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Quercetin Suppresses Glioma Stem Cells via Activating p16-INK4 Gene Expression through Epigenetic Regulation

Jianliang Li1, Jingchen Li1, Erkun Guo1

  • 1The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No.215 Heping West Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, China.

Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry
|February 4, 2025
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Quercetin, a natural compound, inhibits glioma cell growth by activating the p16-INK4 gene. This occurs through epigenetic regulation, offering a potential therapeutic avenue for brain tumors.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Epigenetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumor with limited treatment options.
  • Glioma stem cells (GSCs) are implicated in tumor recurrence and resistance to therapy.
  • Quercetin is a flavonoid with potential anti-cancer properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of quercetin on glioma stem cells.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying quercetin's action on GSCs.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of glioblastoma and glioma stem cell lines with quercetin.
  • Assessment of cell viability and apoptosis.
  • Analysis of p16INK4a protein and mRNA expression via Western blotting and qPCR.
  • Chromatin immunoprecipitation to evaluate H3K27me3 enrichment at the p16-INK4 locus.

Main Results:

  • Quercetin inhibited viability and induced apoptosis in U373MG cells.
  • Quercetin suppressed viability in some GSC lines (G3, G10, G15, G17) at high concentrations.
  • Quercetin increased p16INK4a expression and reduced H3K27me3 at the p16-INK4 locus in GSCs.

Conclusions:

  • Quercetin exhibits anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on glioma cells.
  • Quercetin activates p16INK4a gene expression via epigenetic modification (reduced H3K27me3).
  • Epigenetic regulation by quercetin presents a potential therapeutic strategy for brain tumors.
Keywords:
Quercetinapoptosiscell viabilityepigenetic modification.glioma stem cellsp16-INK4

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