ABSTRACT
p-Hydroxylcinnamaldehyde (CMSP) has been identified as an inhibitor of the growth of various cancer cells. However, its function in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to characterize the differentiation effects of CMSP, as well as its mechanism in the differentiation of ESCC Kyse30 and TE-13 cells. The function of CMSP in the viability, colony formation, migration and invasion of Kyse30 and TE-13 cells was determined by MTS, colony-formation, wound healing and transwell assays. Western blotting and pull-down assays were used to investigate the effect of CMSP on the expression level of malignant markers of ESCC, as well as the activity of MAPKs, RhoA and GTP-RhoA in Kyse30 and TE-13 cells. We found that CMSP could inhibit proliferation and migration and induce Kyse30 and TE-13 cell differentiation, characterized by dendrite-like outgrowth, decreased expression of tumour-associated antigens, as well as the decreased expression of malignant markers. Furthermore, increased cAMP, p-P38 and decreased activities of ERK, JNK and GTP-RhoA, were detected after treatment with CMSP. These results indicated that CMSP induced the differentiation of Kyse30 and TE-13 cells through mediating the cAMP-RhoA-MAPK axis, which might provide new potential strategies for ESCC treatment.
Subject(s)
Acrolein/analogs & derivatives , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism , Cinnamates/pharmacology , Esophageal Neoplasms/metabolism , Acrolein/pharmacology , Animals , Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Cell Differentiation , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement , Cell Proliferation , Cell Survival , Cyclic AMP/metabolism , Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma , Esophagus/metabolism , Humans , MAP Kinase Signaling System , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Mice, Nude , Neoplasm Invasiveness , rhoA GTP-Binding Protein/metabolismABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Periplocin is extracted from the traditional herbal medicine cortex periplocae, which has been reported to suppress the growth of cancer cells. However, little is known about its effect on gastric cancer cells. METHODS: Gastric cancer cells were treated with periplocin, and cell viability was assessed using MTS assay. Flow cytometry and TUNEL staining were performed to evaluate apoptosis, and protein expression was examined by western blotting. Microarray analysis was used to screen for changes in related genes. RESULTS: We found that periplocin had an inhibitory effect on gastric cancer cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Periplocin inhibited cell viability via the ERK1/2-EGR1 pathway to induce apoptosis. Periplocin also inhibited the growth of tumor xenografts and induced apoptosis in vivo. CONCLUSION: Our results show that periplocin inhibits the proliferation of gastric cancer cells and induces apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, indicating its potential to be used as an antitumor drug.
