Abstract
BackgroundGanoderma lucidum (G. lucidum, Reishimax) is an herbal mushroom known to have inhibitory effect on tumor cell growth. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for its anti-proliferative effects on the ovarian cancer have not been fully elucidated.MethodsHuman ovarian cancer cells HO 8910 (HOCC) and human primary ovarian cells (HPOC) were treated with G. lucidum. Effects of G. lucidum treatment on cell proliferation were studied by MTT assay. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and connexin 43 (Cx43) were measured by immunohistochemistry and real time polymerase chain reaction. To study the molecular mechanism of CX43 mediated anti-tumor activity, small interference RNA (siRNA) was used to knockdown Cx43 expression in HOCC.ResultsG. lucidum treatment resulted in reduced proliferation of HOCC. Inhibition of proliferation was accompanied by a decrease in VEGF expression and increase in Cx43 expression in the cancer cells. The extent of immune-reactivity of Cx43 or VEGF in cancer cells were correlated with the concentrations of G. lucidum used for treatment. Furthermore, knockdown of Cx43 expression in HOCC abrogated the effect of G. lucidum on cell proliferation without alteration of G. lucidum-induced attenuation of VEGF expression.ConclusionsG. lucidum inhibits ovarian cancer by down-regulating the expression of VEGF and up-regulating the downstream Cx43 expression. G. lucidum may be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Highlights
Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum, Reishimax) is an herbal mushroom known to have inhibitory effect on tumor cell growth
G. lucidum inhibited the growth of human primary ovarian cells (HPOC) by less than 10% while it inhibited the growth of HOCC by up to 60% after 3 days of culture
These results suggest that G. lucidum effectively prevents the cell proliferation in HOCC
Summary
Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum, Reishimax) is an herbal mushroom known to have inhibitory effect on tumor cell growth. The molecular mechanisms responsible for its anti-proliferative effects on the ovarian cancer have not been fully elucidated. Dried powder of a medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over two thousand years. The anti-cancer activity of G. lucidum is observed at different stages of carcinogenesis. Anti-cancer activity of the mushroom includes cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis and autophagy, and suppression of metastasis and angiogenesis [2]. G. lucidum has been shown to exert multiple anti-tumor effects on ovarian cancer cells and enhance the sensitivity of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells to cisplatin [3,4]. The molecular mechanism responsible for the inhibitory effects of G. lucidum on the ovarian cancer has not been fully elucidated
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