Bavachin induces apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells through Gadd45a via the MAPK signaling pathway

Bavachin is a dihydroflavonoid compound isolated from Psoralea corylifolia, and exhibits anti-bacterial, anti-inflam-matory, anti-tumor and lipid-lowering activities. Recent attention has gradually drawn on bavachin-induced apoptosis in many human cancer cell lines. However, the anti-cancer effects and related mechanisms in colorectal cancer remain unknown. Here, we investig-ated the effects of bavachin on colorectal cancer in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that bavachin inhibited the proliferation of hu-man colorectal cancer cells and induce apoptosis. These changes were mediated by activating the MAPK signaling pathway, which sig-nificantly up-regulated the expression of Gadd45a. Furthermore, Gadd45a silencing obviously attenuated bavachin-mediated cell apop-tosis. Inhibition of the MAPK signaling pathway by JNK/ERK/p38 inhibitors also weakened the up-regulation of Gadd45a by ba-vachin. The anticancer effect of bavachin was also validated using a mouse xenograft model of human colorectal cancer. In conclusion, these findings suggest that bavachin induces the apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells through activating the MAPK signaling pathway.

Automated summary

Bavachin, a compound derived from Psoralea corylifolia, has various pharmacological activities including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and lipid-lowering effects. This study aimed to explore the anti-cancer effects and underlying mechanisms of bavachin in colorectal cancer. The results demonstrated that bavachin inhibited colorectal cancer cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. These effects were mediated through the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway and upregulation of Gadd45a expression. These findings suggest that bavachin has potential as a therapeutic agent for colorectal cancer by inducing apoptosis through the MAPK pathway.