Fraxinellone has anticancer activity in vivo by inhibiting programmed cell death-ligand 1 expression by reducing hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and STAT3.

Dictamnus dasycarpus is a traditional Chinese medicine thathas been commonly used in the treatment of cancer. Fraxinellone is a natural product isolated from the D. dasycarpus plant, which has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory activities. However, whether fraxinellone exerts anticancer effects and the mechanisms by which it may inhibit tumor growth remain unknown. Here, we found that fraxinellone, in a dose-dependented manner, inhibited the expression of programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), which plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis. It was subsequently shown that fraxinellone reduced HIF-1α protein synthesis via the mTOR/p70S6K/eIF4E and MAPK pathways. It also inhibited activation of STAT3 via the JAK1, JAK2, and Src pathways. Immunoprecipitation and western blotting assays showed that fraxinellone inhibited PD-L1 expression by reducing STAT3 and HIF-1α cooperatively. Flow cytometry, colony formation, and EdU incorporation assays demonstrated that fraxinellone inhibited cell proliferation through suppression of PD-L1. Tube formation, migration, and invasion assays showed that fraxinellone inhibits angiogenesis by suppressing PD-L1. In vivo studies further supported anticancer role for fraxinellone, demonstrating that fraxinellone treatment inhibited the growth of tumor xenografts. We concluded that fraxinellone inhibits PD-L1 expression by downregulating the STAT3 and HIF-1α signaling pathways, subsequently inhibiting proliferation and angiogenesis in cancer cells. These studies reveal previously unknown characteristics of fraxinellone and provide new perspectives into the mechanism of cancer inhibition of the compound.