Bufalin induces apoptosis via mitochondrial ROS-mediated caspase-3 activation in HCT-116 and SW620 human colon cancer cells

Bufalin Suppresses Head and Neck Cancer Development by Modulating Immune Responses and Targeting the β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

Bufalin, a cardiotonic steroid derived from the Chinese toad (Bufo gargarizans), has demonstrated potent anticancer properties across various cancer types, positioning it as a promising therapeutic candidate. However, comprehensive mechanistic studies specific to head and neck cancers have been lacking. Our study aimed to bridge this gap by investigating bufalin's mechanisms of action in head and neck cancer cells. Using several methods, such as Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry, we observed bufalin's dose-dependent reduction in cell viability, disruption of cell membrane integrity, and inhibition of colony formation in both HPV-positive and HPV-negative cell lines. Bufalin induces apoptosis through the modulation of apoptosis-related proteins, mitochondrial function, and reactive oxygen species production. It also arrests the cell cycle at the G2/M phase and attenuates cell migration while affecting epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers and targeting pivotal signaling pathways, including Wnt/β-catenin, EGFR, and NF-κB. Additionally, bufalin exerted immunomodulatory effects by polarizing macrophages toward the M1 phenotype, bolstering antitumor immune responses. These findings underscore bufalin's potential as a multifaceted therapeutic agent against head and neck cancers, targeting essential pathways involved in proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, metastasis, and immune modulation. Further research is warranted to validate these mechanisms and optimize bufalin's clinical application.

Modulating pancreatic cancer microenvironment: The efficacy of Huachansu in mouse models via TGF-β/Smad pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Huachansu (HCS) is a traditional Chinese medicine obtained from the dried skin glands of Bufo gargarizans and clinical uses of HCS have been approved in China to treat malignant tumors. The traditional Chinese medicine theory states that HCS relieves patients with cancer by promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis. Clinical observation found that local injection of HCS given to pancreatic cancer patients can significantly inhibit tumor progression and assist in enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy. However, the material basis and underlying mechanism have not yet been elucidated.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To investigate the therapeutic potential of HCS for the treatment of pancreatic cancer in in situ transplanted tumor nude mouse model. Furthermore, this study sought to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying its efficacy and assess the impact of HCS on the microenvironment of pancreatic cancer. To identify the antitumor effect of HCS in in situ transplanted tumor nude mouse model and determine the Chemopreventive mechanism of HCS on tumor microenvironment (TME).

METHODS

Using the orthotopic transplantation nude mouse model with fluorescently labeled pancreatic cancer cell lines SW1990 and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), we examined the effect of HCS on the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment based on the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)/Smad pathway. The expression of TGF-β, smad2, smad3, smad4, collagen type-1 genes and proteins in nude mouse model were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot.

RESULTS

HCS significantly reduced tumor growth rate, increased the survival rate, and ameliorated the histopathological changes in the pancreas. It was found that HCS concentration-dependently reduced the expression of TGF-β1 and collagen type-1 genes and proteins, decreased the expression of Smad2 and Smad3 genes, and downregulated the phosphorylation level of Smad2/3. Additionally, the gene and protein expression of Smad4 were promoted by HCS. Further, the promoting effect gradually enhanced with the rise of HCS concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrated HCS could regulate the activity of the TGF-β/Smad pathway in PDAC, improved the microenvironment of PDAC and delayed tumor progression. This study not only indicated that the protective mechanism of HCS on PDAC might be attributed partly to the inhibition of cytokine production and the TGF-β/Smad pathway, but also provided evidence for HCS as a potential medicine for PDAC treatment.

Bufalin serves as a pharmaceutic that mitigates drug resistance

Intrinsic or acquired drug resistance of tumor cells is the main cause of tumor chemotherapy failure and tumor-related death. Bufalin (BF) is the main active monomer component extracted from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Toad venom (secretions of glands behind the ears and epidermis of bufo gargarizans and Bufo Melanostictus Schneider). It is a cardiotonic steroid with broad-spectrum anti-cancer effects and has been widely used against various malignant tumors in clinical practice. Pharmacological studies also found that BF has the effect of reversing drug resistance, which provides a new perspective for the application of Traditional Chinese Medicine as a chemosensitizer in cancer therapy. This article provides an extensive search and summary of published research on mitigating drug resistance to BF and reviews its potential mechanisms.

