Fusarochromanone (FC101) is a flavonoid natural product that is produced by the symbiotic fungus, Fusarium equiseti.  In this study we tested the hypothesis that FC101's molecular targets could be regulators of cell cycle, cancer signal transduction, and programmed cell death (apoptosis). The detailed effects of FC101 on these processes were determined for a panel of human cancer cell types (skin, breast, prostate, brain, and bladder).  A number of different cell-based assays including MTS, FACS, cell cycle profile, and western blotting were employed to assess the in-vitro biological effect on the FC101-treated cells versus those of the control cells.  Our data shows that the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic properties of FC101 are caspase-dependent, occurring through an extrinsic mechanism. In addition, our data also suggests that FC101's induction of cancer cell death is in part due to the activation of the p38 MAPK and inhibition of p- 4E-BP1 (T37/46) mTOR signaling pathways.  We believe that FC101 holds promise as an anticancer agent due to its unique molecular mechanism especially as a modulator of both mTOR and MAPK, two master kinases that regulates cell proliferation, growth, and apoptosis.

Evaluating the therapeutic potential of a potent anticancer agent, Fusarochromanone

248th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.