ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1562336
This article is part of the Research TopicEnhancing Cancer Therapy: Integrating Plant-Derived Bioactives with Chemotherapy through Traditional Knowledge and Modern AdvancesView all 15 articles
Underlying Molecular Mechanisms of Rosa roxburghii Tratt. Polysaccharides: Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptotic Induction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Provisionally accepted
Ziyan Yang1Zilin Li2Yuxing Liao1Cuixiang Zhang1Lijin Huang1Han Wang1Guihua Wang1Xueying Li1*
Guiyuan Chen1*- 1Dali University, Dali, China
- 2Xichong County People's Hospital, Nanchong, Anhui Province, China
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Natural polysaccharides, such as Rosa roxburghii Tratt. polysaccharide (RTDP) isolated from the fruits of the plant R. roxburghii, have recently garnered attention for their potent anticancer properties. Apoptosis, a programmed form of cell death, is a key mechanism bythrough which RTDP exerts its anticancer effects, particularly by inducing apoptosis in HepG2 and Huh-7 liver cancer cells. In this study, through a series of experiments, including cell viability, wound healing (scratch assay), and transwell migration assay, the anti-cancer potential of RTDP against HepG2 and Huh-7 cells was comprehensively evaluated. InterestinglyNotably, these findings revealed that RTDP exhibited minimal effects on the proliferation and migration of normal liver cells, such as AML-12 and LO2, underscoring its potential selectivity for cancer cells. Further mechanistic studies showedrevealed that RTDP could effectively arrestedarrest the cell cycle of HepG2 and Huh-7 cells in the G0/G1 phase and triggeredtrigger apoptosis, as confirmed by flow cytometry. These results were substantiated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blotting analyses, which demonstrated changes in the expression of apoptosis-and cell-cycle-related markers. These results indicate that RTDP shows a strong dose-dependent effect in the cell cycle and apoptosis of HCC cells, suggesting that it plays a critical role in inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells.TheThese results indicated that RTDP exhibited strong dose-dependent antioxidant activity, suggesting a dual role in combating oxidative stress and inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. In conclusion, this study highlights RTDP as a natural polysaccharide with significant anticancer effects against HepG2 and Huh-7 liver cancer cells. By selectively inhibiting cancer cell viability, inducing cell cycle arrest, and promoting apoptosis, RTDP emerges as a promising candidate for the development of natural therapeutic interventions for liver cancer.
Keywords: Rosa roxburghii Tratt. polysaccharide, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Cell Cycle, Apoptosis, molecular mechanism
Received: 03 Feb 2025; Accepted: 27 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Li, Liao, Zhang, Huang, Wang, Wang, Li and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xueying Li, Dali University, Dali, China
Guiyuan Chen, Dali University, Dali, China
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