Oxaliplatin-loaded nanoemulsion containing Teucrium polium L. essential oil induces apoptosis in Colon cancer cell lines through ROS-mediated pathway

Oxaliplatin (Oxa)-associated adverse side effects have considerably limited the clinical use of the drug in colon cancer therapy. Mutant p53 has diverse mutational profiles in colon cancer, and it influences the potencies of various chemotherapeutic drugs, including Oxa. Thus, it would be highly beneficial to identify an alternative therapeutic strategy that not only reduces the toxicity of Oxa, but also exerts a synergistic effect against colon cancers, regardless of their p53 profiles. The present study was aimed at preparing and optimizing Teucrium polium L. essential oil nanoemulsion (TPO-NANO) and investigating its effect on the sensitivity of colon cancer cells with differences in p53 status (HCT116 wild-type and HT-29 mutant-type) to Oxa. The viability of treated cells was determined and the combination index (CI) was calculated. Morphological changes were determined under inverted microscopy, while percentage apoptosis was assayed using flow cytometry. Intracellular ROS and the protein levels of p53 and Bax were measured. The colony-forming potential of treated cells was determined using colony assay. The size of TPO-NANO was markedly increased from 12.90 ± 0.04 nm to 14.47 ± 0.53 nm after loading Oxa (p ≤ 0.05). The combination (Oxa + TPO-NANO) produced a synergetic effect in HCT116 and HT-29, with CI of 0.94 and 0.88, respectively. Microscopic examination and flow cytometric analysis revealed that cells treated with Oxa + TPO-NANO had a higher percentage of apoptosis than cells exposed to monotherapy. Cumulatively, Oxa exerted an apoptotic effect on wild or mutant p53 colon cancer cells when combined with TPO-NANO, through a mechanism involving ROS-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis.

Bufalin Inhibits Tumorigenesis, Stemness, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Colorectal Cancer through a C-Kit/Slug Signaling Axis

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major source of morbidity and mortality, characterized by intratumoral heterogeneity and the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Bufalin has potent activity against many tumors, but studies of its effect on CRC stemness are limited. We explored bufalin's function and mechanism using CRC patient-derived organoids (PDOs) and cell lines. In CRC cells, bufalin prevented nuclear translocation of β-catenin and down-regulated CSC markers (CD44, CD133, LGR5), pluripotency factors, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers (N-Cadherin, Slug, ZEB1). Functionally, bufalin inhibited CRC spheroid formation, aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, migration, and invasion. Network analysis identified a C-Kit/Slug signaling axis accounting for bufalin's anti-stemness activity. Bufalin treatment significantly downregulated C-Kit, as predicted. Furthermore, overexpression of C-Kit induced Slug expression, spheroid formation, and bufalin resistance. Similarly, overexpression of Slug resulted in increased expression of C-Kit and identical functional effects, demonstrating a pro-stemness feedback loop. For further study, we established PDOs from diagnostic colonoscopy. Bufalin differentially inhibited PDO growth and proliferation, induced apoptosis, restored E-cadherin, and downregulated CSC markers CD133 and C-Myc, dependent on C-Kit/Slug. These findings suggest that the C-Kit/Slug axis plays a pivotal role in regulating CRC stemness, and reveal that targeting this axis can inhibit CRC growth and progression.

Bufalin for an innovative therapeutic approach against cancer

Bufalin is an endogenous cardiotonic steroid, first discovered in toad venom but also found in the plasma of healthy humans, with anti-tumour activities in different cancer types. The current review is focused on its mechanisms of action and highlights its very large spectrum of effects both in vitro and in vivo. All leads to the conclusion that bufalin mediates its effects by affecting all the hallmarks of cancer and seems restricted to cancer cells avoiding side effects. Bufalin decreases cancer cell proliferation by acting on the cell cycle and inducing different mechanisms of cell death including apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagy and senescence. Bufalin also moderates metastasis formation by blocking migration and invasion as well as angiogenesis and by inducing a phenotype switch towards differentiation and decreasing cancer cell stemness. Regarding its various mechanisms of action in cancer cells, bufalin blocks overactivated signalling pathways and modifies cell metabolism. Moreover, bufalin gained lately a huge interest in the field of drug resistance by both reversing various drug resistance mechanisms and affecting the immune microenvironment. Together, these data support bufalin as a quite promising new anti-cancer drug candidate.

