Abstract:Using peony seed oil as the research object and colon cancer cells HCT116 as the model, the effect of peony seed oil on the in vitro proliferation and cell cycle of HCT116 cells were evaluated, and the underlying molecular mechanism was preliminary studied. The changes in proliferation, migration and molecular level of colon cancer cells were detected by the MTS and Western blotting assays. The results showed that peony seed oil inhibited significantly the proliferation and migration abilities of HCT116 cells. When the concentration of peony seed oil reached 100 μg/mL, the relative mRNA expression of cell cycle-associated genes, p15, p21 and p53, increased by 5.49, 4.56 and 3.73 times, respectively, with extremely significant differences (p<0.01) compared with the control group. These results suggested that peony seed oil could regulate the expression of key target genes associated with the G1/S period of cell cycle, enabling the cell cycle blocked in G1/S transition period. Peony seed oil could also inhibit the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway, as well as the activities of its downstream transcription factors, AP-1 and NF-κB. The results suggest that peony seed oil may inhibit the down-regulation of AP-1 and NF-κB activities for the MAPK signaling pathway, and regulate the expression of cell cycle-related genes, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of colon cancer cells. The research will provide a scientific theoretical basis for the development of functional vegetable oil with anti-cancer activity.
