Neokestose suppresses the growth of human melanoma A2058 cells via inhibition of the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway

Neokestose has superior prebiotic effects compared with the commercial fructooligosaccharides (FOS). In addition, the branched structure of neokestose, a type of neo-FOS, confers improved chemical stability compared with conventional FOS; therefore, the investigation of the branched structure by the present study may be of high biomedical value. The present study aimed to determine whether neokestose may suppress growth of the A2058 melanoma cell line. The cells were initially treated with neokestose; subsequently, in vitro cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT, and cell cycle progression and apoptosis were detected using flow cytometry. The protein expression levels of cyclin D1, phosphorylated (p)-inhibitor of kappa B (I kappa B) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) were determined using western blotting. Treatment with neokestose led to a dose-dependent inhibition of cell viability. Flow cytometry data indicated that neokestose increased the sub-G(1) cell population, and induced early and late apoptosis. Western blot analysis revealed that neokestose treatment reduced the expression levels of p-I kappa B and cyclin D1. These findings suggest that neokestose treatment may induce suppression of A2058 melanoma cell viability via inhibition of the NF-kappa B pathway. The present findings support the requirement for further investigation into the potential use of neokestose as an additional or chemopreventive therapeutic agent for the treatment of melanoma.