Abstract.The aim of the current study was to investigate the anticancer potential of arctigenin, a natural lignan compound, in malignant gliomas. The U87MG and T98G human glioma cell lines were treated with various concentrations of arctigenin for 48 h and the effects of arctigenin on the aggressive phenotypes of glioma cells were assessed. The results demonstrated that arctigenin dose-dependently inhibited the growth of U87MG and T98G cells, as determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assays. Arctigenin exposure also induced a 60-75% reduction in colony formation compared with vehicle-treated control cells. However, arctigenin was not observed to affect the invasiveness of glioma cells. Arctigenin significantly increased the proportion of cells in the G 0 /G 1 phase and reduced the number of cells in the S phase, as compared with the control group (P<0.05). Western blot analysis demonstrated that arctigenin increased the expression levels of p21, retinoblastoma and p53 proteins, and significantly decreased the expression levels of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 proteins. Additionally, arctigenin was able to induce apoptosis in glioma cells, coupled with increased expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 and the pro-apoptotic BCL2-associated X protein. Furthermore, arctigenin-induced apoptosis was significantly suppressed by the pretreatment of cells with Z-DEVD-FMK, a caspase-3 inhibitor. In conclusion, the results suggest that arctigenin is able to inhibit cell proliferation and may induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the G 0 /G 1 phase in glioma cells. These results warrant further investigation of the anticancer effects of arctigenin in animal models of gliomas.

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Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) plays an important role in bone metabolism. However, the association between serum ALP and bone mineral density (BMD) remains inconclusive. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship between serum ALP levels and pelvic BMD in young adults. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 2011 to 2016. Serum ALP levels and pelvic BMD were analyzed as independent and dependent variables, respectively. Weighted multivariate linear regression models and stratified analysis by age, sex, and race/ethnicity were applied after controlling for confounding factors to assess the relationship between serum ALP and pelvic BMD. Smooth curve fitting and threshold effect analysis were used to describe the nonlinear relationship between the 2 variables. A total of 7796 participants (4063 males and 3733 females) aged 20 to 59 years were included in this study. When serum ALP was represented as a continuous variable and fully adjusted in the regression model, ALP was significantly negatively correlated with pelvic BMD (β = −0.0008, 95% confidence interval: −0.0010 to −0.0006, P < .000001); this significant negative correlation persisted when ALP was transformed into a categorical variable, and was consistent in subgroup analyses. Additionally, smooth curve fitting and threshold effect analysis showed a persistent negative correlation between serum ALP and pelvic BMD, with a saturation effect at 97 U/L. Our results revealed a negative correlation between serum ALP levels and pelvic BMD in young adults. Monitoring serum ALP levels could help in the early detection of risks for bone metabolic disorders such as osteoporosis.