Ginseng polysaccharide promotes the apoptosis of colon cancer cells via activating the NLRP3 inflammasome

作者：Xiaoyan Tian, Chuanqiang Zhang, Daojuan Wang, Xiaowei Li, Qiang Wang · 发表于：Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1080/08923973.2024.2398472 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Inflammasome and immune disorders、Ginseng Biological Effects and Applications、Autophagy in Disease and Therapy

BACKGROUND: Ginseng polysaccharide (GPS) is an ingredient of ginseng with documented anti-tumor properties. However, its effect on colon cancer and the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been investigated clearly. METHODS: Cell viability of HT29 and CT26 cells treated with different concentrations of GPS was assessed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of apoptotic proteins, while the mRNA levels were assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Transwell migration assays were used to examine the migration and invasion of cells. RESULTS: The results revealed that GPS effectively suppressed the proliferation of HT29 and CT26 cells. We demonstrated an upregulation of apoptotic proteins in GPS-treated cells, including Bax, cleaved Caspase-3, and p-p53. GPS treatment also increased the mRNA levels of cytochrome C and Bax. Furthermore, the results showed that GPS treatment concurrently promoted the activation of nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich family pyrin-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Transwell migration assays showed that GPS inhibited the migratory and invasive abilities of colon cancer cells. As expected, inhibition of NLRP3 expression using INF39 attenuated the inhibitory effect of GPS on migration and invasion. Upon NLRP3 inhibition, GPS-induced apoptosis was dramatically alleviated, accompanied by a reduction in the expression of apoptotic proteins. CONCLUSION: In conc...