Research Article |
Corresponding author: Pongsakorn Martviset ( psktar@gmail.com ) Academic editor: Mikhail Korokin
© 2022 Pathanin Chantree, Sirilak Chumkiew, Mantana Jamklang, Pongsakorn Martviset.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Chantree P, Chumkiew S, Jamklang M, Martviset P (2022) Cytotoxic activities of ethanolic crude extracts from fruiting bodies of bamboo mushrooms (Dictyophora spp.) against cholangiocarcinoma cells. Research Results in Pharmacology 8(1): 33-41. https://doi.org/10.3897/rrpharmacology.8.72098
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Introduction: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly progressive tumor. The standard chemotherapy varies in its effectiveness, with generally low efficacy. So, the discovery of novel chemotherapy is still required. The objective of this preliminary study was to determine the cytotoxic effects induced by three kinds of bamboo mushrooms (Dictyophora indusiata or Chinese bamboo mushroom; Ch-DTP, Short skirt bamboo mushroom (Thai isolate); Th-DTP, and orange skirt bamboo mushroom; Or-DTP) on CCA cells.
Materials and methods: CCA cell lines, including CL-6, HuCCT1, HuH28, and OUMS normal fibroblast cells, were treated with various concentrations of DTP extracts. The MTT assay was used to determine cytotoxicity, and cell morphology was observed by using phase-contrast microscopy.
Results and discussion: The results suggested that Ch-DTP effectively killed all three CCA cell lines in both low (0.3 mg/mL) and high (0.6 mg/mL) doses, but Th-DTP and Or-DTP had significantly reduced cell viability only at high doses (p<0.001). Ch-DTP had the best effect by showing a response of more than 50% at a concentration of 0.3 mg/mL. Th-DTP had moderate effects at a concentration of lower than 0.6 mg/mL but worthwhile at higher concentrations, whereas Or-DTP had limited effects at concentrations of 0.4 mg/mL and downward, although the effects were significantly increased in the higher concentration range. Morphology of the Ch-DTP treated cells was greatly transformed both at low and high doses, but Th-DTP and Or-DTP showed definite alteration only at high doses. The morphological changes revealed apoptotic induction. In OUMS cells, no effects were recognized with any of the three DTPs.
Conclusion: This study indicated that DTP extracts could induce cytotoxicity in cholangiocarcinoma, with a high potential of being an effective therapeutic agent.
Graphical abstract:
bile duct cancer, bamboo mushroom, cytotoxicity
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly proliferative and progressive tumor originating from cholangiocytes, the bile duct epithelium cells (
Dictyophora
spp., or bamboo mushrooms, are a group of fungi in the family Phallaceae. They are distributed mainly in tropical areas of Asia, Africa, America, and Australia. They are characterized by a fruiting body with a conically shaped stalk and a delicate net-like white skirt arranged longitudinally (
There are bioactivity studies of D. indusiata extracts, both in vitro and in vivo. The water-soluble polysaccharide extracts have been shown to have a free radical scavenging effect against hydroxyl radicals (
Regarding anticancer effects, the crude polysaccharide extract of D. indusiata has been shown to exert cytotoxicity in the osteosarcoma S180 cell lines (
In this study, we evaluated the anticancer effects of three Dictyophora spp. ethanolic crude extracts on three cholangiocarcinoma cell lines (CL-6, HuCCT1, and HuH28). Our results suggested anticancer activity of Dictyophora spp. extracts that may be favorable for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma in the future.
Three kinds of bamboo mushrooms (Dictyophora indusiata, or Chinese bamboo mushroom; Ch-DTP, short skirt bamboo mushroom (Thai isolate); Th-DTP, and orange skirt bamboo mushroom; Or-DTP) were used in this study as they are the major bamboo mushrooms found in Thailand. The fruiting bodies of bamboo mushrooms were bought from farms located in Prachinburi, Nakhon-Ratchasima, and Khonkaen provinces. The external morphology of the three bamboo mushrooms is illustrated in Fig.
Three CCA cell lines, including of intrahepatic origin; CL-6 and HuCCT1, and extrahepatic origin; HuH28, were cultured in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum and 100 U/mL penicillin/streptomycin (Gibco, ThermoFisher Scientific, Rockford, IL, USA) at 37 °C under a 5% CO2 atmosphere. CL-6 cell was kindly provided by Associate Professor Adisak Wongkajornsilp, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Sirisaj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand. HuCCT1 and Huh28 cells were obtained from the Japanese Collection of Research Bioresources Cell Bank (JCRB Cell Bank, Osaka, Japan). The cells were regularly sub-cultured according to the doubling time of each cell line, by using 0.25% trypsin-EDTA (Gibco, ThermoFisher Scientific, Rockford, IL, USA). OUMS fibroblast cells were used as a normal control of treatment by Dictyophora spp. fruiting body ethanolic crude extracts. They were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum and 100 U/mL penicillin/streptomycin (Gibco, ThermoScientific, USA) under the same conditions as the CCA cells.
