AKT signalling and mitochondrial pathways are involved in mushroom polysaccharide-induced apoptosis and G1 or S phase arrest in human hepatoma cells

This study describes molecular mechanisms for inhibiting tumour cell proliferation using polysaccharides from medicinal mushrooms in human hepatoma cells. The results show that regarding cell cycle-related proteins, three types of polysaccharides significantly enhance the expression of p27Kip in HepG2 and Bel-7404 cells, while suppressing the activity of cyclin D1/CDK4 and/or cyclin E/CDK2. Considering apoptosis-related factors, the polysaccharides suppressed AKT activity through the inhibition of AKT phosphorylation at Thr308 and/or Ser473. The growth of HepG2 and Bel-7404 cells was suppressed by the up-regulation of a subunit of PI3K and phospho-PTEN, which are modulators of AKT activity. The polysaccharides also activated the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway by stimulating the activation of Bcl-2 family proteins to release cytochrome c and Smac and cleave caspase-9 and caspase-3 in HepG2 and Bel-7404 cells. These factors have a potent effect on cell cycle arrest in G1 and/or S phase and induce apoptosis in HepG2 and Bel-7404 cells.

► Polysaccharides suppress the proliferation in human hepatoma cells cell lines.
► Polysaccharides from medicinal mushrooms induce apoptosis in HCC cell lines.
► Polysaccharides induce apoptosis through AKT signalling and mitochondrial pathway.
► Up-regulation of p27Kip or p21Cip arrest cell cycle in G1 and/or S phase.