The mechanism of apoptosis of Chlamys farreri hemocytes under benzopyrene stress in vitro

Hemocytes are critical to the immune defense system of bivalves, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can mediate the immunity of bivalves by affecting the apoptosis of hemocytes. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Chlamys farreri, as an important economic bivalve, was selected as the research subject for this experimentation. The hemocytes were exposed to typical PAHs-benzopyrene (B[a]P) in vitro to explore the apoptosis mechanism through detecting oxidative stress and oxidative damage-related indicators, apoptosis pathway factors, and apoptosis rate within 24 h. The results showed that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE) content in hemocytes increased significantly under B[a]P exposure, while antioxidant genes, glutathione peroxidase content and total antioxidant capacity all showed a trend of first rising and subsequent falling. B[a]P also caused serious damage to DNA and lysosomal membrane stability. The proapoptotic factors genes in the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway were significantly up-regulated, and the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated. Besides, mitochondrial membrane potential stability was significantly reduced and caspase 9 enzyme activity was significantly improved with the B[a]P stimulation. The factors of death receptor pathway were also significantly up-regulated by B[a]P. Moreover, the expression levels of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases were also induced. The gene expression and enzyme activity of the caspase 3 and the apoptosis rate were significantly increased under B[a]P exposure. In conclusion, these results indicated that ROS was induced by B[a]P, and further triggered the oxidative stress and oxidative damage in hemocytes. B[a]P induced hemocyte apoptosis was mediated by both mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and death receptor apoptosis, and the activation of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was affected by ROS. In addition, BPDE and MAPKs may play important roles in the B[a]P-mediated apoptosis pathway. This study deepens understanding of the apoptosis pathway and the immunotoxicity mechanism in bivalves hemocytes stimulated by persistent organic pollutants.

Protective Effect of Nerium Oleander Distillate and Tarantula Cubensis Alcoholic Extract on Cancer Biomarkers on Colon and Liver Tissues of Rats with Experimental Colon Cancer

BACKGROUND

Colon cancers are among the three major cancer types that result in death. The research for effective treatment continues.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of Tarantula cubensis alcoholic extract (TCAE) and Nerium oleander (NO) distillate on the levels of midkine, TGF-β, VEGF, AFP, COX-2, IGF and caspase 3 in liver and colon tissues of experimentally induced colon cancer in rats.

METHOD

The liver and colon tissues of the rats were divided into Control, Colon Cancer (AZM), AZM+TCAE and AZM+NO groups and they were homogenized. The levels of midkine, TGF-β, VEGF, AFP, COX-2, IGF and caspase 3 in the colon and liver tissues were measured by ELISA kits.

RESULTS

All parameters levels of colon and liver tissues in the AZM group were generally higher (p<0.05) than the Control group. TCAE and NO prevented (p<0.05) the increases in midkine, TGF-β, VEGF, AFP, COX-2, IGF and caspase-3 levels in the colon. NO prevented increase of all parameters except for IGF level, while TCAE prevented (p<0.05) the increase of all values apart from COX-2 and IGF levels in the liver.

CONCLUSION

NO and TCAE may prevented at the specified marker levels of colon in the AZM induced colon cancer. The increases the level of parameters in the liver are not as severe as in the colon, due to the 18-week study period may not be sufficient for liver metastasis formationIn the future molecular studies should be done to determine the mechanisms and pathways of them more clearly.

Bufalin inhibits hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma development through androgen receptor dephosphorylation and cell cycle-related kinase degradation

PURPOSE

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which has a male predominance, lacks effective therapeutic options. Previously, the cardiac glycoside analogue bufalin has been found to inhibit HBV infection and HCC development. As yet, however, its molecular role in HBV-associated HCC has remained obscure.

METHODS

Colony formation and soft agar assays, xenograft and orthotopic mouse models and HBV X protein (HBx) transgenic mice with exposure to diethylnitrosamine were used to evaluate the effect of bufalin on HBV-associated HCC growth and tumorigenicity. HBx-induced oncogenic signaling regulated by bufalin was assessed using PCR array, chromatin immunoprecipitation, site-directed mutagenesis, luciferase reporter, transcription and protein expression assays. Synergistic HCC therapeutic effects were examined using combinations of bufalin and sorafenib.

