Glycine and Succinic Acid Are Effective Indicators of the Suppression of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Fucoxanthinol in Colorectal Cancer Stem-Like Cells
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414 ONCOLOGY REPORTS 40: 414-424, 2018 Glycine and succinic acid are effective indicators of the suppression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition by fucoxanthinol in colorectal cancer stem-like cells MASARU TERASAKI1,2, MASATOSHI MIMA1, SATOKI KUDOH1, TETSUYA ENDO1, HAYATO MAEDA3, JUNICHI HAMADA2,4, KAZUMI OSADA5, KAZUO MIYASHITA6 and MICHIHIRO MUTOH7 1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and 2Cancer Prevention Laboratories, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0293; 3Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8561; 4School of Nursing and Social Services, and 5School of Dentistry, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0293; 6Laboratory of Biofunctional Material Chemistry, Division of Marine Bioscience, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611; 7Epidemiology and Preventions Group, Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan Received November 21, 2017; Accepted March 30, 2018 DOI: 10.3892/or.2018.6398 Abstract. Fucoxanthinol (FxOH) is a strong anticancer Csps derived from human CRC HT-29 and HCT116 cells were metabolite of fucoxanthin that accumulates in abundance also altered. According to our metabolite profiling by GC-MS in edible brown algae and promises human health benefits. analysis, reduced glycine and succinic acid levels were corre- FxOH has been shown to suppress tumorigenicity and sphere lated with EMT suppression and apoptosis induction in Csps. formation in human colorectal cancer stem cell (CCSC)-like Our data indicate that simple amino acids such as glycine and spheroids (colonospheres, Csps). In the present study, we succinic acid may be good prognostic indicators of physi- aimed to clarify the inhibitory activity of FxOH on epithelial- ological changes to CCSCs induced by FxOH treatment. mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is essential for cancer recurrence and distant metastasis, and to identify intracel- Introduction lular low-molecular-weight metabolites that may be useful for evaluating the cellular effects of FxOH on CCSCs. FxOH Fucoxanthin (Fx) is a non-provitamin A of high polar xantho- significantly suppressed sphere-forming activity, migration and phyll that has an unusual allenic bond, an epoxide group and a invasion in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, treatment conjugated carbonyl group in a polyene chain. Fx occurs domi- with 50 µmol/l FxOH suppressed N-cadherin and vimentin nantly in marine brown algae and diatoms and is responsible expression and the activation of integrin signaling linked to for photosynthesis and photoprotection. Undaria pinnatifida EMT suppression by western blot analysis. MAPK signaling (wakame), Hizikia fusiforme (hiziki) and Sargassum horneri and STAT signaling related to cell growth and apoptosis in (akamoku) are particularly excellent sources of Fx among Japanese algal foods (1,2). It has been demonstrated that Fx is extremely safe in terms of toxicity, showing no adverse effects in animal experiments (3,4). Several researchers have conclu- Correspondence to: Dr Masaru Terasaki, School of Pharmaceutical sively reported the anticancer (5-7), anti-inflammatory (8), Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, 1757 Kanazawa, anti-diabetic (9) and anti-obesity effects of Fx in animals Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0293, Japan and humans (10,11). Moreover, Fx possesses strong potential E-mail: [email protected] for cell growth inhibition and the induction of apoptosis in human neuroblastoma, gastric cancer, hepatoma, colorectal Abbreviations: CCSCs, colorectal cancer stem cells; CD44s, CD44 cancer (CRC) and promyelocytic leukemia cells (12-16). Fx standard form; CD44v, CD44 variant forms; Csps, colonospheres; is metabolically converted to fucoxanthinol (FxOH) (Fig. 1) DEN, diethylnitrosamine; DMEM, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's and amarouciaxanthin A (Amx A) in the mouse intestine medium; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; DW, distilled water; EMT, and liver (17). After the oral administration of wakame or Fx epithelial-mesenchymal transition; FBS, fetal bovine serum; FxOH, fucoxanthinol; Fx, fucoxanthin; 2-IPMA, 2-isopropylmalic acid; concentrate in humans, higher levels of FxOH and lower levels MSTFA, N-methyl-N(trimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetate; PCs, parental of cis-FxOH have been detected in human plasma (18,19). cells; PPAR, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor; SCM, stem Thus, FxOH is an important indicator of Fx function and may cell medium be a promising candidate for human cancer chemoprevention. FxOH significantly attenuated the proliferation of cancer cells Key words: