Only mouse study, but interesting research on microbiome using astragaloside and scorpion venom

[Graham49]

Astragaloside

IV-PESV inhibits prostate cancer tumor growth by restoring gut

microbiota and microbial metabolic homeostasis via the AGE-RAGE pathwayXujun You, Junfeng Qiu, Qixin Li, Qing Zhang, Wen Sheng, Yiguo Cao, Wei Fu

BMC cancer 24 (1), 472, 2024

Background

Prostate cancer (PCa) is becoming the most common malignancy in men worldwide. We investigated the effect of astragaloside IV combined with PESV on the gut microbiota and metabolite of PCa mice and the process of treating

PCa.

Methods

Nude mice were genetically modified to develop tumors characteristic of PCa.

The treatment of PCa mice involved the administration of a combination

of astragaloside IV and peptides derived from scorpion venom (PESV).

Feces were collected for both 16 S rDNA and metabolic analysis. Fecal

supernatant was extracted and used for fecal transplantation in PCa

mice. Tumor development was observed in both PCa mice and nude mice.

Tumor histopathology was examined, and the expression of inflammatory

factors and the AGE-RAGE axis in PCa tissues were analyzed.

Results

PCa mice treated with Astragaloside IV in combination with PESV showed a

significant reduction in tumor volume and weight, and stabilization of

gut microbiota and metabolites. At the Genus level, significant

differences were observed in Porphyromonas, Corynebacterium, Arthromitus and Blautia, and the differential metabolites were PA16_016_0, Astragaloside+, Vitamin A acid, Nardosinone, a-Nortestoster, D-Pantethine, Hypoxanthine, Pregnenolone, cinnamic acid, Pyridoxa, Cirtruline and Xanthurenate.

There was a correlation between gut microbiota and metabolites. After

the fecal transplantation, tumor growth was effectively suppressed in

the PCa mice. Notably, both the mRNA and protein levels of the receptor

for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) were significantly decreased.

Furthermore, the expression of inflammatory factors, namely NF-κB,

TNF-α, and IL-6, in the tumor tissues was significantly attenuated.

Conversely, upregulation of RAGE led to increased inflammation and

reversed tumor growth in the mice.

Conclusion

Astragaloside IV combined with PESV could treat PCa by intervening in gut microbiota composition and metabolite by targeting RAGE.

[Surrender1]

Oh good. Must be why I’m doing better now after being bit by a scorpion last year in Costa Rica. She hid in my hiking shoe and bit my big toe. Very painful for a couple of hours.

Black scorpion

[Graham49 in reply to Surrender1]

Maybe! Here’s a study on one type of scorpion venom, not the type that bit you but the principle is there.

“Scorpion venoms are known to contain over 100,000 biologically active constituents.”

Yellow scorpion (Buthus sinidicus) venom peptides induce mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in cervical, prostate and brain tumor cell lines

Humaira Hassan, Munazza Raza Mirza , Almas Jabeen , Mehtab Alam, Junaid Ahmed Kori, Rabia Sultan, Saeed ur Rahman, M. Iqbal Choudhary

Published: February 23, 2024

doi.org/10.1371/journal.pon...

[Jpburns]

My only comment is… “…nude mice??”

[j-o-h-n]

Mickey et. al. have all the fun....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n