Open AccessAlpinetin inhibits breast cancer growth by ROS/NF‐κB/HIF‐1α axis
Author(s) -
Zhang Tao,
Guo Shuai,
Zhu Xinying,
Qiu Jinxia,
Deng Ganzhen,
Qiu Changwei
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/jcmm.15371
Subject(s) - apoptosis , nf κb , in vivo , cancer research , reactive oxygen species , transcription factor , pharmacology , medicine , chemistry , traditional medicine , biology , gene , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology
Alpinetin, the main active ingredient in the Chinese medicinal herb Alpinia katsumadai Hayata , has been found to have anticancer activity. However, the therapeutic efficacy of signalling cascades modulated by alpinetin remains unknown. Here, we showed that alpinetin provoked mitochondria‐associated apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner in breast cancer cells. Mechanistic investigations revealed that alpinetin dampens hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) signalling due to a lack of NF‐κB activation through reduced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, decreasing HIF‐1α transcription. In vivo, we also found alpinetin led to significant tumour regression by inhibiting NF‐κB pathway. Overall, our work uncovers a ROS/NF‐κB/HIF‐1α axis‐dependent mechanism underlying the anticancer effects of alpinetin and suggests that alpinetin could act as a novel therapeutic agent against breast cancer.