Ellagic Acid Ameliorates Ovarian Cancer via Modification of Pyroptosis and Inflammation

Ovarian cancer is 1 of the most serious female malignancies worldwide. Despite intensive efforts to overcome ovarian cancer, there remain limited treatment options for this disease. Ellagic acid (EA), a well-known phytochemical with anti-inflammatory properties, is suggested as a therapeutical strategy as it can inhibit the growth of certain cancer cells. However, its effect on human ovarian carcinoma cells has not yet been fully elucidated. The present study aimed to explore the effect of EA on ovarian carcinoma and further expound the underlying mechanisms of EA-induced ovarian cancer cell death. Human ovarian carcinoma cell lines, A2780 and OVCAR3, were treated with EA (0, 10, 20, 50, and 100 μM) and assessed for viability, cell cycle (cyclin D1 and cyclin E), pyroptosis (gasdermin D [GSDMD] and gasdermin E [GSDME]), autophagy (microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 [MAP1LC3] and autophagy protein 5 [ATG5]), and inflammation (interleukin [IL]-1b and IL-6) via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT), real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The findings showed that EA could significantly inhibit cell viability, decrease cyclin D1 and E levels, downregulate GSDMD and GSDME, and suppress the levels of inflammatory markers, including IL-1b and IL-6. However, the protein levels of autophagic markers including LC3 and ATG5 remained mostly unchanged. The findings suggest that EA could suppress ovarian cancer cell viability and proliferation by arresting both cell lines at the G1 phase of the cell cycle through modification of cell death mediated by inflammatory-caused pyroptosis.