Antitumor activity of 4-O-(2″-O-acetyl-6″-O-p-coumaroyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-p-coumaric acid against lung cancers via mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis.

This study was aimed to investigate antitumor activity of 4-O-(2″-O-acetyl-6″-O-p-coumaroyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-p-coumaric acid (4-ACGC) against lung cancer and its mechanisms. The anti-proliferative effects of 4-ACGC on lung cancer cell lines including A549, NCI-H1299, HCC827 were evaluated by MTT method and the IC50 values were calculated, and subsequently a mice xenograft model of A549 was established to investigate the antitumor effect of 4-ACGC in vivo. Furthermore, the apoptosis of the A549 cells was determined by fluorescence microscope by staining with Hoechst 33324 and flow cytometer by staining with FITC conjugated Annexin V/PI, and the further mechanisms were investigated by Western blotting. Our results demonstrated that 4-ACGC possessed notable anti-tumor activity on lung cancer in vivo and in vitro; the mechanisms were involved in inducing mitochondria-mediated apoptosis via up-regulations of caspase-3, caspase-9, Bad and Bax, and down-regulation of Bcl-2. Collectively, our results indicated that the 4-ACGC could be treated as a new candidate for treatment of lung cancer in the future.