Delphinidin suppresses proliferation and migration of human ovarian clear cell carcinoma cells through blocking AKT and ERK1/2 MAPK signaling pathways

Delphinidin possesses the highest chemopreventive activity among the six components of anthocyanidin that are pigments from fruits and vegetables giving them blue, purple or red colors. Although delphinidin has anti-carcinogenic and apoptotic effects in various cancers, little is known about its functional roles in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) which shows poor prognosis with resistance to chemotherapy as compared with other subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC). Results of present study revealed that cell survival rates of ES2 cells from ovarian CCC treated with delphinidin decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Also, delphinidin inhibited migration and induced apoptosis of ES2 cells. To investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible for biological effects of delphinidin, we analyzed the phosphorylation status of carcinogenic protein kinases related to development of CCC in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Phosphorylation of downstream targets of PI3K (AKT and p70S6K) and MAPKs (ERK1/2 and JNK) signaling was suppressed by treatment of ES2 cells with delphinidin. In addition, pharmacological inhibitors of PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 MAPK pathway improved the anti-proliferative action of delphinidin on ES2 cells. Moreover, we compared the cancer preventive effects of delphinidin with traditional cisplatin- and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy on cell viability of ES2 cells. Results showed that delphinidin is as effective in its therapeutic activity against ES2 cells as cisplatin and placlitaxel. Collectively, these results indicated that delphinidin plays a critical role as a new chemotherapeutic agent to prevent development and progression of ES2 cells in CCC via inactivation of PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 MAPK signal transduction cascades.