Abstract
Carya cathayensis is a fruit-bearing plant that belongs to the
Juglandaceae family and is widely distributed throughout the world. It
possesses various important biological activities. We have previously
isolated an antitumor compound from the shell of C. cathayensis
fruits and named it E2S
((E)-3-[(2S,3R)-2,3-dihydro-2-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-3-hydroxymethyl-7-methoxy-1-benzo[b]furan-5-yl]-2-propenal).
In this study, we investigated the antitumor activity of E2S against various
human colorectal cancer cell lines (HCT116, HT29, SW480, LoVo). The results
showed that E2S could significantly inhibit the growth of cancer cells in a
dose-dependent manner, as well as disrupt the progression of the cell cycle.
Mechanistic study revealed that E2S could decrease the protein levels of
β-catenin and its downstream targets (such as c-myc, a key
transcriptional target of β-catenin) in the cells. In addition, it
also significantly suppressed β-catenin/TCF transcriptional activity.
Taken together, the results suggested that E2S might partially exert an
antiproliferative effect on human colorectal cancer cells by targeting
β-catenin signaling, a finding that might potentially translate
into a chemotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancer. It might also
have implications for cancer prevention strategies.
Key words
Carya cathayensis
- Juglandaceae - E2S - anti-tumor activity -
β-catenin signaling