RESULTS

We found that bufalin exerted a more profound effect on inhibiting the proliferation of HBV-associated HCC cells than of non HBV-associated HCC cells. Bufalin significantly inhibited HBx-induced malignant transfromation in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling was found to be a target of bufalin resistance to HBV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. We also found that bufalin induced both AR dephosphorylation and cell cycle-related kinase (CCRK) degradation to inhibit β-catenin/TCF signaling, which subsequently led to cell cycle arrest via cyclin D1 down-regulation and p21 up-regulation, resulting in HCC regression. Furthermore, we found that bufalin reduced > 60% diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in HBx transgenic mice, and improved the sensitivity of refractory HBV-associated HCC cells to sorafenib treatment.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that bufalin acts as a potential anti-HCC therapeutic candidate to block HBx-induced AR/CCRK/β-catenin signaling by targeting AR and CCRK, which may provide a novel strategy for the treatment of HBV-associated HCC.

The caspase-3/GSDME signal pathway as a switch between apoptosis and pyroptosis in cancer

Apoptosis has long been recognized as a mechanism that kills the cancer cells by cytotoxic drugs. In recent years, studies have proved that pyroptosis can also shrink tumors and inhibit cells proliferation. Both apoptosis and pyroptosis are caspase-dependent programmed cell death pathways. Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3 (Caspase-3) is a common key protein in the apoptosis and pyroptosis pathways, and when activated, the expression level of tumor suppressor gene Gasdermin E (GSDME) determines the mechanism of tumor cell death. When GSDME is highly expressed, the active caspase-3 cuts it and releases the N-terminal domain to punch holes in the cell membrane, resulting in cell swelling, rupture, and death. When the expression of GSDME is low, it will lead to the classical mechanism of tumor cell death, which is apoptosis. More interestingly, researchers have found that GSDME can also be located upstream of caspase-3, connecting extrinsic, and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. Then, promoting caspase-3 activation, and forming a self-amplifying feed-forward loop. GSDME-mediated pyroptosis is correlated with the side effects of chemotherapy and anti-tumor immunity. This article mainly reviews the caspase-3/GSDME signal pathway as a switch between apoptosis and pyroptosis in cancer, to provide new strategies and targets for cancer treatment.

Toad Venom Antiproliferative Activities on Metastatic Melanoma: Bio-Guided Fractionation and Screening of the Compounds of Two Different Venoms

Melanoma is the most common cancer in young adults, with a constantly increasing incidence. Metastatic melanoma is a very aggressive cancer with a 5-year survival rate of about 22-25%. This is, in most cases, due to a lack of therapies which are effective on the long term. Hence, it is crucial to find new therapeutic agents to increase patient survival. Toad venoms are a rich source of potentially pharmaceutically active compounds and studies have highlighted their possible effect on cancer cells. We focused on the venoms of two different toad species: Bufo bufo and Rhinella marina. We screened the venom crude extracts, the fractions from crude extracts and isolated biomolecules by studying their antiproliferative properties on melanoma cells aiming to determine the compound or the combination of compounds with the highest antiproliferative effect. Our results indicated strong antiproliferative capacities of toad venoms on melanoma cells. We found that these effects were mainly due to bufadienolides that are cardiotonic steroids potentially acting on the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase pump which is overexpressed in melanoma. Finally, our results indicated that bufalin alone was the most interesting compound among the isolated bufadienolides because it had the highest antiproliferative activity on melanoma cells.