fucoxanthinol, colonosphere, colorectal cancer stem derived and cultured from human CRC tissue (20). However, cells, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metabolite despite the strong anticancer effects of FxOH, its underlying mechanisms are not well known. terasaki et al: METABOLITE INDICATORS OF EMT ATTENUATION BY FUCOXANTHINOL IN COLONOSPHERES 415 CRC is the third most common cause of cancer-related the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC; Manassas, VA, death worldwide, and therefore it is urgent to reduce CRC USA). These cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's prevalence (21). Although non- or less polar carotenoids such medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated as β-carotene and lutein exhibit cancer preventive effects, fetal bovine serum (FBS), 4 mM L-glutamine, 40,000 U/l as shown in many epidemiological studies, their utility has penicillin and 40 mg/l streptomycin. All other chemicals and ‘insufficient evidence’. In the case of Fx or brown algae, solvents were of analytical grade. prospective clinical trials, cohorts or follow-back studies for cancer prevention have not been attempted. Colonosphere formation. HT-29 and HCT116 parental cells CRC stem cells (CCSCs) occupy only a small subset of (PCs) were trypsinized from culture plates, washed twice with CRC tissue, but they are thought to play a central role in cancer PBS, suspended in stem cell medium (SCM) composed of development. Self-renewal, differentiation, sphere formation, DMEM/F12 medium, 20 ng/ml EGF, 10 ng/ml bFGF, 0.2% B27 and tumorigenicity in immunodeficient animals have been and an antibiotic-anti-mycotic agent, plated at a density of characterized for CCSCs (22,23). CCSCs often acquire an 3x104 cells/ml SCM in 10-cm dishes or 24-well ultra-low epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype accom- attachment plates (Corning Inc., Corning, NY, USA) and incu- panied by the activation of related proteins, and EMT not only bated for 2 days at 37˚C in a humidified atmosphere containing promotes their migration and invasion, but is also believed to be 5% CO2. All experiments utilizing colonospheres (Csps) a leading cause of CRC recurrence and distant metastasis (24). described below were performed using Csps grown for 2 days. Therefore, attenuation of the EMT phenotype of CCSCs may represent a promising approach for cancer prevention, cancer Analysis of the suppression of colonosphere formation. recurrence/metastasis prevention and survival rate elonga- Csps derived from HT-29 and HCT116 PCs were formed in tion. It is well known that spheroids formed from CRC cells, a 24-well ultra-low attachment plate for 2 days. After the called colonospheres (Csps), are considered a representative Csps formed, a total of 2-10 mM FxOH reconstituted in CCSC model phenotype since they contain a high abundance dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was applied to the cell medium of CCSCs and possess sphere reconstruction and tumorigenic at a final concentration of 10-50 µM (0.5 v/v%), or vehicle capacities (22,23,25). We recently revealed that FxOH strongly alone (DMSO) was applied. The cells were harvested and induces the apoptosis of HT-29 Csps and attenuates tumori- trypsinized after incubation for 24 h. Viable cells in Csps genicity in a xenograft mouse model (26). However, little were counted using a trypan blue exclusion method. The information regarding the EMT-suppressing effects of FxOH Csps treated with FxOH were treated with ribonuclease A, on CCSCs or Csps is available to date. Moreover, there are no stained with propidium iodide (PI) and subjected to flow studies reports regarding the anti-metastatic effects of FxOH cytometry. The percentage of apoptotic cells (sub-G1, hypo- in in vivo setting. Thus, we aimed to clarify the inhibitory diploid cells) was estimated by a FACSaria-III flow cytometer activity of FxOH on EMT in the present study. (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA). Intracellular low-molecular-weight metabolites that are essential for regulating energy systems such as glycolysis Western blot analysis. pAkt (Ser473) (cat. no. 4060), β-catenin and the TCA cycle are suggested to be prognostic indicators (cat. no. 9582), pβ-catenin (Ser31/37/Thr42) (cat. no. 9561), representing cellular genomic and proteomic alterations after cyclin D1 (cat. no. 2922) and PPARγ (cat. no. 2435) anti- encounters with various endogenous and exogenous stimuli. bodies and phospho-ERK1/2 pathway (cat. no. 9911) and Comprehensive metabolite analyses have revealed many phospho-Stat antibody sampler (cat. no. 9914) kits were marker metabolite candidates in serum, plasma, urine and purchased from Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. (Danvers, cancer tissue in CRC patients and an animal model (27-29). MA, USA). β-actin (cat. no. GTX109639), E-cadherin Therefore, intracellular low-molecular-weight metabolites (cat. no. GTX100443), N-cadherin (cat.