Solanum nigrum L. polyphenolic extract inhibits hepatocarcinoma cell growth by inducing G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rapidly progressive cancer with poor prognosis. However, there have been no significant new developments in treating liver cancer. To search for an effective agent against HCC progression, we prepared a polyphenolic extract of Solanum nigrum L. (SNPE), a herbal plant indigenous to Southeast Asia and commonly used in oriental medicine, to evaluate its inhibitive effect on hepatocarcinoma cell growth. The growth inhibition of HepG2 cells in vitro and in vivo was determined in the presence of SNPE. RESULTS: We found 1 µg mL^?1 SNPE‐fed mice showed decreased tumor weight and tumor volume by 90%. Notably, 2 µg mL^?1 SNPE resulted in almost complete inhibition of tumor weight as well as tumor volume. In line with this notion, SNPE reduced the viability of HepG₂ cells in a dose‐dependent manner. HepG₂ cells were arrested in the G₂/M phase of the cell cycle; meanwhile, the protein levels of cell CDC25A, CDC25B, and CDC25C were clearly reduced. Moreover, sub‐G₁ phase accumulation and caspases‐3, 8, and 9 cleavages were induced by SNPE. CONCLUSION: This study shows that SNPE is a potent agent for HCC treatment through targeting G₂/M arrest and apoptosis induction, achieving cell growth inhibition. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Gallic acid induces G2/M phase cell cycle arrest via regulating 14‐3‐3β release from Cdc25C and Chk2 activation in human bladder transitional carcinoma cells

Scope: Cell cycle regulation is a critical issue in cancer treatment. Previously, gallic acid (GA) has been reported to possess anticancer ability. Here, we have evaluated the molecular mechanism of GA on cell cycle modulation in a human bladder transitional carcinoma cell line (TSGH‐8301 cell). Methods and results: Using flow cytometer analysis, exposure of the cells to 40 μM GA resulted in a statistically significant increase in G2/M phase cells, which was accompanied by a decrease in G0/G1 phase cells. GA‐treated cells resulted in significant growth inhibition in a dose‐dependent manner accompanied by a decrease in cyclin‐dependent kinases (Cdk1), Cyclin B1, and Cdc25C, but significant increases in p‐cdc2 (Tyr‐15) and Cip1/p21 by western blotting. Additional mechanistic studies showed that GA induces phosphorylation of Cdc25C at Ser‐216. This mechanism leads to its translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm resulting in an increased binding with 14‐3‐3β. When treated with GA, phosphorylated Cdc25C can be activated by ataxia telangiectasia‐mutated checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2). This might be a DNA damage response as indicated by Ser‐139 phosphorylation of histine H2A.X. Furthermore, treatment of the cells with a Chk2 inhibitor significantly attenuated GA‐induced G2/M phase arrest. Conclusion: These results indicate that GA can induce cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase via Chk2‐mediated phosphorylation of Cdc25C in a bladder transitional carcinoma cell line.     

Neferine from Nelumbo nucifera induces autophagy through the inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and ROS hyper generation in A549 cells

Previously we have reported that neferine from the medicinal plant Nelumbo nucifera, inhibited cancer cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis. The present study was focused on the action mechanism of neferine in inducing autophagy in lung cancer cells. Neferine markedly inhibited A549 cell proliferation in a dose dependent manner. Acidic vesicular accumulation was observed in neferine treated cells as an indication of autophagy. Neferine could induce the conversion of LC3B-I to LC3B-II without affecting the expression levels of PI3KCIII and Beclin1. It has been observed that neferine mediated autophagy is dependent on inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling by neferine. Neferine treatment could also lead to the ROS hypergeneration and depletion of cellular antioxidant, GSH. The results demonstrate that neferine-induced autophagy is mediated through ROS hypergeneration and mTOR inhibition. Taken together, the present study unveils a novel mechanism of action of neferine on lung cancer cells in the induction of autophagy.     

Curcumin induced G2/M cycle arrest in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells through the ROS-mediated p53 signaling pathway

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a solid tumor in the nervous system and has a high mortality rate in children. Curcumin has well-characterized anticancer properties, while there is no effective method in clinical treatment. MTT assays revealed that curcumin dramatically inhibited the proliferation of SK-N-SH cells. Compared with the control group, curcumin markedly restrained the migration of SK-N-SH cells. Curcumin induced SK-N-SH cell apoptosis by G2/M cycle arrest and activated caspase-3 activity. Furthermore, curcumin promoted the overproduction of intracellular ROS and apoptosis induced by activating p53 and Bcl-2 signal pathways. This finding demonstrated the application of curcumin is an effective strategy for the therapeutics of NB     

Tetrahydrocurcumin, a major metabolite of curcumin, induced autophagic cell death through coordinative modulation of PI3K/Akt-mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways in human leukemia HL-60 cells

