Abstract
Ovarian cancer is one of the primary causes of death for women all through the Western world. Baicalin and baicalein are naturally occurring flavonoids that are found in the roots and leaves of some Chinese medicinal plants and are thought to have antioxidant activity and possible anti-angiogenic, anti-cancer, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. Two kinds of ovarian cancer (OVCAR-3 and CP-70) cell lines and a normal ovarian cell line (IOSE-364) were selected to be investigated in the inhibitory effect of baicalin and baicalein on cancer cells. Largely, baicalin and baicalein inhibited ovarian cancer cell viability in both ovarian cancer cell lines with LD50 values in the range of 45–55 μM for baicalin and 25–40 μM for baicalein. On the other hand, both compounds had fewer inhibitory effects on normal ovarian cells viability with LD50 values of 177 μM for baicalin and 68 μM for baicalein. Baicalin decreased expression of VEGF (20 μM), cMyc (80 μM), and NFkB (20 μM); baicalein decreased expression of VEGF (10 μM), HIF-1α (20 μM), cMyc (20 μM), and NFkB (40 μM). Therefore baicalein is more effective in inhibiting cancer cell viability and expression of VEGF, HIF-1α, cMyc, and NFκB in both ovarian cancer cell lines. It seems that baicalein inhibited cancer cell viability through the inhibition of cancer promoting genes expression including VEGF, HIF-1α, cMyc, and NFκB. Overall, this study showed that baicalein and baicalin significantly inhibited the viability of ovarian cancer cells, while generally exerting less of an effect on normal cells. They have potential for chemoprevention and treatment of ovarian cancers.
Highlights
Ovarian cancer is one of the most important malignancies for women in the world, ranking as the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths [1]
Two kinds of ovarian cancer (OVCAR-3 and CP-70) cell lines and a normal ovarian cell line (IOSE-364) were chosen and treated with baicalin and baicalein at different concentrations to test their inhibitory effects on viability, phosphorylation of Akt, and expression of several genes including Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), HIF-1α, cMyc, NFκB, and PTEN
This research clearly showed that baicalin and baicalein have a significant impact on the viability and proliferation of ovarian cancer cells
Summary
Ovarian cancer is one of the most important malignancies for women in the world, ranking as the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths [1]. Due to a lack of effective biomarkers for screening [2,3], nearly 60%–70% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at advanced stages [4], with a poor prognosis of about 30% for a 5-year survival rate [5] This situation is discouraging and provides plenty of opportunities for chemoprevention of early-stage ovarian cancers in women. We hypothesize that baicalin and baicalein inhibit cell viability and genes involved in cancer growth in ovarian cancer cells. Two kinds of ovarian cancer (OVCAR-3 and CP-70) cell lines and a normal ovarian cell line (IOSE-364) were chosen and treated with baicalin and baicalein at different concentrations to test their inhibitory effects on viability, phosphorylation of Akt, and expression of several genes including VEGF, HIF-1α, cMyc, NFκB, and PTEN. This study hopes to provide new insights into the mechanisms and potential for chemoprevention of baicalin and baicalein
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