Open Access

ARTICLE

Anticancer Effects of Gleditsia sinensis Extract in Rats Transplanted With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Yue Cai^*†‡, Chizhi Zhang^*†‡, Lei Zhan^*†, Liangbin Cheng^*†, Dingbo Lu^*†, Xiaodong Wang^*†, Hanlin Xu^§, Shuxue Wang^¶, Deng Wu^*†, Lianguo Ruan^#

* Clinical Medical College of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P.R. China
† Department of Hepatology, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P.R. China
‡ Hubei Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P.R. China
§ College of Pharmacy of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P.R. China
¶ Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Department of Pediatrics, Wuhan, P.R. China
# Infectious Disease of Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, Wuhan, P.R. China

Oncology Research 2019, 27(8), 889-899. https://doi.org/10.3727/096504018X15482423944678

Abstract

The thorns of Gleditsia sinensis have been historically used in Chinese medicine and are considered one of the fundamental therapeutic herbs. Its anticancer effects are currently being explored. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and still requires the development of new drugs with higher efficiency. By using a rat HCC model implanted with cancerous Walker-256 cells, the therapeutic effects of G. sinensis extract (GSE) were assessed, as well as its regulatory effects on miRNAs. GSE significantly restored liver morphology and dramatically induced cell apoptosis in HCC rats. In addition, miR-21/181b/183 was upregulated in the HCC liver, and the elevation of these miRNAs could be alleviated by both GSE and sorafenib. PTEN/TIMP3/PDCD4 downregulation was consistent with the targets of miR-21/181b/183 in the HCC liver, and the alteration of these target genes was restored by both GSE and sorafenib. TIMP3 effects on MMP-2/9 expression were also determined. Our present findings indicate the potential of GSE in HCC treatment, and expand the understanding of miRNA-related mechanisms in the anticancer effects of GSE.

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