STAT3 has been strongly implicated in human
malignancies, and constitutive activation of STAT3 serves a crucial role in cell survival, angiogenesis, immune evasion, and
inflammation. In this study, we showed that
nitidine chloride, a natural
phytochemical alkaloid derived from Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb) DC, exerts potent anticancer activity through STAT3 signaling cascade.
Nitidine chloride dose dependently suppressed
VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tubular structure formation in vitro and dramatically reduced
VEGF-triggered neovascularization in mouse cornea and
Matrigel plugs in vivo. This angiogenesis inhibition mediated by
nitidine chloride was well interpreted by the suppression of
Janus kinase 2/STAT3 signaling and STAT3
DNA-binding activity in endothelial cells. Furthermore,
nitidine chloride suppressed the constitutively activated
STAT3 protein, its
DNA-binding activity, and the expression of STAT3-dependent target genes, including
cyclin D1, Bcl-xL, and
VEGF in human
gastric cancer cells. Consistent with the earlier findings,
nitidine chloride inhibited gastric
tumor cell growth and induced
tumor cell apoptosis in vitro and effectively suppressed the volume, weight, and microvessel density of human SGC-7901 gastric solid
tumors (n = 8) at a dosage of 7 mg/kg/d (
intraperitoneal injection). Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis further revealed that the expression of STAT3, CD31, and
VEGF protein in xenografts was remarkably decreased by the
alkaloid. Taken together, we propose that
nitidine chloride is a promising anticancer
drug candidate as a potent STAT3 signaling inhibitor.