Inhibitory effect and mechanism of purified saponin from Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua on human ovarian cancer cell A2780

Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (PcH) is a traditional medicinal and edible homologous plant. Here, the anticancer activity of different purified PcH saponins (PcHs) on the ovarian cancer (OC) cell A2780 were investigated. The PcHs were purified by AB-8. Their effects on the apoptosis, migration and invasion of A2780 were explored by CCK8, wound healing assay, Hoechst 33258 staining, Annexin V-FITC/PI and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) measurement. Moreover, western blot and realtime-PCR confirmation were performed for the associated protein and mRNA targets. The results showed that the content of PcHs increased from 0.31 ± 0.02 mg/mL to 0.79 ± 0.02 mg/mL after purification. The inhibition rate of purified PcHs on A2780 could reach 66.76 ± 0.56%. Specifically, it promoted cell apoptosis, disturbed the cell cycle, increased the ROS levels, regulated the expression levels of pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins. PcHs can also regulate the expression level of proteins related to the invasion and migration characteristics of A2780, the mRNA expression level related to the P13K-Akt signal transduction process, and the extracellular matrix-receptor interaction pathway, as well as drug resistance. Overall, this study provides a new idea for the treatment of OC.