Scope: Autophagy (type II programmed cell death) is crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Several autophagy‐deficient or knockout studies indicate that autophagy is a tumor suppressor. Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC), a major metabolite of curcumin, has been demonstrated with anti‐colon carcinogenesis and antioxidation in vivo. Methods and results: In the present study, we found that treatment with THC induced autophagic cell death in human HL‐60 promyelocytic leukemia cells by increasing autophage marker acidic vascular organelle (AVO) formation. Flow cytometry also confirmed that THC treatment did not increase sub‐G1 cell population whereas curcumin did with strong apoptosis‐inducing activity. At the molecular levels, the results from Western blot analysis showed that THC significantly down‐regulated phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/protein kinase B and mitogen‐activated protein kinase signalings including decreasing the phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin, glycogen synthase kinase 3β and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase. Further molecular analysis exhibited that the pretreatment of 3‐methyladenine (an autophagy inhibitor) also significantly reduced acidic vascular organelle production in THC‐treated cells. Conclusion: Taken together, these results demonstrated the anticancer efficacy of THC by inducing autophagy as well as provided a potential application for the prevention of human leukemia.     

反油酸处理对人HepG2细胞代谢组的影响

本研究以人细胞（Hep G2）为模型,通过MTT实验研究反油酸对Hep G2细胞存活率的影响,选择1.2 mmol/L和1.5 mmol/L的反式油酸处理Hep G2细胞6和12 h,利用UPLC-MS/MS和GC-MS对Hep G2细胞的代谢组进行检测,以了解人细胞对反式油酸的代谢反应。结果表明,反油酸处理引起了Hep G2细胞代谢水平的广泛变化。反油酸处理促进了脂肪酸合成,引起细胞磷脂代谢显著变化及细胞膜的重构,也增加了胆固醇和酰基甘油代谢中间产物的水平;同时,反油酸引起糖类和氨基酸代谢途径的增强,为脂肪酸合成提供原料。本研究获得的体外代谢组水平的变化为揭示反式脂肪酸与人类健康的不良关系提供了新的证据。      

Citrus-derived auraptene stimulates angiogenesis by activating the Erk- and PI3K/Akt/eNOS-dependent signaling pathways in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Auraptene is a citrus-derived natural monoterpene that has been shown to exert anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant roles. Since little is known about other biological functions of auraptene, we examined the efficacy of auraptene for stimulating angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Treatment with low concentrations of auraptene stimulated endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Furthermore, auraptene activated Erk, Akt, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and increased NO production. Auraptene also partially induced the phosphorylation of VEGFR2. Furthermore, auraptene-induced activation of Erk, Akt, and eNOS were significantly inhibited by the inhibitors PD98059, LY294002, and l-NIO dihydrochloride. These results suggest that auraptene stimulates angiogenesis by regulating the VEGFR2, Erk, and PI3K/Akt-eNOS signaling pathways.     

Involvement of MAPK, Bcl-2 family, cytochrome c, and caspases in induction of apoptosis by 1,6-O,O-diacetylbritannilactone in human leukemia cells

1,6-O,O-diacetylbritannilactone (OODBL) isolated from Inula britannica, exhibits potent antitumor activity against several human cancer cell lines. However, the molecular mechanism of OODBL in the induction of anticancer activity is still unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that OODBL induced the occurrence of apoptosis in human leukemic (HL-60) cells and cell arrest at the S phase. On the other hand, activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3, phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and Bid, and increased release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into cytosolic fraction were detected in OODBL-treated HL-60 cells. We further demonstrated that production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathways may play an important role in OODBL-induced apoptosis. The results from the present study highlight the molecular mechanisms underlying OODBL-induced anticancer activity.     

苦丁茶叶制虫茶粗多酚对HepG2人肝癌细胞的凋亡诱导效果

茶多酚是茶叶中的功能性成分。虫茶作为传统饮品也含有这些化合物,这些多酚类物质的抗癌效果有待科学的研究。本研究对苦丁茶叶制虫茶粗多酚（CPKMI）的癌细胞凋亡诱导作用进行了测定。采用MTT法对CPKMI对癌细胞的体外生长抑制作用进行了分析,然后进一步采用RT-PCR检测对CPKMI的癌细胞凋亡诱导效果进行了实验。经过25、50和100μg/m L的CPKMI处理癌细胞48h,Hep G2人肝癌细胞的增殖被抑制,其中100μg/m L的CPKMI表现出最高的抑制率（72.8%）。CPKMI也可以通过上调caspase-3、caspase-9、p53、p21、E2F1、p73和下调HIAP-1,HIAP-2基因的mRNA的表达对Hep G2癌细胞起到显著的凋亡诱导效果（p<0.05）。由此可见,CPKMI表现出强的体外癌细胞凋亡诱导效果。      

