Paeonol Inhibits Glioma Growth In Vivo and In Vitro by Inducing Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest

Glioma is the most common primary brain tumors with diverse biological behavior. Paeonol, a phenolic component extracted from the root bark of Paeonia x suffruticosa Andrews, Paeoniaceae, has demonstrated cytotoxic and potential anti-cancer effects both in vitro and in vivo. However, the potential impact and underlying mechanisms of paeonol on glioma remain elusive. The anti-glioma function of paeonol was examined by cell counting kit-8, cell cycle assay, and annexin V/PI apoptosis detection kit. Additionally, xenograft experiment was applied to investigate the inhibitory effect of paeonol in vivo. Finally, the change of apoptosis-related factors mediated by paeonol was detected via quantitative real-time PCR and western blot. In CCK8 assay, the IC50 values of paeonol in U87MG cells were 473.85 mu g/ml at 24 h and 401.20 mu g/ml at 48 h, respectively. Similarly, the IC50 values of PAE in U251 cells were 120.60 mu g/ml at 24 h and 87.62 mu g/ml at 48 h, respectively. Moreover, paeonol significantly induced the apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G1 phase of glioma cells. Furthermore, paeonol remarkably suppressed the growth of glioma cells in vivo. Mechanically, PAE induced the apoptosis of glioma cells via upregulating the anti-apoptotic proteins BAX, BID and BAK, and downregulating the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2.