β-elemene triggers ROS-dependent apoptosis in glioblastoma cells. - GreenMedInfo Summary
β-Elemene Triggers ROS-dependent Apoptosis in Glioblastoma Cells Through Suppressing STAT3 Signaling Pathway.
Pathol Oncol Res. 2021 ;27:594299. Epub 2021 Mar 25. PMID: 34257541
Shi-Zhong Cai
Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive primary brain tumors with few treatment strategies.β-Elemene is a sesquiterpene known to have broad spectrum antitumor activity against various cancers. However, the signaling pathways involved in β-elemene induced apoptosis of glioblastoma cells remains poorly understood. In this study, we reported that β-elemene exhibited antiproliferative activity on U87 and SHG-44 cells, and induced cell death through induction of apoptosis. Incubation of these cells with β-elemene led to the activation of caspase-3 and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Western blot assay showed that β-elemene suppressed phosphorylation of STAT3, and subsequently down-regulated the activation of-JAK2 and-Src. Moreover, pre-incubation of cells with ROS inhibitor-acetyl--cysteine (NAC) significantly reversedβ-elemene-mediated apoptosis effect and down-regulation of JAK2/Src-STAT3 signaling pathway. Overall, our findings implied that generation of ROS and suppression of STAT3 signaling pathway is critical for the apoptotic activity of β-elemene in glioblastoma cells.