Sasanquasaponin from Camellia oleifera Abel. induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells

Sasanquasaponin (SQS) is a triterpenoid extracted from the Chinese medicinal plant Camellia oleifera Abel. Little knowledge about the role of SQS in the prevention and treatment of cancer is available. Recent studies have shown that SQS possesses potent anti-tumor activities in human leukemia Jurkat cells and human hepatoma HepG2 cells. However, research on the effects and mechanisms of SQS on the treatment of breast cancer, a major cause of mortality in women worldwide, is not available. In this work, the effects of SQS on cell growth characteristics, including proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis, in MCF-7 cells were investigated. SQS reduced the viability of MCF-7 cells, induced G1 phase arrest in the cell cycle, and triggered the apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. Stimulation of MCF-7 with SQS induced upregulation of p21 and downregulation of cyclin D1, which can cause G1 cell cycle arrest. Stimulation also induced activation of E2F1 and downregulation of p53, indicating that SQS induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via a p53-independent pathway; p53-independent apoptosis may be mediated by E2F1 activation. Our results demonstrate the potential application of SQS as an anti-breast cancer agent.

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