Cratoxylum formosum ssp. pruniflorum induces gastric cancer cell apoptosis and pyroptosis through the elevation of ROS and cell cycle arrest.

Cratoxylum formosum ssp. pruniflorum (CF), a traditional medicinal plant in Southern China, is widely recognized as a popular medicinal and tea plant traditionally utilized by diverse linguistic groups in the region for the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments. The objective of this study was to explore the active components and mechanisms of CF against gastric cancer (GC). The chemical ingredients of CF were obtained by using UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolomics. MGC-803 and HGC-27 cells were employed to investigate the direct anti-GC effect. The potential targets and signaling pathway of CF were identified through network pharmacology and proteomics, followed by subsequent experimental validation. Through UPLC-MS/MS metabolomics analysis, a total of 197 chemical ingredients were identified in CF leaves. Network pharmacology and proteomics techniques revealed 25 potential targets for GC, with a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network highlighting 12 cores targets, including CTNNB1, CDK2, et al. Furthermore, seven key CF ingredients - vismione B, feruloylcholine, α-amyrin, vanillic acid, galangin, cinnamic acid, and caffeic acid - were found to mediate anti-GC effects through pathways such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell cycle signaling pathway. In vitro experiments demonstrated that CF significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of GC cells, increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, arrested the cell cycle at the S-phase, induced apoptosis and pyroptosis, and upregulated expression of apoptosis proteins (Bax, Bax/Bcl-2, cleaved-Caspase-3/Caspase-3), and pyroptosis proteins (GSDMD-N/GSDMD and GSDME-N/GSDME), while downregulating expression of cell cycle proteins (CDK2 and cyclin A1) as well as necroptosis proteins (RIP1 and MLKL). Collectively, these findings reveal CF's therapeutic potential against GC by the augmentation of ROS production, cell cycle arrest, promotion of apoptosis, and pyroptosis, offering valuable evidence for the development and utilization of CF in clinical settings.