Combination of Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai Leaf Extract and Cisplatin Suppresses the Cancer Stemness and Invasion of Human Lung Cancer Cells

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and most chemotherapeutic drugs have limited success in treating this disease. Furthermore, some drugs show undesirable side effects due to the enrichment of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that are present, leading to resistance to conventional chemotherapy and tumor relapse. CSCs possess self-renewal characteristics, aggressive tumor initiating activity, and ability to facilitate tumor metastasis. Therefore, development of nontoxic agents that can potentiate chemotherapy and eliminate CSCs would be highly desirable. In the present study, we investigated whether Sasa quelpaertensis leaf extracts (SQE) and cisplatin (CIS), individually or in combination, would exert anti-CSC and antimetastatic effect in H1299 and A549 human lung cancer cells. Following these treatments, cell growth, phosphorylation of phosphoinositide-3 kinase, and activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin were inhibited. Decreased serial sphere formation, clonogenicity, and expression of major stem cell markers, such as CD44 and SOX-2, in CD44 + cancer stem cells were also observed. In addition, inhibition of cell migration and invasion in both cell lines as well as inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity and expression were detected. Importantly, the anticancer stemness and antimetastasis effects in each of these assays were greater for the combined treatment with SQE and CIS than with each treatment individually. In conclusion, the data suggest that SQE alone, or in combination with CIS, represents a promising therapeutic strategy for eliminating cancer stemness and cell invasion potential of CSCs, thereby treating and preventing metastatic lung cancer cells.

Sasa quelpaertensis Leaf Extract Inhibits Colon Cancer by Regulating Cancer Cell Stemness in Vitro and in Vivo

“…Sasa senanensis leaf extracts, which contain a higher level of phenolics have exhibited immunostimulation-mediated antitumor activity [ 47 ], while the antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai have been reported in six human cancer cell lines, including A549, MCF-7, HeG-2, Hela, HCT116, and A375 [ 48 ]. Recently, it has also been reported that SQE alone, or in combination with cisplatin exerts anti-CSC and antimetastatic effects in H1299 and A549 human lung cancer cells by inhibiting the phosphorylation of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) and by activating mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) [ 30 ]. To the best our knowledge, the present study is the first to demonstrate that SQE mediates an anti-colon cancer stemness effect by suppressing self-renewal, increasing cell differentiation, and inhibiting cell tumorigenicity of the colon CSCs.…”

“…Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai is native to Korea and is only grown on Mt. Halla (Jeju Island, Korea) [ 30 ]. Sasa quelpaertensis leaves contain a mixture of polysaccharides and polyphenols, including p -coumaric acid and tricin, which may mediate the anticancer effects observed for Sasa quelpaertensis extracts (SQE) [ 25 , 31 ] .…”

“…Sasa quelpaertensis leaves contain a mixture of polysaccharides and polyphenols, including p -coumaric acid and tricin, which may mediate the anticancer effects observed for Sasa quelpaertensis extracts (SQE) [ 25 , 31 ] . Byun et al [ 32 ] have recently reported an pro-apoptotic effect for Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai on HT29 colon cancer cells, while an anti-cancer effect was observed following the treatment of lung cancer cells with a combination of Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai leaf extract and cisplatin [ 30 ]. However, there is little known about the role of SQE and its bioactive compounds in mediating or inducing the differentiation, self-renewal capacity, and tumorigenicity of colon CSCs.…”

Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai extract suppresses porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus replication and modulates virus-induced cytokine production

“…SQE was a kind gift from Yong Chool Boo (Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea). It was prepared and dissolved in distilled water (DW) as described elsewhere [5,20,21]. The yield of SQE from dried S. quelpaertensis leaves (1 kg) was approximately 10 %.…”

Sasa�quelpaertensis Nakai extract induces p53‑independent apoptosis via the elevation of nitric oxide production in human HCT116 colon cancer cells

“…In addition, other studies revealed that S. quelpaertensis Nakai extracts showed antiproliferation and apoptosis induction properties in human leukemia HL-60 cells (17), as well as in human and lung cancer A549 and H1299 cells. Despite previous reports demonstrated that potential clinical application of dwarf bamboo S. quelpaertensis Nakai extracts for prevention or treatment of neoplastic disease (19,23,24), the underlying mechanism has not been clarified.…”