Cannabisin G from Sinomenium acutum Induces Apoptosis in Human Glioblastoma Cells

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal primary malignant tumor in human central nervous system, current therapies depend on surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The poor prognosis drives us to discover more potential natural products. Cannabisin G is a lignanamide with different effects on different cancer cells, but its effects on GBM cells are still unclear. In this study, cannabisin G was isolated from dried stem of Sinomenium acutum (Thunb.) Rehd. et Wils. by solvent extraction and various chromatographic methods for the first time. It was characterized by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR. The human GBM cell U87 and U251 were used to investigate the bioactivities of cannabisin G. By CCK-8 assay, cannabisin G was found to significantly inhibit cell viabilities in a concentration-dependent manner. The cell migration was also remarkably blocked by cannabisin G, which was determined by transwell migration assay. Further, apoptotic changes were observed in nucleus morphology upon the treatment with cannabisin G by DAPI staining. To explore the underling mechanisms, MAPKs phosphorylation was detected by western blotting and the activation of MAPKs was found to be involved in the inhibitory effect on GBM cells. In summary, cannabisin G isolated from Sinomenium acutum (Thunb.) Rehd. et Wils. for the first time, was found to induce apoptosis in GBM cells, partly through the activation of MAPKs.