5-methoxytryptophan induced apoptosis and PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a phosphorylation in colorectal cancer

Background: Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is a highly prevalent malignancy worldwide, and new therapeutic targets urgently need to be found to prolong patient survival. 5-methoxytryptophan (5-MTP) is a tryptophan metabolite found in Animals and humans. However, the effects of 5-MTP on proliferation and Apoptosis of CRC cells are currently unknown.

Aim: To investigate the effects of 5-MTP on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and Apoptosis abilities of CRC cells. Additionally, we seek to explore whether 5-MTP has the potential to be utilized as a drug for the treatment of CRC.

Methods: In order to evaluate the effect of 5-MTP on CRC cells, a series of experiments were conducted for evaluation. Colony formation assay and Cell Counting Kit 8 assays were used to investigate the impact of 5-MTP on the proliferation of CRC cell lines. Cell cycle assays were employed to examine the effect of 5-MTP on cellular growth. In addition, we investigated the effects of 5-MTP on Apoptosis and Reactive Oxygen Species in HCT-116 cells. To obtain a deeper understanding of how 5-MTP affects CRC, we conducted a study to examine its influence on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in CRC cells.

Results: This article showed that 5-MTP promoted Apoptosis and cell cycle arrest and inhibited cell proliferation in CRC cells. In many articles, it has been reported that PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a signaling pathway is one of the most important signaling pathways involved in internal regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. Nevertheless, 5-MTP combined with PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a signaling pathway inhibitors significantly promoted Apoptosis and cell cycle arrest and inhibited cell proliferation in CRC cells compared with 5-MTP alone in our study.

Conclusion: Therefore, there is strong evidence that 5-MTP can be used as an effective medicine for CRC treatment.

5-methoxytryptophan; Apoptosis; Cell cycle arrest; Colorectal cancer; PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.