The CL-6, HuCCT1, HuH28, and OUMS cells were plated onto 96-well microtiter plates (1×104 cells/well) and cultured at 37 °C under 5% CO2 atmosphere for 24 h. The quality of the cells was observed under an inverted light microscope before treating with ethanolic crude extract of Dictyophora spp. fruiting bodies. For evaluation of cytotoxicity, the cells were treated with various concentrations of ethanolic crude extracts of Ch-DTP, Th-DTP, and Or-DTP fruiting bodies (800, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, and 50 µg/mL) diluted in 50% ethanol. The vehicle control (final concentration of 5% ethanol) was tested simultaneously. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was used as a reference compound. The cells were incubated at 37 °C under 5% CO2 for 48 h. After incubation, 20 µL of MTT reagent (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) was added to each well and incubated for 3 hours. The culture media containing MTT reagent were removed by careful pipetting, and the precipitates were dissolved by DMSO. The absorbance was measured at a wavelength of 570 nm. The experiment was performed in three independent assays, each in triplicate. The IC50 (concentration that inhibits cell growth by 50%) was calculated using CalcuSynTM (Biosoft, Cambridge, UK).
The concentration-response of the three CCA cell lines following exposure to various concentrations of ethanolic crude extracts of Ch-DTP, Th-DTP, and Or-DTP fruiting bodies (800, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, and 50 µg/mL), was determined by MTT assay (Sigma-Aldrich, Mannheim, Germany) as mentioned earlier. The concentration-response curves were calculated using the analysis software CalcuSyn (Biosoft, Cambridge, UK).
The statistical analysis was performed using Prism GraphPad version 6 (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA). Data are expressed as mean ± SD values. A comparison of more than two quantitative data sets was performed using ANOVA. A comparison of the two quantitative data sets was performed using an independent t-test or paired t-test, where appropriate. The statistical significance was set at α = 0.05.
Cell viability results suggest that Ch-DTP effectively killed all three CCA cell lines at both low (0.3 mg/mL) and high (0.6 mg/mL) doses. Th-DTP and Or-DTP had nominal effects at low doses, but significantly reduced cell viability at high doses as shown in Fig.
Cell viabilities of three CCA cell lines (CL-6, HuCCT1, and HuH28) and OUMS normal fibroblasts treated with ethanolic crude extracts of (A) Ch-DTP, (B) Th-DTP, and (C) Or-DTP fruiting bodies. (* represents statistically significant differences at p<0.001, Chinese bamboo mushroom; Ch-DTP, short skirt bamboo mushroom (Thai isolate); Th-DTP, orange skirt bamboo mushroom; Or-DTP).
The observation of cell morphological alterations after treatment with ethanolic crude extracts of Ch-DTP, Th-DTP, and Or-DTP fruiting bodies was performed under a phase-contrast microscope in order to verify the efficacy of the extracts. The untreated cells and ethanol-treated cells were not different. In contrast, the Ch-DTP treated cells were greatly transformed at both low and high doses. Correspondingly, in cell viability assays, Th-DTP and Or-DTP showed little alteration at low doses, but a major change at high doses. In OUMS, no effects were recognized for any DTP extracts. Cell appearance is illustrated in Figs
Cell morphological changes after treating with ethanolic crude extracts of Ch-DTP fruiting bodies in three CCA cell lines (CL-6, HuCCT1, and HuH28) and OUMS normal fibroblasts (Chinese bamboo mushroom; Ch-DTP) (20X amplification).
Cell morphological changes after treating with ethanolic crude extracts of Th-DTP fruiting bodies in three CCA cell lines (CL-6, HuCCT1, and HuH28) and OUMS normal fibroblasts (Short skirt bamboo mushroom (Thai isolate); Th-DTP) (20X amplification).
Cell morphological changes after treating with ethanolic crude extracts of Or-DTP fruiting bodies in three CCA cell lines (CL-6, HuCCT1, and HuH28) and OUMS normal fibroblasts (Orange skirt bamboo mushroom; Or-DTP) (20X amplification).
