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Cryptotanshinone, a Stat3 inhibitor, suppresses colorectal cancer proliferation and growth in vitro

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Abstract

Cryptotanshinone (CPT) is a natural compound extracted from herbal medicine that has been previously shown to possess antitumor properties in various types of human cancer cells. In the present study, we examined the potential role of CPT in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Using SW480, HCT116, and LOVO colorectal cancer cell lines, the effects of CPT on cell viability, apoptosis, and tumorigenicity were evaluated. The results showed that CPT significantly inhibited the growth and viability of SW480, HCT116, and LOVO cell lines by inducing apoptosis and prevented anchorage dependent growth on agar. In addition, CPT inhibited the activation of Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) pathways in colorectal cancer cells. Stat3 is a transcription factor that mediates the expression of various genes associated with many cellular processes, such as inflammation and cell growth, and has been shown to promote several cancer types, including colorectal cancer. These findings indicate that CPT may be a potential candidate for the treatment and prevention of colorectal cancer in part by inhibiting the activation of Stat3.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Jeffrey D. White and Dr. Libin Jia from Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health for support of this study. We thank Dr. Yinling Hu from Cancer and Inflammation Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health for support of this study. This work was supported by National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health intramural funding (ZIA BC 011159), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.81273718 and No.81102587), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2012T50199).

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Oncology Department, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053, China

      Weidong Li & Baojin Hua

    2. Nutritional Science Research Group, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA

      Shakir M. Saud

    3. Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, Frederick National Laboratory of Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA

      Weidong Li, Shakir M. Saud, Matthew R. Young & Nancy H. Colburn

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    Correspondence to Baojin Hua.

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    Weidong Li and Shakir M. Saud have contributed equally to the work.

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    11010_2015_2424_MOESM1_ESM.tif

    Fig. S1 Cryptotanshinone does not inhibit non-tumor HEK293 cell viability 2 × 104 HEK293 cells were seeded into 96-well plates and after 24 h were treated with 5–100 µmol/L CPT or 0.1 % DMSO. At 24, 48, and 72 h after CPT treatment, the cell viability was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay as described in “Materials and methods” section. Absorbance at 570 nm was detected with Microplate reader. The experiments were independently performed at least twice, each in triplicate. Crypotanshinone (CPT). Supplementary material 1 (TIFF 187 kb)

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    Li, W., Saud, S.M., Young, M.R. et al. Cryptotanshinone, a Stat3 inhibitor, suppresses colorectal cancer proliferation and growth in vitro. Mol Cell Biochem 406, 63–73 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-015-2424-0

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