Marsdenia tenacissimae extraction (MTE) inhibits the proliferation and induces the apoptosis of human acute T cell leukemia cells through inactivating PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway via PTEN enhancement

// Ying Wang 1, 3, * , Bingyu Chen 3, * , Zhen Wang 3 , Wei Zhang 4 , Ke Hao 3 , Yu Chen 4 , Kaiqiang Li 3 , Tongtong Wang 4 , Yiwei Xie 3 , Zhihui Huang 1, 2 , Xiangmin Tong 1, 4 1 Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China 2 Institute of Neuroscience and Hypoxia Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China 3 Department of Blood Transfusion, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China 4 Clinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, 310014, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Xiangmin Tong, email: tongxiangmin11@163.com Zhihui Huang, email: hzhzju021@163.com Keywords: Marsdenia tenacissimae extraction, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, proliferation, apoptosis, PTEN Received: June 29, 2016      Accepted: October 03, 2016      Published: October 14, 2016 ABSTRACT Marsdenia tenacissimae extraction (MTE) as a traditional Chinese herb has long been used to treat some diseases such as tumors in China. However, the potential effectiveness of MTE in leukemia has not yet been fully understood, and the related molecular mechanism is still unknown. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of MTE on the proliferation and apoptosis of Jurkat cells (T-ALL lines) and lymphocytes from T-ALL (T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia) patients. Firstly, CCK8 assays and flow cytometry assays revealed that MTE dose-dependently reduced the proliferation of Jurkat cells by arresting cell cycle at S phase. Secondly, Annexin V-FITC/PI-stained flow cytometry and TUNEL staining assays showed that MTE promoted the apoptosis of Jurkat cells. Mechanistically, MTE enhanced PTEN (phosphatases and tensin homolog) level and inactivated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in Jurkat cells, which mediated the inhibition of cell proliferation by MTE and MTE-induced apoptosis. Finally, MTE significantly inhibited the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of lymphocytes from T-ALL patients, compared with lymphocytes from healthy peoples. Taken together, these results reveal an unrecognized function of MTE in inhibiting the proliferation and inducing the apoptosis of T-ALL cells, and identify a pathway of PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR for the effects of MTE on leukemia therapy.