A network pharmacology- and transcriptomics-based investigation reveals an inhibitory role of β-sitosterol in glioma via the EGFR/MAPK signaling pathway

Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai). 2023 Dec 25. doi: 10.3724/abbs.2023251. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTGlioma is characterized by rapid cell proliferation, aggressive invasion, altered apoptosis and a poor prognosis. β-Sitosterol, a kind of phytosterol, has been shown to possess anticancer activities. Our current study aims to investigate the effects of β-sitosterol on gliomas and reveal the underlying mechanisms. Our results show that β-sitosterol effectively inhibits the growth of U87 cells by inhibiting proliferation and inducing G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis. In addition, β-sitosterol inhibits migration by downregulating markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Mechanistically, network pharmacology and transcriptomics approaches illustrate that the EGFR/MAPK signaling pathway may be responsible for the inhibitory effect of β-sitosterol on glioma. Afterward, the results show that β-sitosterol effectively suppresses the EGFR/MAPK signaling pathway. Moreover, β-sitosterol significantly inhibits tumor growth in a U87 xenograft nude mouse model. β-Sitosterol inhibits U87 cell proliferation and migration and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in U87 cells by blocking the EGFR/MAPK signaling pathway. These results suggest that β-sitosterol may be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of glioma.PMID:38143380 | DOI:10.3724/abbs.2023251
Source: Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Source Type: research