Quantifying the Effect of Anti-cancer Compound (Piperlongumine) on Cancer Cells Using Single-Cell Force Spectroscopy

Abstract

AbstractNatural compounds have shown a great potential in anti-cancer research by tumor growth inhibition and anti-metastatic properties. Piperlongumine (PL) is a natural compound derived from pepper species that has been demonstrated to have anti-cancer effect on HeLa cells. Here we focus on understanding the mechanical properties of HeLa cells under PL treatment, using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) based single-cell manipulation technique. We used AFM to pull single HeLa cells and acquired the force-distance curves that presented stepwise patterns. We analyzed the step force (SF) and observed that cells treated with PL exhibit higher force compared to control cells. This SF increase was also observed in experiments performed on substrates of different stiffness. Therefore, analyzing SF, it is possible to investigate the effect of PL on the mechanical properties of the HeLa cells. The understanding of the PL action on HeLa cells’ mechanical properties may help in the development of effective therapeutic drugs against cancers.