Triacontanoic ester of 5ʹʹ-hydroxyjustisolin: Tumour suppressive role in cervical cancer via. BCL-2, BAX and Caspase-3 mediated signalling

Abstract Triacontanoic ester of 5ʺ -hydroxyjustisolin, a lignan from Justicia simplex D. Don, possesses antitumor activity. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this is not yet clearly understood. The present study showed significant inhibition in cell viability on HeLa cell line and induced minor toxicity in normal cells. This compound induced mitotic arrest at G0/G1 phase followed by apoptosis in human cervical cancer cells. This was accompanied by the up-regulation of BAX, caspase-3 and down-regulation of Bcl-2. Taken together, these data reveal that the title compound acts through multiple cellular/molecular pathways, which strongly suggest the role of pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins. Triacontanoic acid ester of 5ʹʹ-hydroxyjustisolin may be a potential agent for cervical cancer treatment.