Astragaloside IV suppresses development of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating miR-150-5p/β-catenin axis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a common malignant tumor, has been regarded as a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) was reported to participate in the regulation of multiple tumors. However, the role of AS-IV in HCC was still unclear in HCC. Bioinformatics analysis and function or mechanism experiments including RT-qPCR, MTT assay, flow cytometry, Western blot, luciferase reporter assay and xenografts assays were applied to investigate the function of AS-IV, miR-150−5p and CTNNB1. We discovered that AS-IV treatment was supposed to significantly increase miR-150−5p level. In addition, AS-IV accelerated cell apoptosis by inducing miR-150−5p in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, AS-IV increased cell apoptosis rate through reducing β-catenin level in vitro and in vivo. In detail, AS-IV triggered a decline of Bax and a rise of Bcl-2 in HCC cells and xenograft tissues. In mechanism, we validated the combination between miR-150−5p and CTNNB1. Moreover, miR-150−5p could negatively regulate CTNNB1 level by binding to its3’UTR. Finally, rescue assay demonstrated that CTNNB1 overexpression partially rescued the inhibitive effect on tumor growth and promotive influence on cell apoptosis caused by miR-150−5p amplification. The up-regulation of miR-150−5p induced by AS-IV suppressed the progression of HCC by repressing β-catenin, providing a new molecular target for the utilization of AS-IV In the treatment of HCC.     

黄芪甲苷基于PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2 信号通路对PC12 细胞OGD/R 损伤的保护机制研究

目的：探究黄芪甲苷（astragaloside IV,AS-IV）对大鼠嗜铬细胞瘤（pheochromocytoma 12,PC12）细胞缺氧缺糖复供（oxygen deprivation reoxygenation,OGD/R）损伤的保护作用及基于磷脂酰肌醇3 激酶（phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase,PI3K）/ 蛋白激酶B（protein kinase B,PKB,又称Akt）及B 细胞淋巴瘤-2 蛋白（B-cell lymphoma-2,Bcl-2） PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2 信号通路的机制研究。方法：体外培养 PC12 细胞,细胞随机分为空白对照组、模型组（OGD/R）,尼莫地平阳性对照组（5 μmol·L-1）和黄芪甲苷组（1.00、0.10、0.01 μmol·L-1）,除空白组外其余各组均建立体外PC12 细胞OGD/R 模型。CCK-8 试剂盒法检测PC12 细胞存活率;乳酸脱氢酶（lactate dehydrogenase,LDH）试剂盒法测定乳酸脱氢酶的漏出量;采用Hoechst33342 和碘化丙啶（propidium iodide,PI） 双染法检测各组细胞凋亡与坏死情况;Western blot 检测各组细胞Akt、p-Akt、Bcl-2、Bcl-2 相关 X 蛋白（Bcl-2 associated X protein,Bax）和含半胱氨酸的天冬氨酸蛋白水解酶-3 （cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3,Caspase-3）的蛋白表达情况。结果：黄芪甲苷提高PC12 细胞OGD/R 损伤的细胞存活率,降低LDH 漏出量和细胞凋亡。黄芪甲苷浓度依赖性上调p-Akt/Akt、Bcl-2 的蛋白表达和下调促凋亡蛋白Bax、Caspase-3 的表达。PI3K/Akt 通路的抑制剂LY2940002 能抑制黄芪甲苷对OGD/R 损伤的PC12 细胞中凋亡相关蛋白的影响。结论：黄芪甲苷对OGD/R 损伤的PC12 细胞具有保护作用,且其保护作用机制可能与PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2 信号通路有关。     

Astragaloside IV Inhibits the Progression of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Through the Akt/GSK-3β/β-Catenin Pathway

Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is an active ingredient in Astragalus membranaceus and is involved in various biological processes, such as regulating the immune system, and counteracting inflammation and malignancy. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of AS-IV on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay and flow cytometry were performed to investigate cell survival and cell death, and Western blotting was performed to assess protein expression. We found that AS-IV inhibited the migration and proliferation of NSCLC cells and caused a noticeable increase in cell death. Furthermore, the expression of Bax, a marker of cell death, was increased, whereas the expression of Bcl-2, an antiapoptotic protein, was reduced. AS-IV also promoted cleavage of caspase-3, another indication of apoptosis. Finally, the Akt/GSK- 3 / -catenin axis was suppressed in response to AS-IV. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that AS-IV inhibits NSCLC development via inhibition of the Akt/GSK-3 / -catenin signaling axis. We therefore propose that AS-IV represents a promising novel agent for the treatment of NSCLC.