Luteolin Isolated from Polygonum cuspidatum Is a Potential Compound against Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION: To reveal the mechanisms by which luteolin, the major bioactive component of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Polygonum cuspidatum, inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) CNE2 cells. METHODS: Based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), bioactive compounds of P. cuspidatum, potential target genes and NPC disease targets of TCMSP were screened, relationship networks were constructed using these potential targets of NPC, and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed. The predicted compounds, targets and pathways were corroborated using in vitro experiments, such as MTT, Cytation™ 5 real-time cell monitoring, cell cycle detection, Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining, Hoechst 33342 staining, and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) detection. RESULTS: The results showed that 10 bioactive compounds (OB ≥30% and DL ≥0.18), 157 potential target genes from P. cuspidatum, and 56 common targets related to NPC were found. These included important bioactive compounds such as luteolin, quercetin, and beta-sitosterol. Key common targets included EGFR, MYC, AKT1, CASP3, CCND1, ERBB2, and common targets were enriched for the PI3K-AKT, JAK/STAT, MAPK, and C-type lectin receptor signaling pathways. The binding energy of luteolin for six common targets was less than -5.0 kcal·mol(−1). After luteolin (20 μM, and 40 μM) treatment to CNE2 cells for 36 h, cell survival rates decreased, accompanied by cell morphology changes, inhibition of the cell cycle at G2/M phase, and an induction of apoptosis. The expression of the cell proliferation related protein PCNA, the antiapoptosis protein XIAP, and the PI3K-AKT pathway diagram related proteins p-ERK1/2, ERK1/2, AKT, and PI3K, all decreased. CONCLUSION: Luteolin derived from P. cuspidatum inhibited the proliferation of NPC CNE2 cells and promoted cell apoptosis through the PI3K-AKT signal pathway.