Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari School of Medicine, Piazza G. Cesare, 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 13;11(1):1259. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-78867-1.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is nowadays the sixth cause of tumour-related deceases worldwide, estimated to become the third in Western countries by 2030. New drugs for HCC treatment still have many adverse effects. Several lines of evidence indicate that plant metabolites offer concrete opportunities for developing new therapeutic strategies for many diseases, including cancer. We previously reported that ethyl acetate extract of a spontaneous edible plant harvested in Apulia, Crithmum maritimum, significantly inhibited cell growth in HCC cells. By H-NMR spectroscopy, here we show that Crithmum maritimum ethyl acetate extract counteracts the Warburg effect, by reducing intracellular lactate, inhibits protein anabolism, by decreasing amino acid level, and affects membrane biosynthesis by lowering choline and phosphocholine. Also, we observed an effect on lipid homeostasis, with a reduction in triglycerides, cholesterol, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and diunsaturated fatty acids (DUFA), and an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Taken together, these data demonstrate that Crithmum maritimum-induced cytostasis is exerted through a multi-effect action, targeting key metabolic processes in HCC cells. Overall, our findings highlight the role of Crithmum maritimum as a promising tool for the prevention and the improvement of the therapeutic options for HCC and other types of tumours.
肝细胞癌 (HCC) 目前是全球第六大肿瘤相关死亡原因，预计到 2030 年将成为西方国家的第三大死因。治疗 HCC 的新药仍有许多不良反应。有几项证据表明，植物代谢物为开发许多疾病（包括癌症）的新治疗策略提供了具体机会。我们之前报道过，在普利亚地区收获的一种天然食用植物 Crithmum maritimum 的乙酸乙酯提取物可显著抑制 HCC 细胞的细胞生长。通过 H-NMR 光谱，我们在这里表明，Crithmum maritimum 的乙酸乙酯提取物通过降低细胞内乳酸来对抗瓦博格效应，抑制蛋白质合成代谢，降低氨基酸水平，并通过降低胆碱和磷酸胆碱来影响膜生物合成。此外，我们还观察到对脂质稳态的影响，甘油三酯、胆固醇、单不饱和脂肪酸 (MUFA) 和二不饱和脂肪酸 (DUFA) 减少，多不饱和脂肪酸 (PUFA) 增加。综上所述，这些数据表明，Crithmum maritimum 诱导的细胞停滞是通过多效作用实现的，针对 HCC 细胞中的关键代谢过程。总的来说，我们的研究结果强调了 Crithmum maritimum 作为预防和改善 HCC 和其他类型肿瘤的治疗选择的有前途的工具的作用。
