Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Invasion Effects of Mistletoe Alkali on Human Osteosarcoma U2OS In Vitro

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of mistletoe alkali on human osteosarcoma cells (U2OS) in vitro. Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor; although there are a lot of therapies such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, its prognosis is still very poor. There is increasing interest in the protective biological function of natural antioxidants contained in Chinese medicinal herbs, which are candidates for the prevention of tumors. Mistletoe alkali is one of the compounds extracted from Viscum coloratum (Komar.) Nakai, one kind of mistletoe, whose extracts contribute to the improvement of the prognosis of patients with malignancies. The effect of mistletoe alkali on the growth of U2OS cells was compared with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), using a cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). The influence of mistletoe alkali on U2OS's proliferation and apoptosis was tested by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling staining and immunocytochemical staining of caspase 3 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Additionally, the invasion ability of U2OS cells was detected using a Boyden chamber transwell migration assay. CCK-8 assays gave an IC50 of 7 μg/mL for mistletoe alkali. Compared with 5-FU, mistletoe alkali inhibited U2OS proliferation and induced apoptosis more effectively. The invasion ability of U2OS was also weaker in mistletoe alkali than in 5-FU. Mistletoe alkali significantly inhibited growth and invasion abilities of U2OS cells and induced their apoptosis in vitro. Mistletoe alkali may be a more effective drug for human osteosarcoma than the standard chemotherapeutic drug 5-FU.

Caffeic Acid Induced Apoptosis in MG63 Osteosarcoma Cells Through Activation of Caspases

“…1 In addition approach in inducing apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells was also being introduced. 4 Ursolic acid, 5 ferulic acid, polydatin, 6 mistletoe alkali 7 and many others, trigger apoptosis in human MG-63 osteosarcoma cells.…”

The natural sweetener metabolite steviol inhibits the proliferation of human osteosarcoma U2OS cell line

“…The acceptable daily intake of steviol is 4 mg/kg body weight/day (5) and its median lethal dose (LD 50 ) value is 15 g/kg body weight in rats and mice, irrespective of the gender (3). During the metabolism of steviol or steviol glycosides, steviol is not detectable in blood, and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) value of steviol is much higher than that of current chemotherapy agents such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and doxorubicin (6). Therefore, if steviol could efficiently inhibit cancer cells with clear mechanism, it could be expected as a chemotherapy agent applied in large doses.…”

1,7‐Bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐1,4‐heptadien‐3‐one induces lung cancer cell apoptosis via the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 pathways

“…Nakai, a medicinal herb listed in Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, is mainly used for the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease. V. coloratum is a semiparasitic plant, and its cauline leaf has been used as a medicinal plant in China for hundreds of years, exhibiting favorable anticancer effects in colorectal carcinoma (Li, Zhang, Zhi, & Yuan, ), lymphoblastic leukemia (Seifert et al, ), breast cancer (Hong, Park, & Lyu, ), and osteosarcoma (Ge et al, ). Its active constituents are small molecular flavonoid compounds, alkaloids, organic acids, and macromolecular compounds, such as phallotoxins, lectins, proteins, and polysaccharides (Jiang et al, ; Jung, Yoo, Lee, Kim, & Song, ; Kim et al, ; Liang et al, ).…”