Matrine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of the androgen‑independent prostate cancer cell line PC-3

Abstract

Abstract. Current strategies to treat androgen-independent prostate cancer are associated with a number of challenges and are not yet curative. Matrine is a naturally occurring alkaloid extracted from the Chinese herb Sophora flavescens. Matrine has shown anti-proliferative properties in a number of types of cancer, including breast, gastric, lung and pancreatic tumors. Matrine was also found to promote apoptosis and inhibit invasion of cancer cells. We evaluated the antitumor effects of matrine on androgen-independent PC-3 prostate cancer cells. The effects of matrine on cell cycle progression and apoptosis of PC-3 cells were tested. Matrine-treated PC-3 cells underwent G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. There was a significant reduction in the number of S phase and G2/M phase cells in the treated group when compared to untreated cells. Flow cytometry, as well as Annexin-V/PI staining, showed a significant, dose-dependent increase in the number of early, as well as late, stage apoptotic cells in matrine-treated cells compared to untreated cells. There was also an increase in the number of necrotic cells in the matrine-treated group when compared to untreated cells. Matrine treatment resulted in increased levels of caspase-3 and Bax and decreased levels of Bcl-2. Our data suggest that matrine inhibits the proliferation of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells by causing G0/ G1 cell cycle arrest and promoting apoptosis. Matrine-induced apoptosis was mediated by downregulation of Bcl-2/Bax ratios and upregulation of caspase-3 levels. Based on our data, we suggest that matrine may be a novel addition to the current arsenal of strategies used to treat androgen-independent prostate cancer.

Matrine reduces the proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer cells via reducing the activity of p38 signaling pathway

“…MMPs, especially MMP-2 and MMP-9, are believed to be potent in degrading ECM [7,17,21]. Matrine has been proved to be able to reduce the expression of MMPs in many cancers [22,23]. In the study, we found that matrine reduced the expression and activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in CRC cells.…”

Ethyl acetate extraction from a Chinese herbal formula, Jiedu Xiaozheng Yin, inhibits the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via induction of G0/G1 phase arrest in vivo and in vitro

“…Similarly we found water extract of HWD can arrest the HepG2 cells in G0/G1 phase via downregulating the mRNA and protein levels of CDK2, CDK4 and E2F (10). Matrine, a component rich in SF, inhibited cell proliferation through arresting cells in G0/G1 phase in gallbladder cancer cells (31), prostate cancer cells (32) and hepatoma cells (33). Qin et al and Zhao et al reported that matrine downregulated the expression of cyclin D1 to inhibit the growth of retinoblastoma cells (34,35).…”

14-Thienyl Methylene Matrine (YYJ18), the Derivative from Matrine, Induces Apoptosis of Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells by Targeting MAPK and PI3K/Akt Pathways <b><i>in Vitro</i></b>

“…As a main alkaloid from Sophora flavescens Ait, matrine (C 15 H 24 N 2 O) also exhibits a variety of biological activities such as anti-inflammation, antivirus, anti-fibrosis, anti-arrhythmia and immunosuppression [7]. Moreover, recent studies have reported that matrine also possesses antitumor activities by inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis against a wide range of cancers, including lung cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer and so on [8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. Accordingly, our previous study demonstrated that matrine significantly inhibited growth of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner.…”