Prostate cancer (PCa), an epithelial malignant tumor, is the second common cause of cancer death among males in western countries. Thus, the development of new strategies is urgently needed. Tanshinones isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza and its synthetic analogs show various biological activities including anticancer effects. Among them, the tanshinone analog 2-((Glycine methyl ester)methyl)-naphtho (TC7) is the most effective, with better selectivity and lower toxicity. Therefore, in this work, the effect of TC7 against PCa was investigated through assessing the molecular mechanisms regulating the growth, metastasis, and invasion of PCa cells. Human PCa cells, PC3 and LNCAP, were used to evaluate TC7 mechanisms of action in vitro, while male BALB/c nude mice were used for in vivo experiments by subjecting each mouse to a subcutaneous injection of PC3 cells into the right flank to evaluate TC7 effects on tumor volume. Our in vitro results showed that TC7 inhibited cell proliferation by arresting the cell cycle at G2/M through the regulation of cyclin b1, p53, GADD45A, PLK1, and CDC2/cyclin b1. In addition, TC7 induced cell apoptosis by regulating apoptosis-associated genes such as p53, ERK1, BAX, p38, BCL-2, caspase-8, cleaved-caspase-8, PARP1, and the phosphorylation level of ERK1 and p38. Furthermore, it decreased DNA synthesis and inhibited the migration and invasion ability by regulating VEGF-1 and MMP-9 protein expression. Our in vivo evidence supports the conclusion that TC7 could be considered as a potential promising chemotherapeutic candidate in the treatment of PCa.
前列腺癌(PCa)是一种上皮恶性肿瘤,在西方国家男性中是癌症死亡的第二大原因。因此,迫切需要开发新的策略。从丹参中分离出的丹参酮及其合成类似物显示出包括抗癌效果在内的各种生物活性。其中,丹参酮类似物2-((甘氨酸甲酯)甲基)-萘(TC7)是最有效的,具有更好的选择性和较低的毒性。因此,在这项工作中,通过评估调控PCa细胞生长、转移和侵袭的分子机制,研究了TC7对PCa的影响。在体外评估了TC7的作用机制,使用人类PCa细胞PC3和LNCAP,而使用雄性BALB/c裸鼠进行体内实验,通过将每只小鼠皮下注射PC3细胞到右侧胁部,评估TC7对肿瘤体积的影响。我们的体外结果显示,TC7通过调控细胞周期在G2/M阻滞细胞增殖,通过调节细胞周期素b1、p53、GADD45A、PLK1和CDC2/细胞周期素b1。此外,TC7通过调节与凋亡相关的基因如p53、ERK1、BAX、p38、BCL-2、caspase-8、cleaved-caspase-8、PARP1以及ERK1和p38的磷酸化水平诱导细胞凋亡。此外,它通过调节VEGF-1和MMP-9蛋白表达减少DNA合成并抑制迁移和侵袭能力。我们的体内证据支持结论,TC7可能被视为治疗PCa的潜在有前途的化疗候选药物。