Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Isoalantolactone inhibits the proliferation of human liver cancer cells by inducing intrinsic apoptosis

Wen Peng¹, Xin-geng Hui¹, Lin Huo², Dong-xiao Sun¹, Zhi-cong Wu¹, Ying Zhang¹, Xiao-bing Li¹, Tian Ma¹, Wen-hui Li¹, Jing Liang², Zhi-qiang Sun¹

¹Department of Pharmaceutics, Shijiazhuang People’s Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050000, China; ²Department of Pharmaceutics, Hebei Chest Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050000, China.

For correspondence:- Zhi-qiang Sun Email: zhiqiangsun112@gmail.com

Accepted: 2 February 2024 Published: 29 February 2024

Citation: Peng W, Hui X, Huo L, Sun D, Wu Z, Zhang Y, et al. Isoalantolactone inhibits the proliferation of human liver cancer cells by inducing intrinsic apoptosis. Trop J Pharm Res 2024; 23(2):273-278 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v23i2.6

© 2024 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate isoalantolactone's potential as an anticancer agent targeting liver cancer cells and to elucidate the underlying mechanism.

Methods: Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were employed to analyze the anti-growth effects of isoalantolactone against liver cancer cells. Cell apoptosis was studied using Acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) and Annexin V-FITC/Propidium iodide (PI) staining methods. The intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were estimated using the 2’-7’-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) method. Liver cancer cell invasion was assessed through Transwell assays.

Results: Isoalantolactone inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of HuH7 cells by inducing apoptosis. Isoalantolactone showed IC₅₀ of 9 µM against HuH7 liver cancer cells. The MRC-5 normal cells treated with isoalantolactone also showed loss of viability and the IC₅₀ was estimated to be 40 µM. HuH7 cancer cells administered with isoalantolactone exhibited modulation of apoptotic marker protein expression levels. Apoptosis was shown to result from ROS elevation. Isoalantolactone also restricted liver cancer cell invasion.

Conclusion: Isoalantolactone shows anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic effects against liver cancer cells via ROS-mediated apoptosis induction thereby making it a potential source of potent therapeutic agents against human cancer.

Keywords: Liver cancer, Sesquiterpenoid, Isoalantolactone, Metastasis, Apoptosis, ROS