Fangchinoline induces G0/G1 arrest by modulating the expression of CDKN1A and CCND2 in K562 human chronic myelogenous leukemia cells

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic stem cell disease caused by the oncoprotein BCR-ABL, which exhibits a constitutive tyrosine kinase activity. Imatinib mesylate (IM), an inhibitor of the tyrosine kinase activity of BCR-ABL, has been used as a first-line therapy for CML. However, IM is less effective in the accelerated phase and blastic phases of CML and certain patients develop IM resistance due to the mutation and amplification of the BCR-ABL gene. Fangchinoline, an important chemical constituent from the dried roots of Stephaniae tetrandrae S. Moore, exhibits significant antitumor activity in various types of cancers, including breast, prostate and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the effects and the underlying mechanisms of fangchinoline in CML remain unclear. In the present study, we identified that fangchinoline inhibits cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner in K562 cells derived from the blast crisis of CML. Additional experiments revealed that fangchinoline induces cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and has no effect on apoptosis, which is mediated through the upregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-N1A and MCL-1 mRNA levels, as well as the downregulation of cyclin D2 (CCND2) mRNA levels. These findings suggest the potential of fangchinoline as an effective antitumor agent in CML.