Baicalein Induces G(2)/M Cell Cycle Arrest Associated with ROS Generation and CHK2 Activation in Highly Invasive Human Ovarian Cancer Cells

Ovarian cancer is a lethal gynecological cancer because drug resistance often results in treatment failure. The CHK2, a tumor suppressor, is considered to be an important molecular target in ovarian cancer due to its role in DNA repair. Dysfunctional CHK2 impairs DNA damage-induced checkpoints, reduces apoptosis, and confers resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation therapy in ovarian cancer cells. This provides a basis for finding new effective agents targeting CHK2 upregulation or activation to treat or prevent the progression of advanced ovarian cancer. Here, the results show that baicalein (5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone) treatment inhibits the growth of highly invasive ovarian cancer cells, and that baicalein-induced growth inhibition is mediated by the cell cycle arrest in the G(2)/M phase. Baicalein-induced G(2)/M phase arrest is associated with an increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, DNA damage, and CHK2 upregulation and activation. Thus, baicalein modulates the expression of DNA damage response proteins and G(2)/M phase regulatory molecules. Blockade of CHK2 activation by CHK2 inhibitors protects cells from baicalein-mediated G(2)/M cell cycle arrest. All the results suggest that baicalein has another novel growth inhibitory effect on highly invasive ovarian cancer cells, which is partly related to G(2)/M cell cycle arrest through the ROS-mediated DNA breakage damage and CHK2 activation. Collectively, our findings provide a molecular basis for the potential of baicalein as an adjuvant therapeutic agent in the treatment of metastatic ovarian cancer.