Induction of Mitotic Delay in Pharyngeal and Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells Using an Aqueous Extract of Ajuga bracteosa

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common cancer in Southeast Asia, for which radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy are the primary treatment methods. Many herbs are known to have potential uses in chemotherapy; however, the mechanisms underlying the observed antitumor activity of Ajuga bracteosa (AB) against NPC remain unclear. We explored the antitumor effects of AB, which was shown specifically to induce mitotic delay in pharyngeal (Detroit 562) and nasopharyngeal (Hone-1) cancer cells. Proliferation of cancer cells after exposure to aqueous extract of A. bracteosa (AEAB) was assessed using the MTT assay. DNA content and cell cycle arrest induction were analyzed using flow cytometry. The expression of checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2), cell division control protein 2 (CDC2), and cyclin B1 was investigated using qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Results indicated the inhibition of cancer cell growth following exposure to AEAB. In addition, AEAB induced the accumulation of G2/M-phase cells in cancer cell through the disassociation of CDC2/cyclin B1 complex. Our findings suggested that, in addition to the known effects of AEAB in NPC prevention, it may have antitumor activities against NPC cells. In conclusion, AEAB inhibits the growth of and induces mitotic delay in cancer cells, supporting its use as an anticancer agent.

Oregano Phytocomplex Induces Programmed Cell Death in Melanoma Lines via Mitochondria and DNA Damage

“…The 2 -ΔΔCt formula was used to measure mRNA concentration for each gene: in detail, the threshold cycle (Ct) of the target gene monitored in the treated sample was normalized for the internal reference gene (β-actin, ACTB; ΔCt) and for the respective value of the control sample (ΔΔCt), which was considered as a unit (100%). Supplementary Materials Table S1 reports the list of primers used in this work: microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1), tyrosinase (TYR), P21, P27, P53, cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), cyclin B1 (CCNB1), and β-actin (ACTB) [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ].…”

The efficacy of natural products for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

“…AEAB inhibited the growth and proliferation of cancer cells, inducing mitosis delay was highly dependent on AEAB accumulation. In addition, AEAB induced the aggregation of G2/M phase cells in cancer cells by dissociating CDC2/cyclin Bl complexes (Lin et al., 2017).…”