Abstract 6557: Aescin, a triterpene saponin induces apoptosis & oxidative damage in human oral & laryngeal cancer cells via notch signaling

Abstract

Abstract The incidence of Head and Neck cancer in increasing worldwide. The major risk factor for these cancers includes viral infection, smoking, alcohol and tobacco consumption. Natural agents have often exhibited medicinal properties with usefulness in treating various human ailments including cancer. Aescin is one of the most prominent constituent of Aesculus hippocastanum L. (Hippocastanaceae) seeds has been conventionally used as medicinal herb. We determined the anticancer effect of aescin on human oral carcinoma (KB) cells and human laryngeal carcinoma (HEp-2) cells. Treatment of KB cells with 25µM and HEp-2 cells with 22µM aescin for 24 hours suppressed proliferation in these cells and induced morphological changes consistent with apoptosis. Exposure of both cell lines to aescin resulted in marked increase in reactive oxygen species, loss of cell viability, and reduction of cellular glutathione levels resulting in depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential thereby increasing oxidative DNA damage in KB and HEp-2 cells. Furthermore, aescin-mediated apoptosis in these cells progress via notch signaling as shown by downregulation of Notch1, Notch2, Jagged-1, HES1, and HEY1 expression. Taken together, our results demonstrate that aescin initiate apoptosis in KB and HEp-2 cells by increasing oxidative damage implying that aescin might be developed as a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of human oral and laryngeal cancer. Key word: Oral carcinoma, Aescin, apoptosis, anti-proliferative, Notch signaling Citation Format: Suresh Kathiresan, Hemavardhini Ramadoss, Sanjay Gupta. Aescin, a triterpene saponin induces apoptosis & oxidative damage in human oral & laryngeal cancer cells via notch signaling [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6557.