asarone suppresses HCT116 colon cancer cell proliferation and liver metastasis in part by activating the innate immune system

Studies have revealed that [beta]-asarone exerts a powerful inhibitory effect on the proliferation of human cancer cells. The authors' previous study demonstrated that [beta]-asarone could induce LoVo colon cancer cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, indicating its anticancer properties. The pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oncology letters 2021-06, Vol.21 (6), p.1
Main Authors: Chen, Min, Zhuang, Yu-Wen, Wu, Cun-En, Peng, Hai-Yan, Qian, Jun, Zhou, Jin-Yong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apoptosis
Cancer
Care and treatment
Colon cancer
Computer software industry
Immune system
Immunotherapy
Oncology, Experimental
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Summary:Studies have revealed that [beta]-asarone exerts a powerful inhibitory effect on the proliferation of human cancer cells. The authors' previous study demonstrated that [beta]-asarone could induce LoVo colon cancer cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, indicating its anticancer properties. The present study aimed to determine the antineoplastic effect of [beta]-asarone in HCT116 colon cancer cells. An in vitro proliferation assay using a real time cell analyzer demonstrated that [beta]-asarone effectively decreased HCT116 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes following [beta]-asarone inhibition were involved in the 'cell cycle', 'cell division', 'cell proliferation' and 'apoptosis'. Subsequently, a xenograft assay evidenced the inhibitory effect of [beta]-asarone on the growth of HCT116 tumors in vivo. Further detection of immune-associated cytokines and cells suggested that [beta]-asarone might be involved in the antitumor immune response by stimulating granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and increasing the number of macrophage cells in the spleen. Additionally, a murine model of splenic-transplantation verified the strong suppressive role of p-asarone in colon cancer liver metastasis in vivo. Taken together, the results of the current study revealed that [beta]-asarone decreased HCT116 colon cancer cell proliferation and liver metastasis potentially by activating the innate immune system, supporting the multi-system regulation theory and providing a basis for further mechanistic studies on colon cancer. Key words: p-asarone, colon cancer, proliferation, liver metastasis, immune system
ISSN:1792-1074
DOI:10.3892/ol.2021.12696