Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention (아시아태평양암예방학회)
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Anti-tumor Activity and Apoptosis-regulation Mechanisms of Bufalin in Various Cancers: New Hope for Cancer Patients

  • Yin, Pei-Hao (Department of General Surgery and Medical Oncology, Putuo Hospital and Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine) ;
  • Liu, Xuan (Department of General Surgery and Medical Oncology, Putuo Hospital and Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine) ;
  • Qiu, Yan-Yan (Department of General Surgery and Medical Oncology, Putuo Hospital and Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine) ;
  • Cai, Jian-Feng (Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida) ;
  • Qin, Jian-Min (Department of General Surgery and Medical Oncology, Putuo Hospital and Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine) ;
  • Zhu, Hui-Rong (Department of General Surgery and Medical Oncology, Putuo Hospital and Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine) ;
  • Li, Qi (Department of General Surgery and Medical Oncology, Putuo Hospital and Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
  • Published : 2012.11.30
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Abstract

The induction of apoptosis in target cells is a key mechanism for most anti-tumor therapies. Bufalin is a cardiotonic steroid that has the potential to induce differentiation and apoptosis of tumor cells. Research on bufalin has so far mainly involved leukemia, prostate cancer, gastric cancer and liver cancer, and has been confined to in vitro studies. The bufadienolides bufalin and cinobufagin have been shown to induce apoptosis in a wide spectrum of cancer cell. The present article reviews the anticancer effects of bufalin. It induces apoptosis of lung cancer cells via the PI3K/Akt pathway and also suppressed the proliferation of human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cell line in a time and dose dependent manner. Bufalin, bufotalin and gamabufotalin, key bufadienolides, significantly sensitize human breast cancer cells with differing ER-alpha status to apoptosis induction by the TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). In addition, bufadienolides induce prostate cancer cell apoptosis more significantly than that in breast epithelial cell lines. Similar effects have been observed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but the detailed molecular mechanisms of inducing apoptosis in this case are still unclear. Bufalin exerts profound effects on leukemia therapy in vitro. Results of multiple studies indicate that bufalin has marked anti-tumor activities through its ability to induce apoptosis. Large-scale randomized, double-blind, placebo or positive drug parallel controlled studies are now required to confirm the efficacy and apoptosis-inducing potential of bufalin in various cancers in the cliniucal setting.

Keywords

References

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