Polysaccharide sulphated derivative from Aconitum coreanum induces cell apoptosis in the human brain glioblastoma U87MG cell line via the NF-κB/Bcl-2 cell apoptotic signaling pathway.

In a previous study, our team preliminarily investigated the bioefficacy of an extracted polysaccharide from the medicinal plant Aconitum coreanum (ACP1). In the present study, we further evaluated the antitumor efficacy of an ACP1 sulphated derivative (ACP1‑s) in the human brain glioblastoma U87MG cell line. Cell viability assay and flow cytometry results demonstrated that 400, 800 and 1,600 µg/ml ACP1‑s induced cell growth inhibition and cell apoptosis. We then investigated the underlying molecular mechanism of the ACP1‑s induced cell apoptosis and found that the NF‑κB/Bcl‑2 cell apoptotic signaling pathway was involved. Following treatment with ACP1‑s, the expression of IκB in U87MG cells was significantly upregulated, whereas the level of NF‑κB and the ratio of Bcl‑2/Bax was significantly decreased. The level of cleaved caspase‑3 was increased accordingly. When we introduced exogenous p65 protein into the U87MG cells, the ACP1‑s-induced cell growth inhibition and cell apoptosis were partially neutralized, and the expression of the anti‑apoptotic gene Bcl‑2 was recovered accordingly. These findings suggest the potential value of ACP1‑s as a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of glioblastoma.