Inhibition of ovarian cancer cell proliferation by Pien Tze Huang via the AKT‑mTOR pathway

He,Fan; Wu,Hui‑Ni; Cai,Mu‑Yan; Li,Chang‑Peng; Zhang,Xin; Wan,Quan; Tang,Shuang‑Bo; Cheng,Jian‑Ding

doi:10.3892/ol.2014.1989

Inhibition of ovarian cancer cell proliferation by Pien Tze Huang via the AKT‑mTOR pathway

Authors:
- Fan He
- Hui‑Ni Wu
- Mu‑Yan Cai
- Chang‑Peng Li
- Xin Zhang
- Quan Wan
- Shuang‑Bo Tang
- Jian‑Ding Cheng
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Affiliations: Department of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan Medical School, Sun Yat‑Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat‑Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China , Department of Cancer Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Cancer Center, Sun Yat‑Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat‑Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China
Published online on: March 21, 2014 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2014.1989
Pages: 2047-2052

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Abstract

Pien Tze Huang (PZH) is a well‑known Chinese medicine that has been used as a therapeutic drug in the treatment of a number of diseases, such as hepatocellular carcinoma and colon cancer. However, few studies have analyzed the effects of PZH on ovarian cancer cell proliferation. In the present study, 3‑(4,5‑dimethylthiazol‑2‑yl)‑2,5‑diphenyltetrazolium bromide and Transwell assays, cell cycle and apoptosis rate analyses and western blotting were conducted to investigate the effects of PZH on the proliferation rate of ovarian cancer cells and its potential molecular pathway. The results showed that PZH inhibits the proliferation of the human ovarian cancer OVCAR‑3 cell line by blocking the progression of the cell cycle from the G1 to S phase, however, PZH did not induce OVCAR‑3 cell apoptosis. Increased PZH concentration may downregulate the expression of AKT, phosphorylated (p)‑AKT, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and p‑mTOR proteins in the OVCAR‑3 cell line. In addition, it was observed that PZH may suppress the protein expression of cyclin‑dependent kinase (CDK)4 and CDK6. Overall, the results of the present study indicated that PZH may inhibit ovarian cancer cell proliferation by modulating the activity of the AKT‑mTOR pathway.

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