title: Growth-inhibiting and apoptosis-inducing activities of Myricanol from the bark of Myrica rubra in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.
abstract: Myrica rubra (Lour.) Sieb. Et Zucc. is a myricaceae Myrica plant. It is a subtropical fruit tree in China and other Asian countries. The bark of M. rubra is used in Chinese folk medicine because of its antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. However, the mechanisms underlying such activities remain unclear. This study investigated whether or not Myricanol extracted from M. rubra bark elicits anti-cancer effects on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells by inducing apoptosis in vivo. Myricanol was extracted from M. rubra bark through system solvent extraction and silica gel layer column separation. The results of tritiated thymidine assay, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry indicated that Myricanol inhibited the growth of A549 cells. The effects of Myricanol on the expression of key apoptosis-related genes in A549 cells were evaluated by quantitative PCR and Western blot analyses. Myricanol significantly inhibited the growth of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration of 4.85 μg/ml. Myricanol significantly decreased colony formation and induced A549 cell apoptosis. Myricanol upregulated the expression of Caspase-3, Caspase-9, Bax, and p21 and downregulated the expression of Bcl-2 at the mRNA and protein levels. These changes were associated with apoptosis. Based on these results, we propose that Myricanol elicits growth inhibitory and cytotoxic effects on lung cancer cells. Therefore, Myricanol may be a clinical candidate for the prevention and treatment of lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Basic Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310007, China. Electronic address: daiguanhai@gmail.com.
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310012, China.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Basic Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310007, China.
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: Institute of Basic Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310007, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Basic Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310007, China.
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Basic Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310007, China. Electronic address: 88082214@163.com.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D036381:Diarylheptanoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D031641:Myrica / Q000737:chemistry*; D024301:Plant Bark / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D036381:Diarylheptanoids; D010936:Plant Extracts; C041794:myricanol
keywords: Anti-cancer activity; Apoptosis; Cell growth inhibition; Myricanol