Piperlongumine induces gastric cancer cell apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest both in vitro and in vivo

Recently, several studies have shown that piperlongumine (PL) can selectively kill cancer cells by targeting reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the potential therapeutic effects and detailed mechanism of PL in gastric cancer are still not clear. In the current report, we found that PL significantly suppressed gastric cancer both in vitro and in vivo. PL obviously increased ROS generation in gastric cancer cells. Anti-oxidant glutathione (GSH) and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) can abrogate PL-induced gastric cancer cell death and proliferation inhibition. GADD45α was induced in PL-treated cancer cells and led to G2/M phase arrest, whereas genetic depletion of GADD45α by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) could partly reverse PL-induced cell cycle arrest in gastric cancer cells. Interestingly, we also found that PL treatment decreased the expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene, which plays an essential role in cancer initiation and progression. Our findings thus revealed a potential anti-tumor effect of PL on gastric cancer cells and may have therapeutic implications.