Molecular mechanisms of bufadienolides and their novel strategies for cancer treatment

Bufadienolides are cardioactive C24 steroids with an α-pyrone ring at position C17. In the last ten years, accumulating studies have revealed the anticancer activities of bufadienolides and their underlying mechanisms, such as induction of autophagy and apoptosis, cell cycle disruption, inhibition of angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness, and multidrug resistance reversal. As Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase inhibitors, bufadienolides have inevitable cardiotoxicity. Short half-lives, poor stability, low plasma concentration and oral bioavailability in vivo are obstacles for their applications as drugs. To improve the drug potency of bufadienolides and reduce their side effects, prodrug strategies and drug delivery systems such as liposomes and nanoparticles have been applied. Therefore, systematic and recapitulated information about the antitumor activity of bufadienolides, with special emphasis on the molecular or cellular mechanisms, prodrug strategies and drug delivery systems, is of high interest. Here, we systematically review the anticancer effects of bufadienolides and the molecular or cellular mechanisms of action. Research advancements regarding bufadienolide prodrugs and their tumor-targeting delivery strategies are critically summarized. This work highlights recent scientific advances regarding bufadienolides as effective anticancer agents from 2011 to 2019, which will help researchers to understand the molecular pathways involving bufadienolides, resulting in a selective and safe new lead compound or therapeutic strategy with improved therapeutic applications of bufadienolides for cancer therapy.

Isoorientin induces the apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of A549 human lung cancer cells via the ROS‑regulated MAPK, STAT3 and NF‑κB signaling pathways

Isoorientin (ISO) is a naturally occurring C‑glycosyl flavone that has various pharmacological properties, such as anti‑bacterial and anti‑inflammatory effects. However, its underlying molecular mechanisms in human lung cancer cells remain unknown. In the present study, the effects of ISO on the induction of apoptosis and relative molecular mechanisms in A549 human lung cancer cells were investigated. The results of Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay (CCK‑8) indicated that ISO exerted significant cytotoxic effects on 3 lung cancer cell lines, but had no obvious side‑effects on normal cells. Moreover, flow cytometry and western blot analysis revealed that ISO induced mitochondrial‑dependent apoptosis by reducing mitochondrial membrane potential. ISO also increased the expression levels of Bax, cleaved‑caspase‑3 (cle‑cas‑3) and poly(ADP‑ribose) polymerase (PARP; cle‑PARP), and decreased the expression levels of Bcl‑2 in A549 cells. Furthermore, ISO induced G2/M cell cycle arrest by decreasing the expression levels of cyclin B1 and CDK1/2, and increasing the expression levels of p21 and p27 in A549 cells. As the duration of ISO treatment increased, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in A549 cells also increased. However, pre‑treatment of the cells with the ROS scavenger, N‑acetylcysteine (NAC), inhibited ISO‑induced apoptosis. In addition, ISO increased the expression levels of p‑p38, p‑JNK and IκB‑α; and decreased the expression levels of p‑extracellular signal‑regulated kinase (ERK), p‑signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3, p‑nuclear factor (NF)‑κB, NF‑κB and p‑IκB; these effects were induced by mitogen‑activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors and blocked by NAC. Taken together, the results of the present study indicate that ISO induces the apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells via the ROS‑mediated MAPK/STAT3/NF‑κB signaling pathway, and thus may be a potential drug for use in the treatment of lung cancer.

Tetrandrine Reverses Paclitaxel Resistance in Human Ovarian Cancer via Inducing Apoptosis, Cell Cycle Arrest Through β-Catenin Pathway

Background

Paclitaxel (PTX) resistance is a great obstacle for the treatment of ovarian cancer. A previous study indicated that tetrandrine (TET) could induce the apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. This study aimed to explore the effect of TET in combination with PTX on PTX resistance in ovarian cancer cells.

Materials and Methods

CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry and wound healing assays were used to detect the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of PTX-resistant SKOV3 cells (SKOV3/PTX). The expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase 3, β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1 and p21 in SKOV3/PTX cells were detected with Western blot. In vivo animal study was performed finally.

Results

In this study, the inhibitory effects of PTX on the proliferation and migration of SKOV3/PTX cells were markedly enhanced by TET. In addition, PTX-induced apoptosis in SKOV3/PTX cells was significantly enhanced by the treatment of TET via upregulating the levels of Bax and cleaved caspase 3, and downregulating the expression of Bcl-2. Moreover, combination of TET and PTX obviously induced cell cycle arrest in SKOV3/PTX cells via increasing the level of p21 and decreasing the levels of c-Myc and Cyclin D1. Meanwhile, combination of TET with PTX significantly decreased the expression of β-catenin in SKOV3/PTX cells. In vivo experiments further confirmed that TET enhanced the anti-tumor effect of PTX in SKOV3/PTX xenograft model.