牛磺酸降低高胆固醇HepG2细胞内胆固醇的作用机制研究

目的:探讨牛磺酸对高胆固醇Hep G2细胞胆固醇降解作用及其机制。方法:以0.02 mmol/L胆固醇加入培养液中建立高胆固醇细胞模型后,分别加入1、10、20 mmol/L牛磺酸培养48 h,测定细胞内总胆固醇（TC）、游离胆固醇（FC）、胆固醇酯（EC）及细胞内总胆汁酸（TBAc）和培养液总胆汁酸（TBAm）水平;并检测20 mmol/L牛磺酸作用24 h后细胞CYP7A1及其调控分子的蛋白表达水平。结果:10 mmol/L和20 mmol/L牛磺酸作用48 h可显著降低细胞内TC、FC和EC（p<0.01）,同时升高了TBAc和TBAm（p<0.05或p<0.01）;20 mmol/L牛磺酸作用24 h时使CYP7A1显著增加（p<0.05）;20 mmol/L牛磺酸作用24 h后MAPK、ERK、JNK、c-jun和p-c-jun表达明显降低（p<0.05）,而对HNF4α则无显著影响。结论:牛磺酸可抑制高胆固醇Hep G2细胞MAPK/ERK和MAPK/JNK表达水平,降低c-jun蛋白表达及c-jun磷酸化水平,促进CYP7A1蛋白表达升高,从而加速胆固醇转化为胆汁酸。      

Red mold dioscorea‐induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in human oral cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Monascus‐fermented products are among the most commonly used traditional food supplements. Dioscorea is known to exhibit anticancer properties. In this study the effects of the ethanol extract of red mold dioscorea (RMDE) on cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis in human oral cancer cells were investigated. RESULTS: RMDE exercised growth inhibition on squamous cell carcinoma‐25 (SCC‐25) cells. RMDE‐mediated G2/M phase arrest was associated with the down‐regulation of NF‐κB, resulting in the inhibition of cyclin B1 and CDK1 expression; this may be the mechanism by which RMDE inhibits cancer cells. Furthermore, the proapoptotic activity of RMDE was revealed by the Annexin V‐FITC/PI double‐staining assay. In addition, the proapoptotic effect of RMDE was evident by the inhibition of Bax expression in the mitochondria, resulting in the activation of caspase‐9 and caspase‐3 and subsequent triggering of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. RMDE also enhanced caspase‐8 activity, indicating the involvement of the death receptor pathway in RMDE‐mediated SCC‐25 cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: RMDE treatment inhibited the growth of SCC‐25 cells by arresting cell cycle at the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. Therefore RMDE may be a good candidate for development as a dietary supplement against oral cancer. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

草苁蓉环烯醚萜苷含药血清诱导人肝癌SMMC-7721细胞凋亡中PI3K/Akt通路的作用

研究草苁蓉环烯醚萜苷(IGBR)含药血清对人肝癌SMMC-7721细胞活力与凋亡的影响并探讨其可能作用机制。MTT法检测IGBR含药血清对人肝癌SMMC-7721细胞活力的影响,流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡,Western blot检测PI3K/Akt信号通路相关蛋白。结果表明,IGBR含药血清可降低人肝癌SMMC-7721细胞活力,诱导细胞凋亡。与对照组比较,5-FU组与IGBR组人肝癌SMMC-7721细胞中Bax蛋白表达增多,而p-Akt和Bcl-2蛋白的表达减少(p<0.05),两组间无明显差异(p>0.05);而总Akt没有明显改变。IGBR含药血清可通过PI3K/Akt信号通路,调节Bcl-2家族成员(Bax和Bcl-2),诱发人肝癌SMMC-7721细胞凋亡。     

Biphasic modulation of cell proliferation by sulforaphane at physiologically relevant exposure times in a human colon cancer cell line

Sulforaphane (SFN), a cancer chemopreventive compound derived from broccoli, is able to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in various tumor cell lines. Here we show that cell growth inhibition by SFN follows a biphasic pattern: Transient exposure of 40-16 human colon carcinoma cells for up to 6 h resulted in reversible G(2)/M cell cycle arrest and cytostatic growth inhibition even at elevated concentrations, whereas a minimum continuous exposure time of 12 h was necessary for SFN to irreversibly arrest cells in G(2)/M phase and subsequently induce apoptosis. IC(50) values after 12 h of exposure followed by drug-free recovery up to 72 h (6.4-8.1 microM) were indistinguishable from those of chronic exposure for 24 to 72 h (5.4-6.6 microM). Low concentrations of SFN caused a transient decrease in glutathione (GSH) levels followed by GSH induction, which may be related to reversible G(2)/M arrest and cytostatic effects. Depletion of GSH does not seem to play a role in SFN-mediated apoptosis induction. Our data clearly contribute to a better understanding of the kinetics of antiproliferative activity of SFN.