Role of xylolactones in inhibiting proliferation of brain metastatic human breast cancer cells

Objective To study the role of xylocarpin H, xylogranatin C and xylomexicanin A in inhibiting proliferation of brain metastatic human breast cancer cells (KT cells) and their molecular mechanisms. Methods KT cells were treated with xylocarpins H, C and A. Inhibitory effects of xylocarpins H, C and A on proliferation of KT cells were detected by MTT assay. Apoptosis-related protein expression level in KT cells was measured by Western blot. Results MTT assay showed that xylogranatin C inhibited the proliferation of KT cells in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot displayed that the expression levels of p53, Bax and caspase-3 were significantly higher in xylogranatin C-treated KT cells than in controls (P＜ 0.01, P＜ 0.05). Conclusion Xylogranatin C can effectively inhibit the proliferation of KT cells by inducing their apoptosis.