1. Academic Validation
  2. Glabridin induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in oral cancer cells through the JNK1/2 signaling pathway

Glabridin induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in oral cancer cells through the JNK1/2 signaling pathway

  • Environ Toxicol. 2018 Jun;33(6):679-685. doi: 10.1002/tox.22555.
Chang-Tai Chen 1 2 3 Yi-Tzu Chen 1 2 3 Yi-Hsien Hsieh 4 Chia-Jui Weng 5 Jung-Chun Yeh 1 2 3 Shun-Fa Yang 6 7 Chiao-Wen Lin 2 3 Jia-Sin Yang 6 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
  • 2 Institute of Oral Sciences, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
  • 3 Department of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
  • 4 Institute of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
  • 5 Departmrnt of Living Services Industry, Tainan University of Technology, Tainan City, Taiwan.
  • 6 Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
  • 7 Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Abstract

Glabridin, a flavonoid extracted from licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), possesses various biological properties, including Anticancer activities. However, the effect of glabridin on oral Cancer cell Apoptosis and the underlying molecular mechanisms has not been elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that glabridin treatment significantly inhibits cell proliferation in human oral Cancer SCC-9 and SAS cell lines. Flow cytometric assays demonstrated that glabridin induced several features of Apoptosis, such as sub-G1 phase cell increase and phosphatidylserine externalization. Furthermore, glabridin induced Apoptosis dose-dependently in SCC-9 cells through Caspase-3, -8, and -9 activation and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. Moreover, glabridin increased the phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the inhibition of the JNK1/2 inhibitor significantly reversed the glabridin-induced activation of the Caspase pathway. In conclusion, our findings suggest that glabridin induces oral Cancer cell Apoptosis through the JNK1/2 pathway and is a potential therapeutic agent for oral Cancer.

Keywords

JNK1/2 pathway; apoptosis; caspase; glabridin; oral cancer.

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