Abstract
Aim: To examine the effects of flavokawain B (FKB), a novel kava chalcone, on the growth of uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS) cells and investigated its utility in the treatment of uterine LMS. Material and Methods: Uterine leiomyosarcoma (SK-LMS-1), endometrial adenocarcinoma (ECC-1) and the non-malignant, human endometrium fibroblast-like (T-HESC) cell lines were cultured and treated with different concentrations of FKB. Cell viability was determined by MTT assays and the IC50 was estimated. Fluorescent-Activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis of apoptosis and cell cyclewas performed. Real-Time reversetranscription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were utilized to evaluate differences in the expression of apoptotic markers. Results: FKB preferentially inhibited the growth of SK-LMS-1 and ECC-1 cells compared to T-HESC control cells. FKB significantly increased both early and late apoptosis in SK-LMS-1 and ECC-1 cells relative to control. Cell cycle analysis illustrated an increase in the G2/M fraction in treated cell lines relative to control. Furthermore, FKB induced the expression of pro-Apoptotic death receptor 5 (DR5), Bim, and Puma, and decreased expression of an inhibitor of apoptosis, survivin. FKB also acted synergistically when combined with docetaxel and gemcitabine (combination index = 0.260). Conclusion: FKB treatment results in cell cycle arrest and a robust induction of apoptosis in SK-LMS-1 and ECC-1 cell lines. This natural product deserved further investigation as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of uterine LMS.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1086-1094 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Apoptosis
- Cell-cycle arrest
- Flavokawain B
- Leiomyosarcoma
- Uterine cancer
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Obstetrics and Gynecology