In the Compendium of Materia Medica, seahorse (Hippocampus) is considered effective for the reinforcement of kidney and men’s health. However, the role of seahorse on human health lacks scientific evidence. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of seahorse on human prostate cancer using various in vitro methods and identified bioactive compound. Seahorse lipid extract (SHL) decreased androgen receptor (AR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) expression in dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced LNCaP cells of prostate cancer. Gas Chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry data showed that brassicasterol was present in H. abdominalis. Brassicasterol downregulated the expression of AR and PSA in DHT-induced LNCaP cells. Brassicasterol induced apoptosis accompanied by sub-G1 phase arrest and inhibited migration in LNCaP cells. We confirmed that AKT and AR mediated the anti-cancer effect of brassicasterol using siRNA transfection. Brassicasterol exerts an anti-cancer effect in AR-independent cancer as well as in AR-dependent cells by AKT inhibiting. Our findings suggest that SHL has the anticancer potential via inhibition of AR and demonstrated that brassicasterol from H. abdominalis exerted an anti-cancer effect by dual-targeting AKT and AR signaling in prostate cancer.

Background: Heamatang (HMT) is a classic medicinal formula used in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine; it contains seven distinct components, mainly of herbal origin. HMT is used as an anti-aging remedy, in the treatment of urinary disorders, and to increase energy and vitality. However, the therapeutic applications of this formula have not been evaluated with evidence-based science. Methods: Therefore, we assessed HMT through various in vitro methods, including cell viability assay, fluorescence-activated cell sorting assay (FACS), western blotting, migration assay, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, siRNA-mediated PAK-1 knockdown, and crystal violet assays. Results: HMT decreased PAK-1 expression in PC-3 cells and inhibited cell viability, growth, and motility. The inhibition of cell motility by HMT was correlated with PAK-1-mediated inhibition of Lim domain kinase (LIMK) and cofilin. HMT induced G1 arrest and apoptosis through the transcriptional regulation of cell cycle regulatory proteins (inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4, 6, and cyclin D1) and apoptosis-related proteins (increase in cleaved caspase-3 (c-cas3) and inhibition of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2)). Moreover, HMT suppressed P21-activated kinase (PAK-1) expression, leading to the inhibition of AKT activities. Finally, we showed that Decursin was the active ingredient involved in the inhibitory effect of HMT on PAK-1. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that HMT exerts its anticancer influence through the inhibition of PAK-1 expression. The HMT formula could be applied in various fields, including functional health food and pharmaceutical development.