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ABSTRACT
Macranthoside B (MB), a saponin compound in Lonicera macranthoides, can block cell proliferation and induce cell death in several types of cancer cells; however, the precise mechanisms by which MB exerts its anticancer effects remain poorly understood. MB blocked A2780 human ovarian carcinoma cell proliferation both dose- and time-dependently. MB induced apoptosis, with increased poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3/9 cleavage. MB also caused autophagy in A2780 cells, with light chain 3 (LC3)-II elevation. Inhibiting MB-induced autophagy with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) significantly decreased apoptosis, with a reduction of growth inhibition; inhibiting MB-induced apoptosis with the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK did not decrease autophagy but elevated LC3-II levels, indicating that MB-induced autophagy is cytotoxic and may be upstream of apoptosis. Furthermore, MB increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, with activated 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), decreased mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and P70S6 kinase phosphorylation, and increased PARP and caspase-3/9 cleavage, and LC3-II elevation; treatment with the ROS scavenger N-acetyl cysteine and the AMPK inhibitor Compound C diminished this effect. Therefore, the ROS/AMPK/mTOR pathway mediates the effect of MB on induction of apoptosis via autophagy in human ovarian carcinoma cells.
Funding
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31100251) and the Foundation of Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils (JKLBS2012009).