Deoxypodophyllotoxin induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in SGC-7901 cells and inhibits tumor growth in vivo.

Deoxypodophyllotoxin (DPT), a natural microtubule destabilizer, was isolated from Anthriscus sylvestris, and a few studies have reported its anti-cancer effect. However, the in vivo antitumor efficacy of DPT is currently indeterminate. In this study, we investigated the anti-gastric cancer effects of DPT both in vitro and in vivo. Our data showed that DPT inhibited cancer cell proliferation and induced G2/M cell cycle arrest accompanied by an increase in apoptotic cell death in SGC-7901 cancer cells. In addition, DPT caused cyclin B1, Cdc2 and Cdc25C to accumulate, decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and activated caspase-3 and PARP, suggesting that caspase-mediated pathways were involved in DPT-induced apoptosis. Animal studies revealed that DPT significantly inhibited tumor growth and decreased microvessel density (MVD) in a xenograft model of gastric cancer. Taken together, our findings provide a framework for further exploration of DPT as a novel chemotherapeutic for human gastric cancer.