Deguelin

Oncotarget. 2015 Apr 27.

Deguelin inhibits vasculogenic function of endothelial progenitor cells in tumor progression and metastasis via suppression of focal adhesion.[Pubmed: 26078334]

Duguelin is a rotenoid extracted from plants and has potent antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo. However, the mechanism underlying the antitumor effect remains unclear. Our preliminary study showed that Deguelin is effective to stimulate the generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In the current study, we evaluated the in vitro cytotoxicity of Deguelin against lung cancer cells and studied whether a ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), can reverse the inhibitory effect of Deguelin. We showed that the dose-dependent apoptotic inducing effect of Deguelin could be partially reversed by the co-administration of NAC. Moreover, Deguelin reduced the phosphorylation of Akt protein and induced the apoptotic protein Caspase-3 in a dose-dependent manner. Co-treatment with NAC partially attenuated this effect and rescued some cells from apoptosis.
CONCLUSIONS:
Deguelin induces the apoptosis of cancer cells through a ROS driven Akt pathway, which could translate into a promising therapeutic for lung cancer.

Ann Hematol. 2015 Feb;94(2):201-10.

Deguelin, a selective silencer of the NPM1 mutant, potentiates apoptosis and induces differentiation in AML cells carrying the NPM1 mutation.[Pubmed: 25242579]

Deguelin, a rotenoid isolated from several plant species, has been shown to be a strong anti-tumor agent. Human leukemia cell lines were used for in vitro studies.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Drug efficacy was evaluated by apoptosis and differentiation assays, and associated molecular events were assessed by Western blot. Gene silencing was performed using small interfering RNA (siRNA). Deguelin exhibited strong cytotoxic activity in the cell line of OCI-AML3 and selectively down-regulated the NPM1 mutant protein, which was accompanied by up-regulation of the activity of caspase-6 and caspase-8 in high concentrations. Deguelin induced differentiation of OCI-AML3 cells at a nontoxic concentration which was associated with a decrease in expression of activated caspase-8, p53, p21, and the 30-kD form of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα), whereas no effects were found in OCIM2 cells expressing NPM-wt. Moreover, treatment with siRNA in the NPM mutant cell line OCI-AML3 decreased expression of p53, p21, pro-caspase-8, and the 30-kD form of C/EBPα, and it inhibited proliferation and induced differentiation of the OCI-AML3 cells.
CONCLUSIONS:
In conclusion, Deguelin is a potent in vitro inhibitor of the mutant form of NPM1, which provides the molecular basis for its anti-leukemia activities in NPM1 mutant acute myeloid leukemia cells.

Molecules. 2014 Oct 15;19(10):16588-608.

Deguelin inhibits the migration and invasion of U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cells via the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 in vitro.[Pubmed: 25322282 ]

Deguelin, a naturally occurring rotenoid, is known to be an Akt inhibitor and to exhibit cytotoxic effects, including antiproliferative and anticarcinogenic activities, in several cancers.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In the present study, we determined if Deguelin would inhibit migration and invasion in U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cells. Deguelin significantly inhibited migration and invasion of U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cells which was associated with a reduction of activities of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9). Furthermore, results from western blotting indicated that Deguelin decreased the cell proliferation and cell growth-associated protein levels, such as SOS1, PKC, Ras, PI3K, p-AKT(Ser473), IRE-1α, MEKK3, iNOS, COX2, p-ERK1/2, p-JNK1/2, p-p38; the cell motility and focal adhesion-associated protein levels, such as Rho A, FAK, ROCK-1; the invasion-associated protein levels, such as TIMP1, uPA, MMP-2. MMP-9, MMP-13, MMP-1 and VEGF in U-2 OS cells. Confocal microscopy revealed that Deguelin reduced NF-κB p65, Rho A and ROCK-1 protein levels in cytosol. MMP-7, MMP-9 and Rho A mRNA levels were suppressed by Deguelin.
CONCLUSIONS:
These in vitro results provide evidence that Deguelin may have potential as a novel anti-cancer agent for the treatment of osteosarcoma and provides the rationale for in vivo studies in animal models.

