Antiproliferative Effect of Vine Stem Extract from Spatholobus Suberectus Dunn on Rat C6 Glioma Cells Through Regulation of ROS, Mitochondrial Depolarization, and P21 Protein Expression

ABSTRACT

The vine stem of Spatholobus suberectus Dunn (SS) is used as a traditional herbal medicine in China. Chinese herbal medicines are well known as natural bioactive compounds that can be used as new medicines, and their antioxidant and anticancer effects have also been reported. This study aimed to examine the anticancer effect of a high-pressure hot-water SS extract on rat C6 glioma cells. The SS extract effectively suppressed the viability and proliferation of C6 glioma cells through an antioxidant effect. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in cancer cells are higher than that in normal cells. If the ROS level falls below that required for the growth of cancer cells, their rapid proliferation and growth can be suppressed. We also measured the induction of mitochondrial membrane depolarization and cell cycle arrest effect caused by the SS extract in C6 glioma cells through a FACS analysis. In addition, we observed an increase in STAT3, p53, E2F1, and p21 mRNA expression and a decrease in Bcl-2 mRNA expression by quantitative PCR. An increase in p21 protein expression of over 83% was observed through western blot analysis. All these data support the fact that the high-pressure hot-water SS extract has the potential to be used for glioma treatment.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2017R1D1A1B03034692). This work was also carried out with the support of “Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science & Technology Development (Project PJ01324201)” Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

Additional information

Funding

National Research Foundation of Korea 2017R1D1A1B03034692; Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea PJ01110901