β-asarone suppresses HCT116 colon cancer cell proliferation and liver metastasis in part by activating the innate immune system.

Abstract

Studies have revealed that β-asarone exerts a powerful inhibitory effect on the proliferation of human cancer cells. The authors' previous study demonstrated that β-asarone could induce LoVo colon cancer cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, indicating its anticancer properties. The present study aimed to determine the antineoplastic effect of β-asarone in HCT116 colon cancer cells. An in vitro proliferation assay using a real time cell analyzer demonstrated that β-asarone effectively decreased HCT116 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes following β-asarone inhibition were involved in the 'cell cycle', 'cell division', 'cell proliferation' and 'apoptosis'. Subsequently, a xenograft assay evidenced the inhibitory effect of β-asarone on the growth of HCT116 tumors in vivo. Further detection of immune-associated cytokines and cells suggested that β-asarone might be involved in the antitumor immune response by stimulating granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and increasing the number of macrophage cells in the spleen. Additionally, a murine model of splenic-transplantation verified the strong suppressive role of β-asarone in colon cancer liver metastasis in vivo. Taken together, the results of the current study revealed that β-asarone decreased HCT116 colon cancer cell proliferation and liver metastasis potentially by activating the innate immune system, supporting the multi-system regulation theory and providing a basis for further mechanistic studies on colon cancer.

• Authors: Min Chen, Yu-Wen Zhuang, Cun-En Wu, Hai-Yan Peng, Jun Qian, Jin-Yong Zhou
• Journal: Oncology letters (Oncol Lett) Vol. 21 Issue 6 Pg. 435 (Jun 2021) ISSN: 1792-1074 [Print] Greece
• PMID: 33868473 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright: © Chen et al.