Ahmed Aloulou

Natural inhibitors of digestive lipases offer promising alternatives to conventional obesity medications. This study screened nine medicinal plant extracts, identifying the ethanolic bark extract of Cinnamomum cassia as the most potent inhibitor for gastric and pancreatic lipases. Using an integrated approach combining bioactivity-guided fractionation and mass spectrometry, we isolated the highly active fraction, F3-1-1, which exhibited dose- and time-dependent inhibitory effects against human and porcine pancreatic lipases, as well as dog gastric lipase (DGL). Further mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprint analysis putatively annotated cinncassiol A-19 glucoside as a bioactive constituent. Notably, this compound was likely bound covalently to the catalytic peptide containing the Ser153 residue in DGL, characterized by a mass shift of +553.10 Da. Molecular docking simulations supported these suggestions, demonstrating stable interactions within the catalytic pocket of DGL through hydrogen and hydrophobic bond interactions. These findings highlight C. cassia as a promising source of natural anti-obesity agents.

Natural inhibitors of digestive lipases offer promising alternatives to conventional obesity medications. This study screened nine medicinal plant extracts identifying the ethanolic bark extract of Cinnamomum cassia as the most potent inhibitor for gastric and pancreatic lipases. Using an integrated approach combining bioactivity-guided fractionation and mass spectrometry, we isolated the highly active fraction, F3-1-1, which exhibited dose- and time-dependent inhibitory effects against human and porcine pancreatic lipases, as well as dog gastric lipase (DGL). Further mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprint analysis identified cinncassiol A-19 glucoside as the main bioactive constituent. Notably, this compound forms covalent complexes with the catalytic peptide containing the Ser153 residue in DGL, characterized by a mass shift of +553.10 Da. Molecular docking simulations supported these results, demonstrating stable interactions within the catalytic pocket of DGL through hydrogen and hydrophobic bond interactions. These findings highlight C. cassia as a promising source of natural anti-obesity agents.

Most persons with colorectal cancer (CRC) carry adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) truncation leading to aberrant Wnt–β-catenin signaling; however, effective targeted therapy for them is lacking as the mechanism by which APC truncation drives CRC remains elusive. Here, we report that the cholesterol level in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane (IPM) is elevated in all tested APC-truncated CRC cells, driving Wnt-independent formation of Wnt signalosomes through Dishevelled (Dvl)–cholesterol interaction. Cholesterol–Dvl interaction inhibitors potently blocked β-catenin signaling in APC-truncated CRC cells and suppressed their viability. Because of low IPM cholesterol level and low Dvl expression and dependence, normal cells including primary colon epithelial cells were not sensitive to these inhibitors. In vivo testing with a xenograft mouse model showed that our inhibitors effectively suppressed truncated APC-driven tumors without causing intestinal toxicity. Collectively, these results suggest that the most common type of CRC could be effectively and safely treated by blocking the cholesterol–Dvl–β-catenin signaling axis.

The flavonoid myricitrin-5-methyl ether is a potential drug candidate as a gastric lipase inhibitor for the treatment of obesity.