Curcumae Rhizoma and Sparganii Rhizoma component compatibility exerts an inhibitory effect on endometrial cancer by regulating HDAC8/PTEN/Akt axis

Sparganii Rhizoma (SR) and Curcumae Rhizoma (CR) are Chinese botanical medicines with potential anti-tumor properties yet to be fully characterized. This study aimed to clarify the influence of total flavonoids of SR (FSR), essential oil from CR (OCR), and the combination of FSR and OCR (FO) on endometrial cancer and to determine the possible molecular mechanism MATERIALS AND METHODS: LC-MS/MS and GC-MS were employed for the chemical characterization of FSR and OCR, respectively. The viability, apoptosis, migration, and invasion in Ishikawa cells were assessed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK8), flow cytometry, scratch assay, and Transwell assay, respectively. In addition, Western blot and RT-qPCR experiments were used to verify the mechanism of action. In the mouse xenograft model experiment, we utilized immunofluorescence staining to detect tumor proliferation-related indexes to evaluate tumor growth RESULTS: In vitro, FO inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of Ishikawa cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but facilitated their apoptosis as compared to FSR or OCR. The above phenomena were accompanied by an increase in PTEN expression as well as a decline in HDAC8 expression and Akt phosphorylation. Silencing PTEN reversed FO-induced protein changes in PCNA, Bax, and Bcl-2. In vivo, FO suppressed tumor growth even greater than medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Taken together, our study demonstrates for the first time that FO could curb the malignant biological behavior of EC cells in vivo and in vitro, and mechanistically discloses that this effect may be achieved by modulating the HDAC8/PTEN/Akt signaling axis.