancer HeLa, CasKi, SiHa and ...

We have demonstrated that an extract from the ripe fruit of Vitex agnus-castus (Vitex) exhibits cytotoxic activities against various types of solid tumor cells, whereas its effects on leukemia cells has not been evaluated to date. In this study, the effects of Vitex and its major component, casticin, on leukemia cell lines, HL-60 and U-937, were investigated by focusing on proliferation, induct...

The existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is central to the pathogenesis and therapeutic target of human hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of casticin on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) derived from the SMMC-7721 cell line. Our results demonstrated that CD133+ sphere-forming cells (SFCs) sorted from the SMMC...

Objective(s): In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of casticin and myricetin on liver  damage induced by methotrexate in rats.Materials and Methods: Thirty-six male rats were used for the study and divided into 6 groups: control, methotrexate, casticin, myricetin, casticin+methotrexate, and myricetin+methotrexate. It was performed by methotrexate (20 mg/kg single dose, IP) in met...

Casticin (3', 5-dihydroxy-3, 4', 6, 7-tetramethoxyflavone) is an active compound isolated from roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds of a variety of plants. It is well known for its pharmacological properties and has been utilized as an anti-hyperprolactinemia, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotetective, analgesic and immunomodulatory agent. Recently, the anticancer activity of casticin ...

Inhibition of the main protease (Mpro) SARS-CoV-2 has been suggested to be vital in shutting down viral replication a host. Most efforts aimed at inhibiting MPro activity have channeled into competitive inhibition active site, but this strategy will require high inhibitor concentration and impressive inhibitor-MPro binding affinity. Allosteric can potentially serve as an effective for alleviati...