Saikosaponin D inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in breast cancer cells through down-regulating JAK2/STAT3 pathway

• Main Authors: FENG Jiexin, WU Xiong, CHEN Jianhui, LIN Qinghai, YE Zelin
• Format: Article
• Language: zho
• Published: Editorial Office of Journal of Third Military Medical University 2021-05-01
• Series: Di-san junyi daxue xuebao
• Subjects: saikosaponin d; jak2/stat3 pathway; breast cancer; mcf-7 cells; proliferation; apoptosis
• Online Access: http://aammt.tmmu.edu.cn/Upload/rhtml/202010217.htm

Objective To investigate the effect of saikosaponin D on the proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer MCF-7 cells by JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Methods The breast cancer MCF-7 cells were divided into control group, low-dose group, middle-dose, and high-dose groups (treated with 0, 5, 10 and 20 μmol/L saikosaponin D for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 or 72 h). Tetramethylazolium salt (MTT) colorimetric assay was used to detect the cell viability in MCF-7 cells of each group. Flow cytometry was adopted to detect cell apoptosis in each group. Immunohistochemical assay was employed to detect the expression of JAK2 and STAT3 in MCF-7 cells. At the same time, Western blotting was used to detect the protein levels of JAK2, STAT3 and Ki-67 in each group of cells. Results There was statistical differences in MCF-7 cell viability among the control, and low-, middle- and high-dose groups (F=5.099, 38.908, 159.680, 234.885, 344.866, 386.914, P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the cell viability of MCF-7 cells in the low-dose, middle-dose and high-dose groups were significantly reduced after treatment for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 h (P<0.05), and the cell viability of the cells in the low-dose group for 24 and 36 h was higher than that of the middle-dose group and the high-dose group (P<0.05), and the cell viability of the middle-dose group was higher than that of the high-dose group at 24 and 36 h (P<0.05). The apoptotic rate of MCF-7 cells differed significantly among the control group, and low-, middle- and high-dose groups (Chi-square=21.609, P<0.05). The rate was higher in the 3 treatment groups than the control group (P<0.05), that of the low-dose group was lower than those of the middle-dose group and the high-dose group (P<0.05), so was that of the middle-dose group lower than that in the high-dose group (P<0.05). The relative expression levels of JAK2 and STAT3 proteins in MCF-7 cells were significantly different among the 4 groups (F=44.343, 46.389, P<0.05), they were obviously lower in the 3 treatment groups than the control group (P<0.05), and those in the low-dose group were higher than those of the middle-dose group and the high-dose group (P<0.05), so were in the medium dose group than those in the high dose group (P<0.05). Western blotting indicated that the relative expression levels of JAK2, STAT3 and Ki-67 proteins significantly differed from each other of the 4 groups (F=25.241, 18.102, 14.997, P<0.05). The levels of the 3 proteins were all decreased in the 3 treatment groups than the control group (P<0.05), and the levels of JAK2 and STAT3 were higher in the low-dose group were than the medium-dose group and the high-dose group (P<0.05), and also was higher in the medium-dose group than the high-dose group (P<0.05). Conclusion Saikosaponin D can inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis in breast cancer MCF-7 cells, which may be closely related to the JAK2/STAT3 pathway.