Abstract
Ferroptosis is caused by accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, which is characterized by reduction in cell volume and increase in mitochondrial membrane density. Studies have shown that ferroptosis contributes to the development and progression of numerous major diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As a unique biomedical resource, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been widely used in the treatment of HCC. In this present study, Scutellaria barbata was used to treat HCC cells in vitro, and the results revealed that S. barbata suppressed HCC cell growth through inducing ferroptosis. Next, the exploration of the molecular mechanism on how S. barbata induced ferroptosis in HCC cells suggested that S. barbata may induce ferroptosis by promoting iron perioxidation and lipid ROS metabolism. Finally, S. barbata also inhibited HCC tumorigenicity in vivo by inducing ferroptosis of HCC cells. These results provided theoretical basis for explaining the mechanism of TCM treatment for HCC and offered therapeutic opportunities for HCC patients.
Highlights
Despite the progress in diagnosis and treatment, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still the sixth most common malignancy and the third principal cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide [1]
Results showed that S. barbata significantly inhibited the growth of HCC cells in a dose-dependent manner, and the inhibitory rate was enhanced by increasing S. barbata dosage (Figure 1A)
The difficulty in treatment and poor prognosis of patients with HCC lies in our limited choice of effective drugs for HCC, which suggests that we urgently need to develop new treatment methods for HCC
Summary
Despite the progress in diagnosis and treatment, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still the sixth most common malignancy and the third principal cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide [1]. HCC is the result of chronic liver disease and associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis, viral hepatitis, and cirrhosis [2]. Due to the high incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, HCC poses a serious threat to the health of the population in China and Africa, especially in the sub-Saharan region [3, 4]. Methods for the early diagnosis of HCC is limited, and most people lose the opportunity of surgical therapy. Less than 18% of HCC patients remain to have a dismal 5-year overall survival [5]. Due to the difficulties in the early diagnosis of HCC and poor prognosis for HCC patients, it is urgently needed to discover novel targets and develop novel therapies for HCC treatment
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