MP [4-(3′,3′-dimethylallyloxy)-5-methyl-6-methoxyphthalide] was obtained from liquid
culture of
Pestalotiopsis photiniae isolated from the
Chinese Podocarpaceae
plant Podocarpus macrophyllus. MP significantly inhibited the proliferation of HeLa
tumor cell lines.
After treatment with MP, characteristic apoptotic features such as
DNA fragmentation and
chromatin condensation were observed in DAPI-stained
HeLa cells.
Flow cytometry showed that MP induced
G1 cell cycle arrest and
apoptosis in a
dose-dependent manner.
Western blotting and real-
time reverse transcription-
polymerase chain reaction were used to investigate
protein and
mRNA expression. MP caused significant
cell cycle arrest by upregulating the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor
p27KIP1 protein and p21CIP1
mRNA levels in
HeLa cells. The expression of
p73 protein was increased
after treatment with various MP concentrations.
mRNA expression of the
cell cycle-related
genes, p21CIP1 , p16INK4a and Gadd45α, was significantly upregulated and
mRNA levels demonstrated significantly increased translation of p73, JunB, FKHR, and Bim. The results indicate that MP may be a potential
treatment for
cervical cancer.