The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST).
Biol Pharm Bull. 2013;36(10):1540-8. doi: 10.1248/bpb.b13-00235.
Sesamin, one of the most abundant lignans in sesame seeds, has been shown to exhibit various pharmacological effects. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether sesamin promotes cell cycle arrest and induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells and further to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here, we found that sesamin inhibited HepG2 cell growth by inducing G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis. Furthermore, sesamin suppressed the constitutive and interleukin (IL)-6-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signalling pathway in HepG2 cells, leading to regulate the downstream genes, including p53, p21, cyclin proteins and the Bcl-2 protein family. Our studies showed that STAT3 signalling played a key role in sesamin-induced G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in HepG2 cells. These findings provided a molecular basis for understanding of the effects of sesamin in hepatocellular carcinoma tumour cell proliferation. Therefore, sesamin may thus be a potential chemotherapy drug for liver cancer.
芝麻素是芝麻种子中含量最丰富的木脂素之一，具有多种药理作用。本研究旨在阐明芝麻素是否能促进 HepG2 细胞的细胞周期停滞和诱导细胞凋亡，并进一步探讨其潜在的分子机制。在这里，我们发现芝麻素通过诱导 G2/M 期阻滞和细胞凋亡来抑制 HepG2 细胞的生长。此外，芝麻素抑制 HepG2 细胞中组成性和白细胞介素 (IL)-6 诱导的信号转导和转录激活因子 3 (STAT3) 信号通路，从而调节下游基因，包括 p53、p21、细胞周期蛋白和 Bcl-2 蛋白家族。我们的研究表明，STAT3 信号通路在芝麻素诱导的 HepG2 细胞 G2/M 期阻滞和凋亡中发挥关键作用。这些发现为理解芝麻素在肝癌肿瘤细胞增殖中的作用提供了分子基础。因此，芝麻素可能是一种潜在的肝癌化疗药物。
