Identifying the differential effects of silymarin constituents on cell growth and cell cycle regulatory molecules in human prostate cancer cells.

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men; urgent measures are warranted to lower this deadly malignancy. Silymarin is a known cancer chemopreventive agent, but the relative anticancer efficacy of its constituents is still unknown. Here, we compared the efficacy of 7 pure flavonolignan compounds isolated from silymarin, namely silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silydianin, isosilydianin, silychristin and isosilychristin, in advanced human PCa PC3 cells. Silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silibinin and silymarin strongly inhibited the colony formation by PC3 cells (p < 0.001), while silydianin, silychristin and isosilychristin had marginal effect (p < 0.05). Using cell growth and death assays, we identified isosilybin B as the most effective isomer. FACS analysis for cell cycle also showed that silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silibinin and silymarin treatment resulted in strong cell cycle arrest in PC3 cells after 72 hr of treatment, while the effect of silydianin, silychristin and isosilychristin was marginal (if any). Western blot analysis also showed the differential effect of these compounds on the levels of cell cycle regulators-cyclins (D, E, A and B), CDKs (Cdk2, 4 and Cdc2), CDKIs (p21 and p27) and other cell cycle regulators (Skp2, Cdc25A, B, C and Chk2). This study provided further evidence for differential anticancer potential among each silymarin constituent, which would have potential implications in devising better formulations of silymarin against prostate and other cancers.

• Authors: Gagan Deep, Nicholas H Oberlies, David J Kroll, Rajesh Agarwal
• Journal: International journal of cancer (Int J Cancer) Vol. 123 Issue 1 Pg. 41-50 (Jul 01 2008) ISSN: 1097-0215 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 18435416 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Antioxidants
• Cell Cycle Proteins
• Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor Proteins
• Cyclins
• Flavonolignans
• Protective Agents
• Silymarin
• Silybin
• silidianin
• Cyclin-Dependent Kinases
• cdc25 Phosphatases
• isosilybin A
• silychristin

Topics

• Antineoplastic Agents (pharmacology)
• Antioxidants (pharmacology)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Blotting, Western
• Cell Cycle Proteins (drug effects, metabolism)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor Proteins (drug effects, metabolism)
• Cyclin-Dependent Kinases (drug effects, metabolism)
• Cyclins (drug effects, metabolism)
• Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor (methods)
• Flavonolignans (pharmacology)
• Flow Cytometry
• Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic (drug effects)
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic (drug effects)
• Humans
• Isomerism
• Male
• Prostatic Neoplasms (drug therapy, metabolism, pathology, prevention & control)
• Protective Agents (pharmacology)
• Silybin
• Silymarin (analogs & derivatives, chemistry, pharmacology)
• Time Factors
• cdc25 Phosphatases (drug effects, metabolism)