Background: Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (cyan) exhibits antioxidant and anticancer properties. The cell cycle proteins and antimitotic drugs might be promising therapeutic targets in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Aim: To investigate the effect of cyan administration on cell cycle in hepatic precancerous lesion (PCL) induced by diethylnitrosamine/2-acetylaminofluorene (DEN/2-AAF) in Wistar rats.
Methods: In vivo, DEN/2-AAF-induced hepatic PCL, rats were treated with three doses of cyan (10, 15, and 20 mg/kg/d, for four consecutive days per week for 16 wk). Blood and liver tissue samples were collected for measurement of the followings; alpha fetoprotein (AFP) liver function and RNA panel differential expression was evaluated via real time polymerase chain reaction. Histopathological examination of liver sections stained with H&E and immunohistochemical study using glutathione S-transferase placental (GSTP) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) antibodies were assessed.
Results: Cyan administration mitigated the effect of DEN/2-AFF induced PCL, decreased AFP levels, and improved liver function. Remarkably, treatment with cyan dose dependently decreased the long non-coding RNA MALAT1 and tubulin gamma 1 mRNA expressions and increased the levels of miR-125b, all of which are involved in cell cycle and mitotic spindle assembly. Of note, cyan decreased GSTP foci percent area and PCNA positively stained nuclei.
Conclusion: Our results indicated that cyan could be used as a potential therapeutic agent to inhibit liver carcinogenesis in rat model via modulation of cell cycle.
Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma therapy; Hepatocellular-carcinoma growth; Hepatocellular-carcinoma model; Hepatocellular-carcinoma size.
©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.