Abstract
Cervical cancer is a malignant neoplasm and is the second commonest cancer in women worldwide. Despite the availability of various treatment modalities, the 5-year survival remains poor. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to explore drugs capable of preventing and treating cervical cancer. Plant-derived natural products are widely used as adjunct to chemotherapy for this type of cancer. Our study aims to investigate the effects of acetylshikonin, an acetyl derivative, isolated from a Chinese medicinal herb Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb. et Zucc., a folk medicine with a long history of safe use for clinically treating cervical cancer in China. MTT assay was used to determine the in vitro anticancer effects of acetylshikonin on human cervical cancer Siha cells. The expression of caspase-3 and -8 proteins were determined. Flow cytometry and quantitative RT-PCR were performed to detect the expression level of Siha cells associated markers and regulatory genes. In Siha cell lines, acetylshikonin inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. The preferential expression of Siha cells related marker, regulatory genes were also highlighted. It arrested the cell cycle by blocking transition from S phase to G2/M phase and induced apoptosis of Siha cell through activating caspase-3 and caspase-8. In the current study, acetylshikonin can be taken as a promising natural lead for cervical cancer.