Senescence is an irreversible state of cell cycle arrest that can be triggered by multiple stimuli, such as oxygen reactive species and DNA damage. Growing evidence has proven that senescence is a tumor-suppressive approach in cancer treatment. Therefore, developing novel agents that modulate senescence may be an alternative strategy against cancer. In our study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of gypenoside L (Gyp-L), a saponin isolated from Gynostemma pentaphyllum, on cancer cell growth. We found that Gyp-L increased the SA-β-galactosidase activity, promoted the production of senescence-associated secretory cytokines, and inhibited cell proliferation of human liver and esophageal cancer cells. Moreover, Gyp-L caused cell cycle arrest at S phase, and activated senescence-related cell cycle inhibitor proteins (p21 and p27) and their upstream regulators. In addition, Gyp-L activated p38 and ERK MAPK pathways and NF-κB pathway to induce senescence. Consistently, adding chemical inhibitors efficiently counteracted the Gyp-L-mediated senescence, growth inhibition, and cell cycle arrest in cancer cells. Furthermore, treatment with Gyp-L, enhanced the cytotoxicity of clinic therapeutic drugs, including 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin, on cancer cells. Overall, these results indicate that Gyp-L inhibits proliferation of cancer cells by inducing senescence and renders cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy.

This study explores the antifungal properties of Agaricus blazei Murrill, a valuable medicinal and edible fungus. Six compounds (1–6) were first isolated from A. blazei using various isolation techniques and identified using spectroscopic methods. These compounds include linoleic acid, 1,1′-oxybis(2,4-di-tert-butylbenzene), glycerol monolinoleate, volemolide (17R)-17-methylincisterol, (24s)-ergosta-7-en-3-ol, and dibutyl phthalate. This study also assesses the antifungal activities of these compounds against Trichophyton mentagrophology, Trichophyton rubrum, Candida albicans, and Cryptococcus neoformans. The results demonstrate varied sensitivities against these pathogenic fungi, with compound 2 showing significant inhibition against T. mentagrophology, compound 3 showing significant inhibition against T. rubrum, and compound 6 showing significant inhibition against C. albicans. This study underscores the medicinal potential of A. blazei as an antifungal agent and sheds light on its valuable research implications.