The anti-oncogenic influence of ellagic acid on colon cancer cells in leptin-enriched microenvironment

Tumour Biol. 2016 Oct;37(10):13345-13353. doi: 10.1007/s13277-016-5284-7. Epub 2016 Jul 26.

Abstract

Ellagic acid (EA) has been proposed as a promising candidate for therapeutic use in colon cancer. Investigation of the effectiveness of EA in a leptin-enriched model might have been given a little interest. Here in, we investigated the anti-tumor effect of EA in the presence of leptin to reflect on therapeutic use of EA in obesity-linked colon cancer. Proven effective in leptin-enriched microenvironment, EA inhibited cell proliferation of HCT-116 and CaCo-2 cell lines, modulated cell cycle, translocated Bax to the mitochondrial fraction of cells, activated caspase-8, and reduced PCNA expression. The current study findings cast a beam of light on the potential therapeutic use of EA in obesity-related colon carcinogenesis.

Keywords: Cellular genetics; Colon; Ellagic acid; Leptin.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Biomarkers
  • Caco-2 Cells
  • Caspase 8 / metabolism
  • Cell Cycle / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Colonic Neoplasms / genetics
  • Colonic Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Colonic Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Ellagic Acid / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Leptin / metabolism*
  • Leptin / pharmacology
  • Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Tumor Microenvironment / drug effects*
  • Tumor Microenvironment / genetics

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Biomarkers
  • Leptin
  • Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen
  • Ellagic Acid
  • Caspase 8