With the aim of evaluating anticancerous activities of 10-gingerol (10-G) against HeLa cells, it was purified and identified from "Tongling white ginger" by HSCCC, UPLC-TOF-MS/MS, and NMR analysis, respectively. 10-G inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells at IC50 (29.19 μM) and IC80 (50.87 μM) with altered cell morphology, increased cytotoxicity, and arrested cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase. Most cell cycle related genes and protein expression significantly decreased, followed by a slight decrease in a few without affecting cyclin B1 and cyclin E1 (protein). Both death receptors significantly up-regulated and activated apoptosis indicators (caspase family). Furthermore, significant changes in mitochondria-dependent pathway markers were observed and led to cell death. 10-G led to PI3K/AKT inhibition and AMPK activation to induce mTOR-mediated cell apoptosis in HeLa cells. These results can be an asset to exploit 10-G with other medicinal plant derivatives for future applications.
Keywords: 10-gingerol; HeLa cells; PI3K/AKT/AMPK/mTOR pathways; Tongling white ginger; apoptosis.