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Chlorogenic acid induces apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in colorectal cancer cells

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Abstract

Background

Apoptotic agents from natural products like phenolic compounds can be used effectively in the treatment of cancer. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is one of the phenolic compounds in medicinal plants with anti-cancer properties. In this research, we aimed to explore the anti-cancer mode of action of CGA on colorectal cancer (CRC) cells in vitro conditions.

Methods

HT-29 and HEK-293 cells were cultured after MTT assay for 24 h with CGA 100 µM, and without CGA. Then, flow cytometry assays and the expression of apoptosis-related genes including caspase 3 and 9, Bcl-2 and Bax, and cell cycle-related genes including P21, P53 and NF-κB at mRNA and protein levels were examined. Finally, we measured the amount of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Results

The cell viability of all two-cell lines decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, CGA induces cell cycle arrest in HT-29 cells by increasing the expression of P21 and P53. It also induces apoptosis in HT-29 cells by mitigating Bcl-2 and NF-κB expression and elevating caspase 3 and 9 expression and ROS levels.

Conclusions

Considering the cytotoxicity and cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis in the colon cancer cell line by CGA, it can be concluded that CGA is a suitable option for the treatment of colon cancer.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due [REASON WHY DATA ARE NOT PUBLIC] but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

CGA:

Chlorogenic acid

HT-29:

Human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (ATCC HTB-38)

HEK-293:

Human embryo kidney (IBRC C10139)

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

Bcl-2:

B-cell lymphoma 2

Bax:

BCL2 associated X

PI:

Propidium iodide

MTT:

2,5-Diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide

BrdU:

Bromodeoxyuridine / 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine

NF-κB:

Nuclear factor kappa B

GC–MS:

GC mass spectrometry

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The author(s) received no financial support for the research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Ali Ghorbani Ranjbary & Shahryar Naji

  2. Department of Immunology and Oncology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University—Garmsar Branch, Garmsar, Iran

    Ali Bagherzadeh, Seyed Sina Sabbaghi, Delaram Nassaj Karimi & Mohsen kardani

  3. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Arshida Faghihi

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  1. Ali Ghorbani Ranjbary
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Contributions

AB, SSS, and AGR carried out the experiments, conceived and designed the research, and wrote, analyzed, funded, and critically revised the manuscript. AF (HPLC), AGR (RT-qPCR), and SN and MK (MTT) assisted with the experiments and were involved in the study design, implementation, and manuscript revision. The final manuscript was read and approved by all authors. AGR is the corresponding author.

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Correspondence to Ali Ghorbani Ranjbary.

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Ranjbary, A.G., Bagherzadeh, A., Sabbaghi, S.S. et al. Chlorogenic acid induces apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in colorectal cancer cells. Mol Biol Rep 50, 9845–9857 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-023-08854-y

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