Quercetin-3-O-glucoside induces human DNA topoisomerase II inhibition, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

摘要

Q3G treatment inhibited cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner in HepG2 cells with the blockade of the cell cycle in the S-phase. Additionally, Q3G exhibited a strong ability to inhibit DNA topoisomerase II. Furthermore, DNA fragmentation and fluorescence microscopy analysis suggested that Q3G induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells with the activation of caspase-3. Interestingly, Q3G exhibited significantly lower toxicity to normal cells (primary human and rat hepatocytes and primary lung cells) than sorafenib (p<0.05), a chemotherapy drug for hepatocellular carcinoma. The results suggest that Q3G is a potential antitumor agent against liver cancer with a possible mechanism of action via cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Further research should be performed to confirm these results in vivo.