Pace Loretta, Ragusa Federica, Lizzi Lara, Armillotta Maria Giovanna, Massimi Mara
Department of Life, Health, and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
Biology (Basel). 2024 Nov 28;13(12):985. doi: 10.3390/biology13120985.
is a subendemic species of the Central Apennine, valued locally for its applications in ancient and traditional medicine for its antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic, digestive, and antispasmodic effects. Several of these properties are also found in other species within the same genus, including recent findings highlighting their anti-tumor actions. However, the presence of cytotoxic or anti-tumor activity has never been studied in . The aim of this study was thus to assess the potential anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and antimetastatic effects of this plant using in vitro models of hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2 and Huh7 cells). Treatment with extract (130 μg/mL) resulted in the reduced proliferation of HepG2 and Huh7 cells, driven by the dysregulation of proteins involved in the cell cycle (such as cyclin D1, cyclin E, and p27) and the activation of the p53-p21 pathway, leading to an increase in apoptotic activity. In addition, the treatment also lowered the healing capability after scratch wounds in Huh7 cells, which are characterized by a remarkable migratory capacity, suggesting that the extract may also be effective in controlling the migration and spread of metastatic cells. In conclusion, extract 130 μg/mL appears to interfere with key factors of HepG2 and Huh7 cell proliferation and invasion and emerges as a potential new adjuvant for the prevention and/or treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Additional research is necessary to establish if the effects observed are cell-specific and to elucidate the mechanisms of action and signaling pathways underlying its effectiveness.
是亚平宁山脉中部的一种次地方特有物种，因其在古代和传统医学中的应用而受到当地重视，具有抗菌、抗真菌、驱虫、助消化和抗痉挛作用。在同一属的其他物种中也发现了其中一些特性，包括最近突出其抗肿瘤作用的研究结果。然而，从未对其细胞毒性或抗肿瘤活性进行过研究。因此，本研究的目的是使用肝癌细胞（HepG2和Huh7细胞）的体外模型评估该植物潜在的抗增殖、促凋亡和抗转移作用。用提取物（130μg/mL）处理导致HepG2和Huh7细胞增殖减少，这是由细胞周期相关蛋白（如细胞周期蛋白D1、细胞周期蛋白E和p27）的失调以及p53-p21途径的激活驱动的，导致凋亡活性增加。此外，该处理还降低了Huh7细胞划痕伤口后的愈合能力，Huh7细胞具有显著的迁移能力，这表明提取物在控制转移细胞的迁移和扩散方面可能也有效。总之，130μg/mL的提取物似乎会干扰HepG2和Huh7细胞增殖及侵袭的关键因素，并成为预防和/或治疗肝细胞癌的潜在新佐剂。需要进一步研究以确定观察到的效果是否具有细胞特异性，并阐明其有效性背后的作用机制和信号通路。
