title: Anti-proliferative effect of licochalcone A on vascular smooth muscle cells.
abstract: Licochalcone A, a flavonoid found in licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), is known for its anti-microbial activity and its reported ability to inhibit cancer cell proliferation. In the present study, we investigated whether licochalcone A inhibits rat vascular smooth muscle cell (rVSMC) proliferation. Our data indicate that 5 microM licochalcone A inhibited platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced rVSMC proliferation, possibly through its ability to block the progression of the cell cycle from G1 to S phase. In addition, 5 microM licochalcone A significantly inhibited the PDGF-induced expression of cyclin A, cyclin D1, CDK2, and CDK4, and the phosphorylation of Rb. Licochalcone A also reversed the decrease in p27(kip1) expression reduced by PDGF. Finally, licochalcone A inhibited the PDGF-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2. Together, these data provide the first evidence that licochalcone A can regulate rVSMC proliferation and suggest that licochalcone A inhibits the proliferation of rVSMCs by suppressing the PDGF-induced activation of the ERK1/2 pathway and Rb phosphorylation, resulting in cell cycle arrest.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular and Rare Diseases, Center for Biomedical Sciences, NIH, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyun Joung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Kuy-Sook
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seahyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyun-Jeong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.forename: Jeong-Heon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Hyun-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D047188:Chalcones / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006035:Glycyrrhiza / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D047188:Chalcones; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; C070840:licochalcone A