The IC50 (mean ± SD) of Ch-DTP against CL-6, HuCCT1, and HuH28 were 0.32±0.06, 0.29±0.03, and 0.33±0.001 mg/mL, respectively. The IC50 of Th-DTP against CL-6, HuCCT1, and HuH28 were 0.48±0.01, 0.49±0.02, and 0.47±0.01 mg/mL, respectively. The IC50 of Or-DTP against CL-6, HuCCT1, and HuH28 were 0.53±0.03, 0.50±0.03, and 0.48±0.02 mg/mL, respectively. Lastly, the IC50 of the standard drug (5-FU) were 0.09±0.02, 0.09±0.01, and 0.12±0.02 mg/mL, respectively. The IC50 of Ch-DTP-treated cells were significantly different from other DPT-treated cells with p<0.05 in all three cells. The IC50 of all three cells are summarized in Table
IC50 of Ethanolic Crude Extracts of Ch-DTP, Th-DTP, and Or-DTP Fruiting Bodies Against Three Cholangiocarcinoma Cell Lines in Units of mg/mL
Bamboo mushrooms | IC50 (mean ± SD) against CCA cell lines (mg/mL) | ||
---|---|---|---|
CL-6 | HuCCT1 | HuH28 | |
Ch-DTP | 0.32±0.06 | 0.29±0.03 | 0.33±0.001 |
Th-DTP | 0.48±0.01 | 0.49±0.02 | 0.47±0.01 |
Or-DTP | 0.53±0.03 | 0.50±0.03 | 0.48±0.02 |
5-FU | 0.09±0.02 | 0.09±0.01 | 0.12±0.02 |
The concentration-response analysis showed the efficacy of ethanolic crude extracts of Ch-DTP, Th-DTP, and Or-DTP fruiting bodies against three cholangiocarcinoma cell lines. Ch-DTP had the best effect, showing a response of more than 50% at a concentration of 0.3 mg/mL to nearly 100% at 0.6 to 0.8 mg/mL in all CCA cell lines. The Th-DTP had moderate effects at concentrations below 0.6 mg/mL, but worthwhile ones at higher concentrations. On the other hand, Or-DTP had limited effects below 0.4 mg/mL, but the effects were significantly increased at higher concentrations. In OUMS fibroblasts, ethanolic crude extracts of Ch-DTP, Th-DTP, and Or-DTP fruiting bodies had no effect. The concentration-response curves are shown in Fig.
Mushrooms have been valued throughout the world, both as food and medicine because they possess high contents of nutrients (
One distinct property of cancer cell is their resistance to apoptotic induction (
In the present study, the ethanolic crude extracts of three bamboo mushrooms (Dictyophora spp.) fruiting bodies exerted cytotoxicity on cholangiocarcinoma cell lines. We have hypothesized that this effect was exerted through apoptotic induction regarding the characteristics of cellular morphological changes after treatment. Nevertheless, other anticancer effects of those extracts, including autophagy and cell cycle arrest induction, as well as the related signaling pathways, should be further elucidated.
The cytotoxicity of ethanolic crude extracts of three bamboo mushrooms (Dictyophora spp.) fruiting bodies, including Chinese bamboo mushroom (Ch-DTP), short skirt bamboo mushroom (Th-DTP), and orange skirt bamboo mushroom (Or-DTP), against cholangiocarcinoma (CAA) were determined by cell viability, IC50, concentration-response, and morphological change analyses. The results suggest that Ch-DTP revealed the best cytotoxicity effect against cholangiocarcinoma cells followed by Th-DTP, and Or-DTP, respectively.
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
This study was financially supported by the Thammasat University Research Unit in Nutraceuticals and Food Safety, and Center of Excellence in Microbial Technology for Agricultural Industry, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand. The CCA cell lines were kindly provided by Professor Kesara Na-Bangchang, Graduate Program in Bioclinical Sciences, Chulabhon International College of Medicine, Thammasat University, Thailand.
Pathanin Chantree, Ph.D., D.V.M., Assistant Professor of the Division of Anatomy, Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand; e-mail: pathaninchan@gmail.com, ORCID ID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4974-9584. The author defined the idea of research and developed a research plan, took part in conducting experimental work, collecting and analyzing data, writing and editing the text of the article.
Sirilak Chumkiew, Ph.D., Lecturer of the School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon-Ratchasima, Thailand; e-mail: s.chumkiew@gmail.com, ORCID ID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0871-588X. The author defined the idea of research and took part in preparing the raw materials and extracts.
Mantana Jamklang, Ph.D., Lecturer of School of Preclinic, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon-Ratchasima, Thailand; e-mail: mjamklang@sut.ac.th, ORCID ID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5657-4156. The author defined the idea of research and took part in preparing the raw materials and extracts.
Pongsakorn Martviset, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Division of Parasitology, Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand; e-mail: psktar@gmail.com, pong_m@tu.ac.th, ORCID ID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4168-5950. The author defined the idea of research and developed a research plan, took part in conducting experimental work, collecting and analyzing data, writing and editing the text of the article.