Costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone from Saussurea lappa root inhibit autophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

In this study, we explored the effects of costunolide (CL) and dehydrocostuslactone (DCL), which are bioactive sesquiterpene lactones in this extract, on autophagy modulation in HepG2 cells. An analysis of autophagy-related proteins demonstrated that CL and DCL blocks the autophagy process that leads to the accumulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and SQSTM1/p62 (p62). LC3 turnover assays indicated that CL and DCL trigger autophagy inhibition by blocking the autophagic flux, thereby resulting in the accumulation of LC3-II and p62. These results are encouraging and warrant further study of CL and DCL for potential use as autophagy inhibiting agents for liver cancer therapy.
Source: Journal of Natural Medicines - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research