Effect of arsenic trioxide on cervical cancer and its mechanisms

Abstract

Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of gynecological tumor, and thus identifying complementary or substitute treatment methods to treat cervical cancer is important. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of arsenic trioxide (ATO), a traditional Chinese medicine, on cervical cancer cells and its underlying mechanism. MTT, colony formation and Transwell assays were performed to investigate the effects of different concentrations of ATO on cell proliferation and invasion, respectively. Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR were applied to measure hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression (HIF-1α) expression following ATO treatment. Finally, the effects of HIF-1α knockdown on cervical cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion were evaluated. The results demonstrated that ATO could inhibit cell proliferation and invasion. Moreover, ATO could induce reactive oxygen species production in a time-and dose-dependent manner. ATO could also promote the apoptosis of cervical cancer cells via HIF-1α. Therefore, the present study may provide a theoretical basis for identifying effective molecular targets for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.

Exploring the Mechanisms of Arsenic Trioxide (Pishuang) in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Network Pharmacology

“…Studies have shown that hypoxia occurred in the metastasis, poor prognosis, and radiation resistance of HCC [ 37 , 38 ]. Arsenic trioxide could promote the apoptosis of cancer cells via hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 α [ 39 ]. Most factors that regulate the progression of HCC are closely associated with inflammation.…”

Mineral medicine: from traditional drugs to multifunctional delivery systems

“…Comprehensive treatment including surgery is the main principle of treatment in the clinic. However, the cure rate of postoperative recurrence is less than 20%, in addition, chemotherapeutic drugs lack targeting and there are many side effects [ 65 ]. As there is no breakthrough in the comprehensive treatment of advanced cervical cancer, insights into the traditional mineral drug of ATO may be an alternative manner in cervical cancer treatment.…”

“…Nowadays, Zhang et al preliminary predict that ATO can induce reactive oxygen production to promote cell apoptosis by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and flow cytometry. Western blotting and flow cytometry indicated that ATO suppresses hypoxia‑inducible factor‑1α expression, which aimed to effectively inhibit the proliferation and invasion of Siha cells and promote apoptosis [ 65 ]. ATO due to the dose-limited toxicity and poor pharmacokinetics in clinical trials requires the right vehicle to be carried [ 66 ].…”