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Antitumor effect of soybean lectin mediated through reactive oxygen species-dependent pathway
Prashanta Kumar Panda1, Subhadip Mukhopadhyay1, Birendra Behera2
1Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India.
Aims:
The present study evaluated the potential role of soybean lectin's (SBL) anticancer effect in vitro in different cancer cell lines and the therapeutic effectiveness in vivo in Dalton's lymphoma (DL) bearing mice model.
Main Methods:
The effect of SBL on cell growth and viability was measured using MTT assay in different cancer cells in vitro. Apoptosis, autophagic cell death, DNA-damaging potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed in HeLa cells. The in vivo efficacy of SBL was demonstrated in Dalton's lymphoma (DL) bearing mice.
Key Findings:
SBL demonstrated clear, strong antiproliferative activity without affecting normal cells; however, heat denaturation of SBL diminished the antiproliferative efficacy of molecule as demonstrated by MTT assay. A sharp 74.51 ± 3.5% and 82.95 ± 5.8% inhibition of tumor cell proliferation in DL mice occurred when SBL was administered at a dosage of 1 and 2mg/kg body weight (i.p.), respectively, for ten days with the induction of autophagic and apoptotic cell death. An in vitro investigation revealed that SBL-mediated autophagy, apoptosis and DNA damage in HeLa cells were inflicted through the generation of ROS in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, pre-treating HeLa cells with N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a typical ROS scavenger, led to a noticeable reduction in SBL-induced autophagy, apoptosis and DNA-damaging activities, suggesting that SBL's antitumor potential was governed by ROS activation.
Significance:
In this study, we evaluated the apoptotic, autophagic death, and DNA-damaging effects of SBL in cancer cells, which may have the potential to be used as a phyto-derived protein for cancer therapy.
Insights
Soybean lectin (SBL) exhibits potent anticancer effects by inducing apoptosis and autophagic cell death in cancer cells, mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). This phyto-derived protein shows therapeutic potential for cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Phyto-derived proteins are increasingly investigated for therapeutic applications.
- Soybean lectin (SBL) is a plant lectin with potential biological activities.
- Understanding SBL's anticancer mechanisms is crucial for its therapeutic development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the in vitro anticancer effects of SBL on various cancer cell lines.
- To assess the in vivo therapeutic efficacy of SBL in a Dalton's lymphoma (DL) mouse model.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying SBL's antitumor activity, including apoptosis, autophagy, and ROS generation.
Main Methods:
- In vitro antiproliferative activity assessed using MTT assay across different cancer cell lines.
- Analysis of apoptosis, autophagic cell death, DNA damage, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HeLa cells.
- In vivo efficacy evaluation of SBL in DL-bearing mice.
Main Results:
- SBL demonstrated significant antiproliferative activity against cancer cells without affecting normal cells.
- Heat denaturation of SBL reduced its antiproliferative efficacy.
- SBL treatment in DL mice resulted in substantial tumor cell proliferation inhibition (74.51-82.95%) via apoptosis and autophagy induction.
- SBL-induced apoptosis, autophagy, and DNA damage in HeLa cells were mediated by dose-dependent ROS generation, confirmed by ROS scavenger experiments.
Conclusions:
- Soybean lectin exhibits significant anticancer properties through the induction of apoptosis and autophagic cell death.
- The antitumor effects of SBL are closely linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.
- SBL holds promise as a phyto-derived protein for novel cancer therapies.
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