Dig Dis Sci . 2012 Nov;57(11):2873-82

Deguelin, an Akt inhibitor, down-regulates NF-κB signaling and induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells and inhibits tumor growth in mice[Pubmed: 22623043]

Deguelin significantly inhibited IL-8 gene expression, IκB phosphorylation/degradation, and DNA binding activity of NF-κB in colon cancer cells. Deguelin induced cell death and apoptosis in colon cancer cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. Deguelin down-regulated expression of NF-κB-mediated antiapoptotic factors such as cFLIP, Bcl-2, and Bcl-X(L). In the colon cancer xenograft model, the volume of the tumor treated with Deguelin was significantly lower than that of the control, and the apoptotic index for Deguelin-treated mice was much higher.
Deguelin might be a potential therapeutic agent for treatment of colorectal cancer.

PLoS One . 2013 Jun 10;8(6):e65113.

Deguelin action involves c-Met and EGFR signaling pathways in triple negative breast cancer cells[Pubmed: 23762292]

In vitro, Deguelin in a dose and time dependent manner inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, BT-549 and BT-20 cells. Deguelin (2 or 4 mg/kg body weight), when injected intraperitoneally, reduced the in vivo tumor growth of MDA-MB-231 cells transplanted subcutaneously in athymic mice. Moreover it was nontoxic as evident from daily observations on mobility, food and water consumption and comparison of bodyweight and other visceral organ weights with those in control animals at the termination of the study. The western blot analyses and immunostaining studies indicated that the Deguelin effects may be mediated through EGFR-PAKT/c-Met p-ERK and NF-κB by down regulating their downstream targets such as p-STAT3, c-Myc, Survivin.

Cancer Cell Int. 2015 Feb 25;15:25.

Deguelin induces the apoptosis of lung cancer cells through regulating a ROS driven Akt pathway.[Pubmed: 25741219 ]

Duguelin is a rotenoid extracted from plants and has potent antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo. However, the mechanism underlying the antitumor effect remains unclear. Our preliminary study showed that Deguelin is effective to stimulate the generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In the current study, we evaluated the in vitro cytotoxicity of Deguelin against lung cancer cells and studied whether a ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), can reverse the inhibitory effect of Deguelin. We showed that the dose-dependent apoptotic inducing effect of Deguelin could be partially reversed by the co-administration of NAC. Moreover, Deguelin reduced the phosphorylation of Akt protein and induced the apoptotic protein Caspase-3 in a dose-dependent manner. Co-treatment with NAC partially attenuated this effect and rescued some cells from apoptosis.
CONCLUSIONS:
Deguelin induces the apoptosis of cancer cells through a ROS driven Akt pathway, which could translate into a promising therapeutic for lung cancer.

Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:657179.

Deguelin Induces Apoptosis by Targeting Both EGFR-Akt and IGF1R-Akt Pathways in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer Cell Lines.[Pubmed: 26075254]

Deguelin, a rotenoid compound from the African plant Mundulea sericea (Leguminosae), has been shown to possess antitumor activities but the exact role for the growth factor receptor mediated signaling pathway in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is currently still unclear.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In the present study, we investigated the effect of Deguelin on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) pathways in HNSCC cell lines. Flowcytometric analysis revealed accumulation of annexin V positivity in Deguelin-treated cells, showing that Deguelin induced apoptosis. The Deguelin-induced apoptosis was accompanied by the reduction of constitutive phosphorylated levels of IGF1R, Akt, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2). LY294002-mediated inhibition of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, which is an upstream effector for Akt activation, increased cleavage of poly(ADP-ribosyl) polymerase (PARP) but ERK inhibition by U0126 did not. Deguelin inhibited both IGF-1- and EGF-induced Akt activation.
CONCLUSIONS:
These results showed that Deguelin possessed antitumor effect by targeting Akt in dual axis such as EGFR and IGF1R signaling pathways and suggested that it provides an applicable therapeutic strategy for HNSCC patients.