AUTHOR=Zhang Min , Dai Zhi , Zhao Xudong , Wang Gan , Lai Ren 

TITLE=Anticarin β Inhibits Human Glioma Progression by Suppressing Cancer Stemness via STAT3

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.715673

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2021.715673

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p>Glioma is the most common form of malignant brain cancer. It is very difficult to cure malignant glioma because of the presence of glioma stem cells, which are a barrier to cure, have high tumorigenesis, associated with drug resistance, and responsible for relapse by regulating stemness genes. In this study, our results demonstrated that anticarin β, a natural compound from <italic>Antiaris toxicaria</italic>, can effectively and selectively suppress proliferation and cause apoptosis in glioma cells, which has an IC<sub>50</sub> that is 100 times lower than that in mouse normal neural stem cells. Importantly, cell sphere formation assay and real time-quantitative analysis reveal that anticarin β inhibits cancer stemness by modulating related stemness gene expression. Additionally, anticarin β induces DNA damage to regulate the oncogene expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and eventually leading to apoptosis. Furthermore, anticarin β effectively inhibits glioma growth and prolongs the lifts pan of tumor-bearing mice without systemic toxicity in the orthotopic xenograft mice model. These results suggest that anticarin β is a promising candidate inhibitor for malignant glioma.</p>