Conclusion

We found that TET could enhance the sensitivity of SKOV3/PTX cells to PTX via inhibiting the β-catenin/c-Myc/Cyclin D1 signaling pathway. Therefore, PTX combined with TET might be considered as a potential approach for the treatment of PTX-resistant ovarian cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) as a multifactorial disease and its causal correlations with multiple signaling pathways

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death among men worldwide. CRC is a multifactor digestive pathology, which is a huge problem faced not only by clinicians but also by researchers. Importantly, a unique feature of CRC is the dysregulation of molecular signaling pathways. To date, a series of reviews have indicated that different signaling pathways are disordered and have potential as therapeutic targets in CRC. Nevertheless, an overview of the function and interaction of multiple signaling pathways in CRC is needed. Therefore, we summarized the pathways, biological functions and important interactions involved in CRC. First, we investigated the involvement of signaling pathways, including Wnt, PI3K/Akt, Hedgehog, ErbB, RHOA, Notch, BMP, Hippo, AMPK, NF-κB, MAPK and JNK. Subsequently, we discussed the biological function of these pathways in pathophysiological aspects of CRC, such as proliferation, apoptosis and metastasis. Finally, we summarized important interactions among these pathways in CRC. We believe that the interaction of these pathways could provide new strategies for the treatment of CRC.

α‑Solanine inhibits growth and metastatic potential of human colorectal cancer cells

Solanum nigrum L. (Longkui) is one the most widely used anticancer herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. α‑Solanine is an important ingredient of S. nigrum L. and has demonstrated anticancer properties in various types of cancer. However, the effects of α‑solanine on colorectal cancer remain elusive. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of α‑solanine on human colorectal cancer cells. The results demonstrated that α‑solanine inhibited the proliferation of RKO cells in a dose‑ and time‑dependent manner. In addition, α‑solanine arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase and suppressed the expression levels of cyclin D1 and cyclin‑dependent kinase 2 in RKO cells. α‑Solanine induced apoptosis of RKO cells, as indicated by morphological changes and positive Annexin‑FITC/propidium iodide staining. Additionally, α‑solanine activated caspase‑3, ‑8 and ‑9 in RKO cells, which contributed to α‑solanine‑induced apoptosis. α‑Solanine also increased the generation of reactive oxygen species, which contributed to caspase activation and induction of apoptosis. α‑Solanine inhibited the migration, invasion and adhesion of RKO cells, as well as the expression levels and activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‑2 and MMP‑9. In addition, α‑solanine inhibited cell proliferation, activated caspase‑3, ‑8 and ‑9, induced apoptosis, and inhibited the migration and invasion of HCT‑116 cells. Furthermore, α‑solanine inhibited tumor growth and induced apoptosis in vivo. These findings demonstrated that α‑solanine effectively suppressed the growth and metastatic potential of human colorectal cancer.

Suppression of FADS1 induces ROS generation, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in melanocytes: implications for vitiligo

Vitiligo is a potentially serious condition characterized by loss of melanin and death of melanocytes. To identify potential therapeutic targets for vitiligo, we conducted a microarray analysis of three human vitiligo specimens and paired adjacent normal tissues. Because we found that the fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) gene was downregulated in vitiligo specimens, we carried out experiments to assess its role in melanocyte replication and survival. RT-qPCR was used to verify that FADS1 expression was lower in vitiligo-affected tissues and vitiligo melanocyte PIG3V cells than in matched controls or normal human epidermal PIG1 melanocytes. In addition, CCK-8, immunofluorescence, western blot and flow cytometry assay were used to detect the proliferation and apoptosis in PIG1 cells respectively. Overexpression of FADS1 promoted proliferation of PIG3V melanocytes, while FADS1 silencing inhibited proliferation and induced cell death in PIG1 melanocytes. Increased ROS generation; induction of mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis via upregulation of Bax and active caspases 3 and 9 and downregulation of Bcl-2; and cell cycle arrest via downregulation of c-Myc and Cyclin D1 and upregulation of p21 were all enhanced after FADS1 silencing in PIG1 melanocytes. These findings implicate FADS1 downregulation in the pathogenesis of vitiligo and may open new avenues for its treatment.