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Gan H, Qi M, Chan C, Leung P, Ye G, Lei Y, Liu A, Xue F, Liu D, Ye W, Zhang D, Deng L, Chen J. Digitoxin inhibits HeLa cell growth through the induction of G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Int J Oncol 2020; 57:562-573. [PMID: 32468057 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2020.5070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common gynecological malignancy affecting the health of women worldwide and the second most common cause of cancer‑related mortality among women in developing regions. Thus, the development of effective chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of cervical cancer has become an important issue in the medical field. The application of natural products for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, particularly cancer, has always attracted widespread attention. In the present study, a library of natural products composed of 78 single compounds was screened and it was found that digitoxin exhibited the highest cytotoxicity against HeLa cervical cancer cells with an IC50 value of 28 nM at 48 h. Furthermore, digitoxin exhibited extensive antitumor activities in a variety of malignant cell lines, including the lung cancer cell line, A549, the hepatoma cell line, MHCC97H, and the colon cancer cell line, HCT116. Mechanistically, digitoxin caused DNA double‑stranded breaks (DSBs), inhibited the cell cycle at the G2/M phase via the ataxia telangiectasia mutated serine/threonine kinase (ATM)/ATM and Rad3‑related serine/threonine kinase (ATR)‑checkpoint kinase (CHK1)/checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2)‑Cdc25C pathway and ultimately triggered mitochondrial apoptosis, which was characterized by the disruption of Bax/Bcl‑2, the release of cytochrome c and the sequential activation of caspases and poly(ADP‑ribose) polymerase (PARP). In addition, the in vivo anticancer effect of digitoxin was confirmed in HeLa cell xenotransplantation models. On the whole, the findings of the present study demonstrate the efficacy of digitoxin against cervical cancer in vivo and elucidate its molecular mechanisms, including DSBs, cell cycle arrest and mitochondrial apoptosis. These results will contribute to the development of digitoxin as a chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Gan
- Formula‑pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Ming Qi
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Chakpiu Chan
- Formula‑pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Pan Leung
- Formula‑pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Geni Ye
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Yuhe Lei
- Department of Pharmacy, Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518034, P.R. China
| | - Aiai Liu
- Formula‑pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Feifei Xue
- Formula‑pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Dongdong Liu
- Formula‑pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Wencai Ye
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Dongmei Zhang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Lijuan Deng
- Formula‑pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
| | - Jiaxu Chen
- Formula‑pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China
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