Anti-Colon Cancer Activity of Dietary Phytochemical Soyasaponin I and the Induction of Metabolic Shifts in HCT116

Dietary phytochemicals play an important role in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer. It is reported that group B of soyasaponin, derived from dietary pulses, has anti-colonic effects on some colon cancer cell lines. However, it is uncertain which specific soybean saponins play a role. In our study, as one of the group B soyasaponin, the anti-colon cancer activity of soyasaponins I (SsI) was screened, and we found that it had the inhibitory effect of proliferation on colon cancer cell lines HCT116 (IC50 = 161.4 mu M) and LoVo (IC50 = 180.5 mu M), but no effect on HT29 between 0-200 mu M. Then, nine potential targets of SsI on colon cancer were obtained by network pharmacology analysis. A total of 45 differential metabolites were identified by metabolomics analysis, and the KEGG pathway was mainly enriched in the pathways related to the absorption and metabolism of amino acids. Finally, molecular docking analysis predicted that SsI might dock with the protein of DNMT1, ERK1. The results indicated that the effect of SsI on HCT116 might be exerted by influencing amino acid metabolism and the estrogen signaling pathway. This study may provide the possibility for the application of SsI against colon cancer.

Automated summary

Dietary phytochemicals, such as soyasaponins, have been found to play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer. In this study, the researchers screened the anti-colon cancer activity of a specific type of soyasaponin, soyasaponins I (SsI), and found that it had an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of colon cancer cell lines HCT116 and LoVo. Further analysis revealed that SsI may exert its effects through influencing amino acid metabolism and the estrogen signaling pathway. This study suggests the potential application of SsI in the treatment of colon cancer.