Essential oil from Saussurea costus inhibits proliferation and migration of Eca109 cells via mitochondrial apoptosis and STAT3 signaling

Objective:To investigate the effect and its underlying molecular mechanisms of essential oil from Saussurea costus in esophageal cancer cell line Eca109.Methods:The chemical composition of essential oil from Saussurea costus was investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS).The anti-proliferative,anti-migrative,and apoptotic effects of essential oil from Saussurea costus against Eca109 cells were analyzed.Moreover,the expression of proteins associated with cell cycle,metastasis,and apoptosis was determined.Results:GC-MS analysis showed that essential oil from Saussurea costus was predominantly comprised of sesquiterpenes.Saussurea costus essential oil inhibited the viability of Eca109 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner with IC_(50) values of(24.29±1.49),(19.16±2.27)and(6.97±0.86)μg/mL at 12,24,and 48 h,respectively.The expression levels of target proteins in the cell cycle(phase G_(1)/S),including cyclin D1,p21,and p53,were affected by Saussurea costus essential oil.The essential oil also downregulated the expression of metastasis-related proteins MMP-9 and MMP-2.Moreover,it induced apoptosis of Eca109 cells through the mitochondrial pathway,as well as inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation.Conclusions:The essential oil from Saussurea costus exhibited anti-proliferative,anti-migrative,and apoptotic effects on Eca109 cells,and could be further explored as a potential anti-esophageal cancer agent.

Hepatoprotective Effect of Costus Roots Extract against Carbon Tetrachloride （CCI4）-Induced Liver Injury in Guinea Pigs

SC （Saussurea costus） （Asteraceae） is a traditionally known and potent plant which is well considered for its medicinal uses in different indigenous Indian systems of medicine. This study was undertaken to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of SC against liver injury induced by CC14 intoxication. Animals were divided into five groups. Group I, served as normal control. Group II received 2 mL CC14/kg b.w. diluted with olive oil, at 1：1 ratio on day 11. Groups III and IV were pre-treated orally respectively with 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w. aqueous roots extract of SC for 10 days followed by subcutaneous injection of CC14 （2 mL/kg b.w.）, once on day 11. Group V were orally given Liv-52 （100 mg/kg b.w.） once daily for 10 days followed by subcutaneous injection of CC14 （2 mL/kg b.w.）, once on day 11. Our results show that, the activity of serum hepatic enzymes （ALT, AST, and ALP） were significantly elevated in guinea pigs treated with CC14, while both the SC root extract and Liv-52 reduced significantly these enzymes activity. Also, the levels of glucose, urea and cholesterol were decreased when compared with intoxicated control. Histopathological examination of intoxicated animals showed dilation, hemorrhage, vacuolization, inflammation and necrosis indicating liver damage, while the animals received SC or Liv-52 that showed less pathological effects or normal liver when compared to animals treated with CC14 alone. Biochemical and histological results confirm the hepatoprotective effect of aqueous extract of SC.