Bioinformatics analysis of differentially expressed genes in hepatocellular carcinoma cells exposed to Swertiamarin

Abstract

Aim: To explore gene expression profiling in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells exposed to swertiamarin. Methods: Cell viability, apoptosis and invasion were examined in HepG2 cells after swertiamarin treatment. Tumor growth of SK-Hep-1 cells xenografted in nude mice was monitored after swertiamarin treatment. Total RNA was isolated from HepG2 cells treated with swertiamarin for microarray analysis. The data of microarray were analyzed by bioinformatics. Results: Swertiamarin treatment decreased the viability and invasion while increased the apoptosis of HepG2 cells, and significantly inhibited the growth of SK-Hep-1 cells xenografted in nude mice. Pathway and biological process analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in swertiamarin treated HepG2 cells showed that PI3k-Akt was the most significant regulated pathway. 47 targets of swertiamarin were predicted by CGBVS while 21 targets were predicted by 3NN. Notably, 8 targets were predicted as the targets of swertiamarin by both programs, including two prominent targets JUN and STAT3. A large range of DEGs induced by swertiamarin could be regulated by JUN and STAT3. Conclusion: Swertiamarin treatment led to significant changes in the expression of a variety of genes that modulate cell survival, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and invasion. Moreover, most of these genes can be clustered into pathway networks such as PI3K, JUN, STAT3, which are predicted targets of swertiamarin. Further confirmation of these targets will reveal the anti-tumor mechanisms of swertiamarin and facilitate the development of swertiamarin as a novel agent for cancer prevention and treatment.

Swertiamarin suppresses proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells <em>via</em> negative regulation of FRAT1

“…In our previous studies, we discovered that STM suppresses HCC cell proliferation. 12 We also conducted a microarray analysis to identify the underlying mechanism. 12 FRAT1 was found to be a significantly down-regulated gene in STM-treated HepG2 cells.…”

“… 12 We also conducted a microarray analysis to identify the underlying mechanism. 12 FRAT1 was found to be a significantly down-regulated gene in STM-treated HepG2 cells. FRAT1 belongs to the glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) binding protein family and promotes the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.…”

The Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Clinical Uses of Metagentiana Rhodantha (Franch.) T.N.Ho and S.W.Liu, an Ethnomedicine in Southwest China

“…Secoiridiods are characteristic substances of MR, while their contents are very low. Studies have indicated that secoiridiod glycosides possess wide biological activities such as anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory ( Saravanan et al, 2014a ; Saravanan et al, 2014b ; Wang et al, 2019a ), analgesic ( Liu et al, 2016 ; Garrido-Suárez et al, 2020 ), anti-tumor ( Tang et al, 2019 ; Xiao et al, 2020 ) hepatoprotective ( Shao et al, 2017 ; Wu et al, 2017 ), hypoglycemic ( Vaidya et al, 2013a ; Dhanavathy, 2015 ; Vaidya et al, 2012 ; Vaidya et al, 2009 ), neuroprotective ( Wang et al, 2019b ; Wu et al, 2019 ) effects.…”

“…Subsequently, Tang et al (2019) reported the differentially expressed genes in HCCs after treated with SWM by bioinformatics analysis. The results demonstrated that SWM significantly attenuated the viability and invasion and elevated the apoptosis of HepG2 cells.…”

“…Nowadays, it has revealed that the compounds or extracts from MR exhibit anti-inflammatory ( Somani et al, 2016 ; Qu et al, 2017 ), antioxidant ( Saha et al, 2016 ; Mahalanobish et al, 2019 ), analgesic ( Dar et al, 2005 ; Garrido-Suárez et al, 2014 ), antitumor ( Takeda et al, 2016 ; Deng et al, 2018 ; Tang et al, 2019 ; Xiao et al, 2020 ), hepatoprotective ( Das et al, 2012 ; Jain et al, 2013 ), and other effects. However, the pharmacological research mainly focuses on the characteristic compounds especially MAF but not the extracts.…”