Cancer: Hepatocellular carcinoma, lung

Action: Induces cell-cycle arrest

Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Waltonitone, a new ursane-type pentacyclic triterpene isolated from Gentian waltonii Burkill, significantly inhibited human hepatocellular carcinoma BEL-7402 cells growth. Apoptosis induced by waltonitone was characterized by AO/EB staining and flow cytometric analysis. Apoptosis microarray assay results showed BCL-2 family genes might especially play an important role in waltonitone-induced apoptosis.

These studies demonstrated that waltonitone might inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth and induce apoptosis in vitro and in vivo (Zhang et al., 2009a).

Adenocarcinomic Lung Cancer

Natural compounds are a great source of cancer chemotherapeutic agents. An investigation by Zhang et al. (2012) indicates that waltonitone (WT), a triterpene extracted from medicinal plants, inhibits the proliferation of A549 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner.

Furthermore, the treatment of A549 cells with waltonitone altered the expression of miRNAs. It was found that 27 miRNAs were differentially expressed in waltonitone-treated cells, of which 8 miRNAs target genes related to cell proliferation and apoptosis.

In summary, results demonstrate that waltonitone has a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of A549 cells. It is possible that up-regulation of Bax/Bcl-2 and regulation of expression of specific miRNAs play a role in inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis in waltonitone-treated cells. Waltonitone can be applied to lung carcinoma as a chemotherapeutic candidate.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma

WT could inhibit the BEL-7402 cells growth, induce the S-phase cell-cycle arrest, and activate Akt and ERK1/2 phosporylation. Moreover, the cell growth inhibition and S-phase cell-cycle arrest induction of WT on BEL-7402 cells could be blocked by Akt and ERK1/2 inhibitors.

WT induces cell-cycle arrest and inhibits the cell growth on BEL-7402 cells by modulating Akt and ERK1/2 phosphorylation (Zhang et al., 2009b).

References

Zhang Y, Zhang GB, Xu XM, et al. (2012). Suppression of growth of A549 lung cancer cells by waltonitone and its mechanisms of action. Oncol Rep, 28(3):1029-35. doi: 10.3892/or.2012.1869.

Zhang Z, Wang S, Qiu H, Duan C, Ding K, Wang Z (a). (2009). Waltonitone induces human hepatocellular carcinoma cells apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Lett, 286(2):223-31. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2009.05.023.

Zhang Z, Duan C, Ding K, Wang Z (b). (2009). WT inhibit human hepatocellular carcinoma BEL-7402 cells growth by modulating Akt and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi, 34(24):3277-80.