The anticancer potential of steroidal saponin, dioscin, isolated from wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) root extract in invasive human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 in vitro

Abstract

Previously, we observed that wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) root extract (WYRE) was able to activate GATA3 in human breast cancer cells targeting epigenome. This study aimed to find out if dioscin (DS), a bioactive compound of WYRE, can modulate GATA3 functions and cellular invasion in human breast cancer cells. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were treated in the absence/presence of various concentrations of DS and subjected to gene analysis by RT-qPCR, immunoblotting, and immunocytochemistry. We determined the ability of MDA-MB-231 cells to migrate into wound area and examined the effects of DS on cellular invasion using invasion assay. DS reduced cell viability of both cell lines in a concentration and time-dependent manner. GATA3 expression was enhanced by DS (5.76 μM) in MDA-MB-231 cells. DS (5.76 μM)-treated MDA-MB-231 cells exhibited the morphological characteristic of epithelial-like cells; mRNA expression of DNMT3A, TET2, TET3, ZFPM2 and E-cad were increased while TET1, VIM and MMP9 were decreased. Cellular invasion of MDA-MB-231 was reduced by 65 ± 5% in the presence of 5.76 μM DS. Our data suggested that DS-mediated pathway could promote GATA3 expression at transcription and translation levels. We propose that DS has potential to be used as an anti-invasive agent in breast cancer.

Traditional Chinese medicine as a cancer treatment: Modern perspectives of ancient but advanced science

“…76 In addition, the expression of TET2 and TET3 is upregulated, and TET1 downregulated in cells treated with dioscin. 76 Resveratrol has been shown to enhance the enzymatic activities of IDH2. 184 It appears that a number of TCM phytochemicals are involved in the regulation of 5-hmC formation and deactivation.…”

“…Dioscin is reported to significantly suppress the proliferation of colon cancer cells via regulation of reactive oxygen species generation, and modulation of the p38 MAPK and JNK signaling pathways . In breast cancer, dioscin has also been shown to suppress cell proliferation, invasion, and migration . In addition, the expression of TET2 and TET3 is upregulated, and TET1 downregulated in cells treated with dioscin .…”

Dioscin attenuates high‑fat diet‑induced insulin resistance of adipose tissue through the IRS‑1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

“…Extracts of Dioscorea batatas were additionally revealed to ameliorate the insulin resistance of mice fed with a HFD (4). Dioscin has a wide spectrum of biological activities, including anti-cancer (5) and antiviral activities (6). Meanwhile, it is also used for the management of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia due to its cardiovascular protective activity (7).…”

Dioscin enhances osteoblastic cell differentiation and proliferation by inhibiting cell autophagy via the ASPP2/NF-κβ pathway

“…Dioscin, a typical steroid saponin extracted from Polygonatum zanlanscianense Pamp., was first isolated and characterized in the mid-20th century (1). Dioscin exhibits cytotoxicity against a number of human malignant cell lines and has been investigated extensively for the treatment of various types of cancer (2)(3)(4)(5). Previous pharmacological studies have demonstrated that dioscin also has antispasmodic activity (6) antithrombotic activity (7), and protects against liver damage (8) and diabetes mellitus (9).…”