Abstract
Special Chinese propolis sourced from the Changbai Mountains (CBMP) in Northeast China is rich in specific flavonoids and phenolic acids and its bioactivity has not been reported. This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative effect of CBMP on cancer cells and its molecular mechanisms. Different cancer cell lines were treated with the ethanol extracts of CBMP for 24 hours before the cell viability and mechanism measurements. The results showed CBMP had weak activities against human pancreatic cancer cell PANC1, human lung cancer cell A549, human colon cancer cell HCT116, human liver cancer cell HepG2, human bladder cancer cell T24, and human breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231, but it significantly inhibited the growth of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells, caused cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in S phase, with increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). The results indicate that Chinese propolis sourced from the Changbai Mountains selectively inhibits the proliferation of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells by inducing both death receptor-induced apoptosis and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in S phase. These activities and mechanisms help understand the anticancer action of propolis and its active compounds.
Highlights
Propolis is a complicated resinous substance collected from different plants by honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) [1]
Over 300 compounds were identified in different types of propolis, and the chemical composition in propolis mainly depends on the plant sources [3]
Our results demonstrated that CBMP could suppress the growth of SGC-7901 cells by affecting important cell signaling pathways related to apoptosis and cell cycle
Summary
Propolis is a complicated resinous substance collected from different plants by honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) [1]. It has been widely used as a folk medicine since 3000 BC [2]. Over 300 compounds were identified in different types of propolis, and the chemical composition in propolis mainly depends on the plant sources [3]. E main biologically active compounds of poplar-type propolis are flavonoids and phenolic acids [7]. The anticancer activity of propolis and its main compounds has been proved by both in vitro and in vivo experiments [10, 13,14,15]
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