Aloesin Suppresses Cell Growth and Metastasis in Ovarian Cancer SKOV3 Cells through the Inhibition of the MAPK Signaling Pathway

Abstract

Aloesin is an active constituent of the herb aloe vera and plays a crucial role in anti-inflammatory activity, ultraviolet protection, and antibacterium. We investigated the role and possible mechanisms of aloesin in the cell growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer. It was found that aloesin inhibited cell viability and cell clonality in a dose-dependent manner. It arrests the cell cycle at the S-phase and induced apoptosis in SKOV3 cells. In an in vivo experiment, it was observed that aloesin inhibited tumor growth. Moreover, it inhibited migration and invasion of cancer in SKOV3 cells. Interestingly, members from the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling family became less phosphorylated as the aloesin dose increased. This suggests that aloesin exerts its anticancer effect through the MAPK signaling pathway. Our data also highlights the possibility of using aloesin as a novel therapeutic drug for ovarian cancer treatment.

MicroRNA‑665 promotes the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells by targeting SRCIN1

“…Hyperactivation of the MAPK/ERK and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathways plays key roles in uncontrolled cell proliferation of ovarian cancer (20,21). The results of the western blotting showed that downregulation of miR-665 decreased the expression of p-ERK1/2 but not p-AKT (Fig.…”

“…In ovarian cancer, activation of the Src signaling pathway is crucial for the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and in vivo tumor growth in nude mice (19). Previous studies have demonstrated that Src is associated with the activity of MAPK/ERK signaling and PI3K/AKT signaling in cancer cells, which are pivotal for cell proliferation and survival (20,21). Src kinase signaling inhibitor 1 (SRCIN1) functions as a tumor suppressor via inactivation of Src in cancer (22).…”

CXCR4/CXCR7 gene-silencing suppresses ovarian cancer cell proliferation and tumour growth through modulation of the CXCL12-CXCR4/CXCR7 chemokine axis and activation of MAPK signalling pathway

“…This study observed that siCXCR4/siCXCR7 administration significantly reduced the tumour volume and demonstrated higher tumour inhibitive rates of the SKOV3 cells transplanted mouse Xenograft model. Meanwhile, the tumour angiogenesis, metastasis, and EMTcorrelated molecules [7,21,29], including CD31, MMP-9, VEGF-A, and vimentin, were significantly increased, and E-cadherin was significantly decreased in the tumour tissues of the mouse Xenograft model. However, we did not employ more specific methods (such as western blot assay) to detect CD31, MMP-9, VEGF-A, vimentin, and E-cadherin expressions in tumour tissues, which is a limitation of our study.…”

“…Furthermore, the tumour angiogenesis-associated molecule, CD31, and tumour distant metastasis-related molecule [21,29], were also detected in siCXCR4/siCXCR7-administrated SKOV3 cells. We found that CD31 and MMP-9 production was significantly inhibited in the SKOV3 cells undergoing siCXCR4/siCXCR7 administration, which suggests that the siCXCR4/siCXCR7 blocks the tumour angiogenesis by suppressing CD31 and MMP-9 expression.…”

Molecular Docking Studies of Curcuma Longa and Aloe Vera for Their Potential Anticancer Effects

“…The most significant anthraquinones in aloe gel are aloesin, aloe-emodin (AE), and barbaloin. Aloesin is a potent and selective inhibitor of tyrosinase and exhibits direct inhibitory effects on melanogenesis [13]. However, little is known about the role of aloesin in anticancer activity.…”