Acacetin‐induced cell apoptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells: Evidence for the role of muscarinic M3 receptor

Aacacetin, a plant flavone has shown antitumor efficacy recently. However, its associated mechanisms are poorly known. We hypothesized that the muscarinic M3 receptor (M₃R), which is highly expressed in some cancer tissue, is related to the antitumor effect of acacetin in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells. Our results showed that 12.5‐ to 200‐μM acacetin inhibited cell viability in dose‐ and time‐dependent manners in HNSCC cells, but a relative higher concentration was needed for oral adenoid cystic carcinoma cells. M₃R expression level was higher in HNSCC cells than that in adenoid cystic carcinoma cells. Flow cytometry and electron microscopy confirmed acacetin‐induced cell apoptosis in 22B cells, a HNSCC cell line. Acacetin promoted mitochondrial cytochrome c release and caspase 9, 3 processing. Knocking down of M₃R expression by specific siRNA significantly prevented the acacetin‐induced cell viability damage, cell apoptosis, and caspase 3 activation. Besides, M₃R was also involved in acacetin‐induced elevation of reactive oxygen species and intracellular calcium ([Ca²⁺]_i). These data indicate that acacetin‐induced cell apoptosis in HNSCC cells may through M₃R related calcium signaling and caspase 3 activation. Acacetin is a potent natural antitumor reagent especially for the tumor cells, which highly expressed M₃R.