Isoliquiritigenin inhibits colorectal cancer cells HCT-116 growth by suppressing the PI3K/AKT pathway

Abstract

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a member of the flavonoids, is known to possess antitumor activity in different types of cancer including human breast cancer, hepatoma cancer, prostate cancer and others, both in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, we reported the effect of ISL on cell growth in human colorectal cancer cells HCT-116. As examined by CCK8 assays, ISL inhibited the proliferation of HCT-116 cells. Additionally, the antimigratory activity of ISL in HCT-116 cells was confirmed by trans-well chamber migration assays and invasion assays. Moreover, the results of fluorescence-activated cell sorting and Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis showed that ISL induced apoptosis in HCT-116 cells. Further detection using SDS-PAGE assay revealed that ISL decreased the levels of phospho-AKT (p-AKT), phospho-mTOR (p-mTOR), Cyclin D1 and phospho-p70S6 Kinase (p-P70S6K). Collectively, these findings indicated that isoliquiritigenin induced growth-inhibition and apoptosis through downregulating of PI3K/AKT in human colorectal cancer.

Progress in the Study of the Effects and Mechanisms of Medicinal and Food Herbs and Their Active Ingredients on Colorectal Cancer

“…Ahwon et al found that licorice chalcone B could induce ROS-dependent apoptosis in oxaliplatin-resistant colorectal cancer cells via p38/JNK MAPK signaling [10]. In addition, several studies have shown that active compounds such as photoglycyrrhizidine [11], dihydroflavonoids from licorice [12], glycyrrhizic acid [13], and isoglycyrrhizin [14] can inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and migration of colorectal cancer cells and induce apoptosis. These findings suggest that the important role of licorice in anticolorectal cancer, especially licorice can reverse the resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, is less in clinical studies and insufficiently articulated with basic research, which deserves our attention.…”

Natural Chalcones and Derivatives in Colon Cancer: Pre-Clinical Challenges and the Promise of Chalcone-Based Nanoparticles

“…In fact, ISL was found to induce G2 cell cycle arrest [ 24 ], and to have an effect on death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) promoter methylation in the colon cancer cell line, indicating its role in influencing the epigenetic regulation of genes associated with cancer [ 22 ]. Further in vitro studies revealed that ISL-mediated p62/sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) induction regulated the apoptotic potential by attenuating caspase-8 activation in CRC cells, providing insights into its mechanisms of action [ 25 ], Huang et al also reported that ISL inhibits the growth of the CRC cell line by suppressing the PI3K/Akt pathway, which is a well-established pathway known for its role in promoting cancer cell proliferation [ 26 ].…”