Sensitisation of HeLa Cell Cultures to Xanthone Treatment by RNAi-Mediated Silencing of NANOG and STAT3

The increasing morbidity of various types of cancer in the world’s population and the limited number of universal methods of their treatment contribute to the growth in research into the development of new treatment strategies. Most of this research focuses on treatments that target specific factors...

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Main Authors: Oliwia Gruszka, Dorota Żelaszczyk, Henryk Marona, Ilona Anna Bednarek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Current Issues in Molecular Biology
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/47/7/529
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author Oliwia Gruszka
Dorota Żelaszczyk
Henryk Marona
Ilona Anna Bednarek
author_facet Oliwia Gruszka
Dorota Żelaszczyk
Henryk Marona
Ilona Anna Bednarek
author_sort Oliwia Gruszka
collection DOAJ
description The increasing morbidity of various types of cancer in the world’s population and the limited number of universal methods of their treatment contribute to the growth in research into the development of new treatment strategies. Most of this research focuses on treatments that target specific factors in cancer cell signalling pathways. There is also great interest in drugs derived from natural substances, as these represent one of the largest sources of potential pharmaceuticals. In our analysis, we focused on the action of α-mangostin and gambogic acid, which are natural xanthones or their synthetic derivatives. We studied their influence on the expression of STAT3 and NANOG, which play a confirmed role in different stages of cancer development. For this purpose, we applied RNAi-mediated gene silencing of NANOG and STAT3 to enhance the efficacy of xanthone-based anticancer treatment in HeLa cell cultures. After stimulating the cells with xanthones, we determined the expression of the tested transcription factors and the ROS level. In addition, we determined the cytotoxicity and apoptosis of the cells. Our research results confirm the anticancer efficacy of the analysed xanthones and demonstrate the role of the tested transcription factors. Silencing these factors makes cancer cells more susceptible to xanthone treatment.
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spelling doaj-art-be2f95d7b2ec46bd8900733ee47795a32025-08-20T03:58:25ZengMDPI AGCurrent Issues in Molecular Biology1467-30371467-30452025-07-0147752910.3390/cimb47070529Sensitisation of HeLa Cell Cultures to Xanthone Treatment by RNAi-Mediated Silencing of NANOG and STAT3Oliwia Gruszka0Dorota Żelaszczyk1Henryk Marona2Ilona Anna Bednarek3Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, PolandDepartment of Bioorganic Chemistry, Chair of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 30-688 Krakow, PolandDepartment of Bioorganic Chemistry, Chair of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 30-688 Krakow, PolandDepartment of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, PolandThe increasing morbidity of various types of cancer in the world’s population and the limited number of universal methods of their treatment contribute to the growth in research into the development of new treatment strategies. Most of this research focuses on treatments that target specific factors in cancer cell signalling pathways. There is also great interest in drugs derived from natural substances, as these represent one of the largest sources of potential pharmaceuticals. In our analysis, we focused on the action of α-mangostin and gambogic acid, which are natural xanthones or their synthetic derivatives. We studied their influence on the expression of STAT3 and NANOG, which play a confirmed role in different stages of cancer development. For this purpose, we applied RNAi-mediated gene silencing of NANOG and STAT3 to enhance the efficacy of xanthone-based anticancer treatment in HeLa cell cultures. After stimulating the cells with xanthones, we determined the expression of the tested transcription factors and the ROS level. In addition, we determined the cytotoxicity and apoptosis of the cells. Our research results confirm the anticancer efficacy of the analysed xanthones and demonstrate the role of the tested transcription factors. Silencing these factors makes cancer cells more susceptible to xanthone treatment.https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/47/7/529xanthonesα-mangostingambogic acidSTAT3NANOGRNAi
spellingShingle Oliwia Gruszka
Dorota Żelaszczyk
Henryk Marona
Ilona Anna Bednarek
Sensitisation of HeLa Cell Cultures to Xanthone Treatment by RNAi-Mediated Silencing of NANOG and STAT3
Current Issues in Molecular Biology
xanthones
α-mangostin
gambogic acid
STAT3
NANOG
RNAi
title Sensitisation of HeLa Cell Cultures to Xanthone Treatment by RNAi-Mediated Silencing of NANOG and STAT3
title_full Sensitisation of HeLa Cell Cultures to Xanthone Treatment by RNAi-Mediated Silencing of NANOG and STAT3
title_fullStr Sensitisation of HeLa Cell Cultures to Xanthone Treatment by RNAi-Mediated Silencing of NANOG and STAT3
title_full_unstemmed Sensitisation of HeLa Cell Cultures to Xanthone Treatment by RNAi-Mediated Silencing of NANOG and STAT3
title_short Sensitisation of HeLa Cell Cultures to Xanthone Treatment by RNAi-Mediated Silencing of NANOG and STAT3
title_sort sensitisation of hela cell cultures to xanthone treatment by rnai mediated silencing of nanog and stat3
topic xanthones
α-mangostin
gambogic acid
STAT3
NANOG
RNAi
url https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/47/7/529
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AT dorotazelaszczyk sensitisationofhelacellculturestoxanthonetreatmentbyrnaimediatedsilencingofnanogandstat3
AT henrykmarona sensitisationofhelacellculturestoxanthonetreatmentbyrnaimediatedsilencingofnanogandstat3
AT ilonaannabednarek sensitisationofhelacellculturestoxanthonetreatmentbyrnaimediatedsilencingofnanogandstat3