In Vitro and In Vivo Antitumor Activity of Cucurbitacin C, a Novel Natural Product From Cucumber

Abstract

Cucurbitacin C (CuC), a novel analogue of triterpenoids cucurbitacins, confers a bitter taste in cucumber. Genes and signaling pathways responsive for biosynthesis of CuC have been identified in the recent years. In the present study, we explored the anti-cancer effects of CuC against human cancers in vitro and in vivo. CuC inhibited proliferation and clonogenic potential of multiple cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Low-dose CuC treatment induced cell cycle arrest at G1 or G2/M stage in different cancer lines, whereas high-dose treatment of CuC caused apoptosis in cancer cells. PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was found to be one of the major pathways involved in CuC-induced cell growth arrest and apoptosis by RNA-Seq and Western blotting. Mechanistic dissection further confirmed that CuC effectively inhibited the Akt signaling by inhibition of Akt phosphorylation at Ser473. In vivo CuC treatment (0.1 mg/kg body weight) effectively inhibited growth of cancer cell-derived xenograft tumors in athymic nude mice and caused significant apoptosis. Our findings for the first time demonstrated the potential therapeutic significance of CuC against human cancers.

Comprehensive study of altered proteomic landscape in proximal renal tubular epithelial cells in response to calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals

“…BG005, Shanghai, China), and cultured with DMEM medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/ml penicillin sodium, and 100 μg/ml streptomycin as described previously [ 14 ]. Cultures were maintained at 37 °C with 5% CO2 and saturated humidity [ 21 – 23 ].…”

Orphan nuclear receptor TLX promotes immunosuppression via its transcriptional activation of PD-L1 in glioma

“…Quantitative reverse transcription PCR and immunoblotting PCR and immunoblotting were performed as described previously. 32…”

Cucurbitacin E Inhibits Huh7 Hepatoma Carcinoma Cell Proliferation and Metastasis via Suppressing MAPKs and JAK/STAT3 Pathways

“…Therefore, it has become a promising cut-in point to explore new drugs derived from natural products against cancer. Cucurbitacins are a family of natural products isolated from Cucurbitaceae plants, and possess a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects including anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, cytoprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities [15][16][17][18]. Cucurbitacin E (CuE), a highly oxygenated triterpene of cucurbitacins, is known to have a variety of pharmacological effects such as hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities [19][20][21][22][23][24].…”