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Zani AP, Zani CP, Din ZU, Rodrigues-Filho E, Ueda-Nakamura T, Garcia FP, de Oliveira Silva S, Nakamura CV. Dibenzylideneacetone Induces Apoptosis in Cervical Cancer Cells through Ros-Mediated Mitochondrial Damage. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:antiox12020317. [PMID: 36829876 PMCID: PMC9952489 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12020317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Cervical cancer is a health problem among women worldwide. Considering the limitations of prevention and antineoplastic chemotherapy against cervical cancer, research is needed to discover new, more effective, and safe antitumor agents. In the present study, we investigated the in vitro cytotoxicity of a new synthetic dibenzylideneacetone derived from 1,5-diaryl-3-oxo-1,4-pentadienyl (A3K2A3) against cervical cancer cells immortalized by HPV 16 (SiHa), and 18 (HeLa) by MTT assay. Furthermore, we performed spectrofluorimetry, flow cytometry, and Western blot analyzes to explore the inhibitory mechanism of A3K2A3 in cervical cancer cells. A3K2A3 showed cytotoxic activity against both cell lines. Mitochondrial depolarization and reduction in intracellular ATP levels were observed, which may be dependent on the redox imbalance between increased ROS and reduced levels of the antioxidant defense. In addition, damage to the cell membrane and DNA, and effective blocking of cell division in the G2/M phase were detected, which possibly led to the induction of apoptosis. This result was further confirmed by the upregulation of apoptosis-related proteins Bax, cytochrome C, and caspases 9 and 3. Our results provided the first evidence that A3K2A3 contributes to the suppression of cervical cancer in vitro, showing promise as a possible alternative for the treatment of this cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Pinto Zani
- Laboratory of Technological Innovation in the Development of Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, State University of Maringá, Maringá CEP 87020-900, PR, Brazil
| | - Caroline Pinto Zani
- Laboratory of Technological Innovation in the Development of Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, State University of Maringá, Maringá CEP 87020-900, PR, Brazil
| | - Zia Ud Din
- LaBioMMi, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos, CP 676, São Carlos CEP 13565-905, SP, Brazil
| | - Edson Rodrigues-Filho
- LaBioMMi, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos, CP 676, São Carlos CEP 13565-905, SP, Brazil
| | - Tânia Ueda-Nakamura
- Laboratory of Technological Innovation in the Development of Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, State University of Maringá, Maringá CEP 87020-900, PR, Brazil
| | - Francielle Pelegrin Garcia
- Laboratory of Technological Innovation in the Development of Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, State University of Maringá, Maringá CEP 87020-900, PR, Brazil
| | - Sueli de Oliveira Silva
- Laboratory of Technological Innovation in the Development of Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, State University of Maringá, Maringá CEP 87020-900, PR, Brazil
| | - Celso Vataru Nakamura
- Laboratory of Technological Innovation in the Development of Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, State University of Maringá, Maringá CEP 87020-900, PR, Brazil
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-(044)-3011-5012; Fax: +55-(044)-3011-5046
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Molecular Targets of Pinocembrin Underlying Its Regenerative Activities in Human Keratinocytes. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15080954. [PMID: 36015102 PMCID: PMC9415973 DOI: 10.3390/ph15080954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Pinocembrin is one of the well-known compounds in the group of flavonoids. The pharmacological activities of pinocembrin in association with wound-healing activities have been reported. However, its effects on the aspect of cellular interaction underlying growth and survival are still unidentified in human keratinocytes. Our previous study reported that Boesenbergia rotunda potently stimulated survival and proliferation of a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). On the basis that pinocembrin is revealed to be one of the major constituents of this plant, we aimed to define the survival- and proliferation-enhancing effects of this compound at the cellular level. Results from the current study confirmed that pinocembrin induced an increase in HaCaT cell number. At the signaling perspective, we identified that pinocembrin significantly triggered ERK1/2 and Akt activation. The stimulating effects of pinocembrin were clearly inhibited by MEK and PI3K inhibitors authenticating that proliferation- and survival-promoting activities of pinocembrin were mainly acted on these two signaling cascades. Altogether, we successfully identified that pinocembrin functions to induce keratinocyte proliferation and survival, at least by provoking MAPK and PI3K pathways. Our study encourages the fact that pinocembrin is one of the interesting natural flavonoid compounds to be developed as a wound closure-promoting agent.
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