Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34078370›Full record

ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2021

Cryptolepine inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth through inhibiting interleukin-6/STAT3 signalling.

Seth A Domfeh, Patrick W Narkwa, Osbourne Quaye, Kwadwo A Kusi, Gordon A Awandare, Charles Ansah, Alimatu Salam, Mohamed Mutocheluh

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Seth A DomfehWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
Patrick W NarkwaDepartment of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Osbourne QuayeWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
Kwadwo A KusiWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
Gordon A AwandareWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
Charles AnsahDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Alimatu SalamManhyia Government Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Mohamed MutocheluhDepartment of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. mmutocheluh.chs@knust.edu.gh.
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology · GHUniversity of Ghana · GHNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research · GH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiverse signalling pathways are involved in carcinogenesis and one of such pathways implicated in many cancers is the interleukin 6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (IL-6/STAT3) signalling pathway. Therefore, inhibition of this pathway is targeted as an anti-cancer intervention. This study aimed to establish the effect of cryptolepine, which is the main bioactive alkaloid in the medicinal plant Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, on the IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathway.

methodsFirst, the effect of cryptolepine on the IL-6/STAT3 pathway in human hepatoma cells (HepG2 cells) was screened using the Cignal Finder Multi-Pathway Reporter Array. Next, to confirm the effect of cryptolepine on the IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathway, the pathway was activated using 200 ng/mL IL-6 in the presence of 0.5-2 μM cryptolepine. The levels of total STAT3, p-STAT3 and IL-23 were assessed by ELISA.

resultsCryptolepine downregulated 12 signalling pathways including the IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathway and upregulated 17 signalling pathways. Cryptolepine, in the presence of IL-6, decreased the levels of p-STAT3 and IL-23 in a dose-dependent fashion.

conclusionOur results demonstrated that cryptolepine inhibits the IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathway, and therefore cryptolepine-based remedies such as Cryptolepis sanguinolenta could potentially be used as an effective immunotherapeutic agent for hepatocellular carcinoma and other cancers.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Agents, PhytogenicCarcinoma, HepatocellularCryptolepisHep G2 CellsHumansIndole AlkaloidsInterleukin-6Liver NeoplasmsQuinolinesSignal TransductionSTAT3 Transcription FactorAntineoplastic Agents, PhytogeniccryptolepineIL6 protein, humanIndole AlkaloidsInterleukin-6QuinolinesSTAT3 protein, humanSTAT3 Transcription FactorAnti-cancerCarcinogenesisCryptolepineHepatomaIL-6/STAT3

Identifiers

PMID34078370
PMCPMC8170807
OpenAlexW3164886893

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.