title: Xanthohumol inhibits proliferation of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: Xanthohumol is a flavonoid compound that exhibits antioxidant and anticancer effects, and is used to treat atherosclerosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of xanthohumol on the cell proliferation of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and to understand the mechanism of its action. The effects of xanthohumol on the cell viability and apoptosis rate of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma SCC4 cells were assessed by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide staining. In addition, the expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) p53 and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), as well as anti-apoptotic markers, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1), were analyzed by western blotting. The results revealed that treatment with 40 µM xanthohumol significantly inhibited the proliferation of SCC4 cells. Furthermore, xanthohumol treatment (40 µM) induced SCC4 cell apoptosis, as indicated by the significant increase in activity and expression of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, PARP, p53 and AIF. By contrast, the protein expression of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 was significantly decreased following treatment with 40 µM xanthohumol. Taken together, the results of the present study indicated that xanthohumol mediates growth suppression and apoptosis induction, which was mediated via the suppression of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 and activation of PARP, p53 and AIF signaling pathways. Therefore, future studies that investigate xanthohumol as a potential therapeutic agent for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma are required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Zhabei Central Hospital, Shanghai 200070, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Shankai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongliang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Daliu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Min
keywords: B-cell lymphoma 2; apoptosis-inducing factor; laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma; myeloid cell leukemia 1; p53; poly ADP ribose polymerase; xanthohumol