Baicalein Induces G₂/M Cell Cycle Arrest Associated with ROS Generation and CHK2 Activation in Highly Invasive Human...

Ovarian cancer is a lethal gynecological cancer because drug resistance often results in treatment failure. The CHK2, a tumor suppressor, is considered to be an important molecular target in ovarian cancer due to its role in DNA repair. Dysfunctional CHK2 impairs DNA damage-induced checkpoints, reduces apoptosis, and confers resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation therapy in ovarian cancer cells. This provides a basis for finding new effective agents targeting CHK2 upregulation or activation to treat or prevent the progression of advanced ovarian cancer. Here, the results show that baicalein (5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone) treatment inhibits the growth of highly invasive ovarian cancer cells, and that baicalein-induced growth inhibition is mediated by the cell cycle arrest in the G₂/M phase. Baicalein-induced G₂/M phase arrest is associated with an increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, DNA damage, and CHK2 upregulation and activation. Thus, baicalein modulates the expression of DNA damage response proteins and G₂/M phase regulatory molecules. Blockade of CHK2 activation by CHK2 inhibitors protects cells from baicalein-mediated G₂/M cell cycle arrest. All the results suggest that baicalein has another novel growth inhibitory effect on highly invasive ovarian cancer cells, which is partly related to G₂/M cell cycle arrest through the ROS-mediated DNA breakage damage and CHK2 activation. Collectively, our findings provide a molecular basis for the potential of baicalein as an adjuvant therapeutic agent in the treatment of metastatic ovarian cancer.