1. Academic Validation
  2. Gigantol inhibits proliferation and enhances DDP-induced apoptosis in breast-cancer cells by downregulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway

Gigantol inhibits proliferation and enhances DDP-induced apoptosis in breast-cancer cells by downregulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway

  • Life Sci. 2021 Jun 1;274:119354. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119354.
Jiahui Huang 1 Chenxing Liu 2 Shuna Duan 3 Ji Lin 1 Yingyi Luo 4 Shengchang Tao 2 Shangping Xing 2 Xiaofeng Zhang 2 Haiyan Du 5 Huan Wang 2 Chunlei Huang 2 Gang Wei 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Mathematical Engineering Academy of Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
  • 2 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
  • 3 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Shaoguan Institute of Danxia Dendrobium Officinale, Shaoguan, China.
  • 4 Department of Pharmacy, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
  • 5 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; The Research Center of Basic Integrative Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
  • 6 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: weigang021@outlook.com.
Abstract

Aims: Gigantol is a bibenzyl compound isolated from orchids of the genus Dendrobium. Gigantol has been demonstrated to possess various pharmacologic (including Anticancer) effects. Cisplatin (DDP) has been used and studied as the first-line agent for breast Cancer (BC) treatment. Often, its efficacy is jeopardized due to intolerance and organ toxicity. We investigated if gigantol could enhance the Anticancer effects of DDP in BC cells and its underlying mechanism of action.

Main methods: The potential pathway of gigantol in BC cells was detected by network-pharmacology and molecular-docking studies. The proliferation and Apoptosis of BC cell lines were measured by the MTT assay, colony formation, Hoechst-33342 staining, and flow cytometry. Protein expression was measured by western blotting.

Key findings: Gigantol could inhibit proliferation of BC cells and enhance DDP-induced Apoptosis. According to the results of western blotting, gigantol reinforced DDP-induced Anticancer effects through downregulation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway in BC cells. The effects were consistent with those of the pathway inhibitor LY294002.

Significance: Our data might provide new insights into the underlying antitumor effect of gigantol in BC cells. This enhancement effect in the combination of gigantol and DDP may provide many therapeutic benefits in clinical treatment regimens against BC.

Keywords

Apoptosis; Breast cancer; Cisplatin; Dendrobium; Gigantol; PI3K/Akt/mTOR; Proliferation.

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