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Pterostilbene Inhibits Human Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells Growth and Induces DNA Damage

Yuwan Zhao1, Dongcai Ye1, Qiuming Luo1

  • 1Laboratory of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University.

Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin
|February 4, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Pterostilbene (PTE) effectively inhibits renal cell carcinoma (RCC) growth by inducing apoptosis and DNA damage. This natural compound shows promise as a potential therapeutic agent for kidney cancer with minimal toxicity to normal cells.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Pterostilbene (PTE) exhibits anti-tumor properties across various cancers.
  • The specific effects and mechanisms of PTE on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remain largely uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the in vitro therapeutic potential of PTE against human RCC cells.
  • To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for PTE's anti-cancer effects in RCC.

Main Methods:

  • Cell viability, morphology, and colony formation assays were used to assess proliferation.
  • Flow cytometry and Western blot analyses were employed to investigate apoptosis and cell cycle regulation.
  • Immunofluorescence and Western blot were utilized to examine DNA damage response pathways.

Main Results:

  • PTE significantly inhibited RCC cell proliferation with low toxicity to normal renal cells (HK-2).
  • PTE induced apoptosis in RCC cells, evidenced by altered expression of apoptosis-related proteins (e.g., Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-3).
  • PTE treatment led to S-phase cell cycle arrest and inactivation of Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways, alongside inducing DNA damage response (γH2AX).

Conclusions:

  • Pterostilbene demonstrates significant anti-tumor activity against human renal cell carcinoma in vitro.
  • PTE exerts its effects through induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, DNA damage, and inactivation of key signaling pathways (Akt, ERK1/2).
  • PTE is a potential candidate for the preventive and therapeutic treatment of renal cell carcinoma.
Keywords:
DNA damageapoptosiscell cycle arresthuman renal cell carcinomapterostilbene

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