Mechanism of Growth Inhibitory Effect of Blumea balsamifera Extract in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

• Published in: Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry biotechnology, and biochemistry, 2008-05, Vol.72 (5), p.1183-1189
• Main Authors: NORIKURA, Toshio, KOJIMA-YUASA, Akiko, SHIMIZU, Miki, HUANG, Xuedan, XU, Shenghui, KAMETANI, Saeda, RHO, Sook-Nyung, KENNEDY, David Opare, MATSUI-YUASA, Isao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Asteraceae - chemistry; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Blumea; Blumea balsamifera; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - genetics; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - pathology; cell cycle; Cell Cycle - drug effects; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cyclin E - metabolism; cyclin-E; Depletion; Disorders; Ethanol - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic - drug effects; Growth Inhibitors - pharmacology; Growth Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Human; Humans; Hypertension; Ligands; Methanol - chemistry; Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors - pharmacology; Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Phosphorylation - drug effects; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL); Protein Processing, Post-Translational - drug effects; Proteins; Rats; Retinoblastoma - metabolism; retinoblastoma protein (Rb); Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 13 - metabolism
• ISSN: 0916-8451; 1347-6947; 1347-6947
• DOI: 10.1271/bbb.70586

Blumea balsamifera is known to improve physiological disorders such as rheumatism and hypertension, but its anticancer activity has not been well elucidated. In this study, we found that Blumea balsamifera MeOH extract (BME) induced growth-inhibitory activity in rat and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells without cytotoxicity in rat hepatocytes which were used as a normal cell model. BME induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase via decreases in the expression of cyclin-E and phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein. Furthermore, BME reduced the level of a proliferation-inducing ligand, that stimulates tumor cell growth. These findings suggest that BME has possible therapeutic potential in hepatoma cancer patients and that depletion of cellular APRIL is an important mechanism in the growth-inhibitory effect of BME.