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A polysaccharide from the alkaline extract of Glycyrrhiza inflata induces apoptosis of human oral cancer SCC-25 cells via mitochondrial pathway

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Tumor Biology

Abstract

In the present study, we isolated and characterized a homogenous polysaccharide (GIAP1) from the alkaline extract of the roots of Glycyrrhiza inflata. The anti-tumor activity of GIAP1 toward human oral cancer SCC-25 cells and the underlying mechanisms were also examined in vitro. GIAP1 dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of SCC-25 cells via inducing apoptosis. Moreover, GIAP1 downregulated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and caused the release of cytochrome c to cytosol. Besides, GIAP1 triggered activation of capase-3 and caspase-9, as well as the degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). In addition, the caspase-3 or caspase-9 inhibitor significantly inhibited GIAP1-induced apoptosis in SCC-25 cells. Collectively, we can conclude that the GIAP1 induces apoptosis in SCC-25 cells via a mitochondrial pathway.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Plastic and Burn Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710038, China

      Guang Zeng, Bin Sun & Wenxing Xun

    2. Department of Stomatology, The General Hospital of the Second Artillery Corps of Chinese PLA, Beijing, 100088, China

      Huan Shen, Xingwei Cai, Lixia Bi & Yongjin Yang

    3. Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of the General Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Beijing, 100037, China

      Guo Tang

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    1. Guang Zeng
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    2. Huan Shen
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    3. Guo Tang
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    Correspondence to Wenxing Xun.

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    Guang Zeng and Huan Shen contributed equally to this work.

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    Zeng, G., Shen, H., Tang, G. et al. A polysaccharide from the alkaline extract of Glycyrrhiza inflata induces apoptosis of human oral cancer SCC-25 cells via mitochondrial pathway. Tumor Biol. 36, 6781–6788 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-015-3359-5

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-015-3359-5

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