Total saponins from Rhizoma Panacis Majoris inhibit proliferation, induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis and influence MAPK signalling pathways on the colorectal cancer cell

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks third in incidence and second in mortality among all types of cancer, and due to its insidious onset and lack of early symptoms, it is usually diagnosed at a later stage. Saponins, a class of compounds abundant in plants, have been reported to possess prominent anti-tumour properties. The use of ginsenoside Rg3 in the clinical setting was authorized by the National Medicinal Products Administration of China. In the present study, total saponins from Rhizoma Panacis Majoris (RPMTG) were prepared, and the pharmacological mechanisms underlying the anti-CRC effects of RPMTG were investigated. The effect of RPMTG on the proliferation, cell cycle progression and apoptosis of HCT116 and SW620 cells were detected by MTT, flow cytometry and western blotting assays, and it was demonstrated that RPMTG could inhibit the proliferation of HCT116 and SW620 cells with IC50 values of 315.8 and 355.1 µg/ml, respectively, induce cell cycle arrest in the S and G0/G1 phase, and trigger apoptosis by downregulating the expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and induced myeloid leukaemia cell differentiation protein Mcl-1, and increasing the expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad, cleaved caspased-3 and poly(ADP)-ribose polymerase. These findings suggested that RPMTG induced apoptosis through mitochondrial-related pathways. In addition, RPMTG also decreased the expression of phosphorylated (p)-extracellular signal-regulated kinase and increased p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK) and p-p38. Moreover, the effects of RPMTG on cell proliferation and apoptosis were partially reversed when the JNK and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways were inhibited, indicating that RPMTG triggered apoptosis mainly via regulating JNK and p38 MAPK signalling. Therefore, RPMTG may have potential as an anti-CRC agent, and further evaluations are needed.