Brevilin A, which has anticancer activities against a range of cancers, is an abundant constituent of the medicinal herb Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun & Asch, which has also been reported to have anticancer activity against breast cancer cells. However, the anticancer activities of C. minima and brevilin A against human gastric cancer have yet to be reported. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and molecular basis underlying the anticancer activities of extracts of C. minima (CMX) and brevilin A against human gastric cancer (AGS) cells. We deduced the potential targets and mechanisms underlying the anticancer activity of brevilin A based on a network pharmacology approach. CCND1, CDK4, and BCL2L1 were identified as the key anticancer genes targeted by brevilin A. Cytotoxicity analyses revealed that CMX and brevilin A reduced the viability of AGS cells to levels below 50% (9.73 ± 1.29 µg/mL and 54.69 ± 1.38 μM, respectively). Furthermore, Hoechst 33342, annexin V, and propidium iodide staining and western blot analyses revealed that CMX and brevilin A promoted a significant induction of apoptotic cell death by upregulating the expression of cleaved caspase-8 and cleaved caspase-3 and reducing the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2, which is partially consistent with the findings of our network pharmacology analysis. Collectively, our observations indicate that CMX and brevilin A are novel sources of herbal medicine with potential utility as effective agents for the treatment of gastric cancer.
Keywords: Centipeda minima; brevilin A; caspase-8; extrinsic apoptosis; network pharmacology.