Differential responses of skin cancer-chemopreventive agents silibinin, quercetin, and epigallocatechin 3-gallate on mitogenic signaling and cell cycle regulators in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells
N. Bhatia et al., Differential responses of skin cancer-chemopreventive agents silibinin, quercetin, and epigallocatechin 3-gallate on mitogenic signaling and cell cycle regulators in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells, NUTR CANCER, 39(2), 2001, pp. 292-299
Silibinin, quercetin, and epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) have been shown
to be skin cancer-preventive agents, albeit by several different mechanism
s. Here, we assessed whether these agents show their cancer-preventive pote
ntial by a differential effect on mitogenic signaling molecules and cell cy
cle regulators. Treatment of human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells with the
se agents inhibited the activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor
and the downstream adapter protein Shc, but only silibinin showed a marked
inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase-extracellular signal-regulat
ed kinase-1 and -2 activation. In terms of cell cycle regulators, silibinin
treatment showed an induction of Cip1/p21 and Kip1/p27 together with a sig
nificant decrease in cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-4, CDK2, and cyclin D1.
Quercetin treatment, however, resulted in a moderate increase in Cip1/p21 w
ith no change in Kip1/p27 and a decrease in CDK4 and cyclin D1. EGCG treatm
ent also led to an induction of Cip1/p21 but no change in Kip1/p27, CDK2, a
nd cyclin D1 and a decrease in CDK4 only at low doses. Treatment of cells w
ith these agents resulted in a strong dose- and time-dependent cell growth
inhibition. A high dose of silibinin and low and high doses of quercetin an
d EGCG also led to cell death by apoptosis, suggesting that a lack of their
inhibitory effect on mitogen-activated protein kinase-extracellular signal
-regulated kinase-1 and -2 activation possibly "turns on" an apoptotic cell
death response associated with their cancer preventive and anticarcinogeni
c effects. Together, these results suggest that silibinin, quercetin, and E
GCG exert their cancer preventive effects by differential responses on mito
genic signaling and cell cycle regulators.