Induction of apoptosis in cholangiocarcinoma by an andrographolide analogue is mediated through topoisomerase II alpha inhibition

Abstract

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), the common primary malignant tumor of bile duct epithelial cells, is unresponsive to most chemotherapeutic drugs. Diagnosis with CCA has a poor prognosis, and therefore urgently requires effective therapeutic agents. In the present study we investigated anti-cancer effects of andrographolide analogue 3A.1 (19-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-8, 17-epoxy andrographolide) and its mechanism in human CCA cell line KKU-M213 derived from a Thai CCA patient. By 24h after exposure, the analogue 3A.1 exhibited a potent cytotoxic effect on KKU-M213 cells with an inhibition concentration 50 (IC50) of approximately 8.0µM. Analogue 3A.1 suppressed DNA topoisomerase II α (Topo II α) protein expression, arrested the cell cycle at sub G0/G1 phase, induced cleavage of DNA repair protein poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases-1 (PARP-1), and enhanced expression of tumor suppressor protein p53 and pro-apoptotic protein Bax. In addition, analogue 3A.1 induced caspase 3 activity and inhibited cyclin D1, CDK6, and COX-2 protein expression. These results suggest that andrographolide analogue 3A.1, a novel topo II inhibitor, has significant potential to be developed as a new anticancer agent for the treatment of CCA.

Keywords: Andrographolide analogue; Apoptosis; Cholangiocarcinoma; KKU-M213 cell line; Topoisomerase II α.