Abstract
BackgroundAstragalus membranaceus (AM) is a commonly used herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has been used as an essential tonic to treat various diseases for more than 2000 years. In this study, we aimed to investigate the biological effects of extract from AM on breast cancer cell and its mechanism.MethodsTo prepare the extract, dried AM were ground and extracted with water extraction-ethanol supernatant method. Then the main isoflavones in the extract was detect by HPLC analysis. Furthermore, the anti-proliferative activity of AM extract was examined by MTT assay and morphological observation. Cell apoptosis was evaluated with flow cytometric analysis. The expressions of total and phosphorylated PI3K, GS3Kβ, Akt and mTOR were determined by western blot analysis.ResultsHPLC analysis demonstrated that AM extract contained with four kinds of isoflavones, campanulin, ononin, calycosin and formononetin. The MTT test and morphological observation indicated that cells proliferation of MCF-7, SK-BR-3 and MDA-MB-231were inhibited by AM extract in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis displayed that after treated with 25 μg/ml and 50 μg/ml AM extract, apoptosis of breast cancer cells was significantly increased as compared with DMSO and blank control group (all p < 0.05). Western blot analysis found that the level of p-PI3K, p-GS3Kβ, p-Akt, and p-mTOR were significantly decreased, but the level of total-mTOR was observably increased as compared with DMSO control group.ConclusionsTaken together, the inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis effect of AM extract via PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway confirmed the anti-tumor potential of AM. Therefore, our findings provide a new insight into anti-cancer effect of AM extract as a promising agent in breast cancer treatment.
Highlights
Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is a commonly used herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has been used as an essential tonic to treat various diseases for more than 2000 years
In light of the key role of PI3K/Protein kinase B (Akt)/ Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in governing apoptosis, our study showed that inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway by the AM extract increase the apoptosis of breast cancer cells
In conclusion, in this study, we demonstrate that the extract from AM with water extraction-ethanol supernatant method inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis in cultured breast cancer cells
Summary
Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is a commonly used herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has been used as an essential tonic to treat various diseases for more than 2000 years. We aimed to investigate the biological effects of extract from AM on breast cancer cell and its mechanism. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endocrine therapy are usually used to eliminate remaining tumor cells, inhibit tumor growth, and reduce breast cancer recurrence. Aberrant activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway has been shown in numerous cancers, including breast cancers [3]. Accumulating evidence indicates that the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the regulation of breast cancer growth, survival, and motility as well as the acquisition of drug resistance, and there are extensive data indicating that various components of this pathway as potential molecular
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