Polydatin Increases Radiosensitivity by Inducing Apoptosis of Stem Cells in Colorectal Cancer

Polydatin radiosensitizes lung cancer while preventing radiation injuries by modulating tumor-infiltrating B cells

BACKGROUND

Acquired radio-resistance and the undesired normal tissue radiation injuries seriously discount the therapeutic effect of lung cancer radiotherapy. In this study, we aimed to explore the role and potential mechanism of polydatin in simultaneously decreasing radioresistance and radiation injuries.

METHODS

The tumor-bearing model of nude mice was used to investigate the tumor inhibition of polydatin on lung cancer and its effect on radiosensitivity, and the effect of polydatin on B cell infiltration in cancerous tissue was investigated. In addition, we performed systemic radiotherapy on BABL/C mice and evaluated the protective effect of polydatin on radiation injury by the Kaplan-Meier survival curve. Moreover, the regulation of polydatin on proliferation and apoptosis of A549 cells was also investigated in vitro.

RESULTS

In this study, it is first found that polydatin inhibits the growth and promotes the radiosensitivity of lung cancer while reducing the radiation damage of the healthy tissue. Further, it is evidenced that the major mechanism relies on its regulation on body's immune function, and in particular, the inhibition of radiation-induced B cell infiltration in tumor tissue.

CONCLUSION

These findings show that in addition to tumor inhibition, polydatin also promotes the sensitivity and reduces the adverse reactions of radiotherapy, making itself a promising candidate for boosting lung cancer radiotherapy efficacy.

Polydatin Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Proliferation and Sensitizes Doxorubicin and Cisplatin through Targeting Cell Mitotic Machinery

Polydatin (PD) is a natural compound with anticancer activities, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. To understand how PD inhibited hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we studied PD treatments in HCC HepG2 and SK-HEP1 cells, and normal liver HL-7702 cells. PD selectively blocked the proliferation of HCC cells but showed low toxicity in normal cells, while the effects of doxorubicin (DOX) and cisplatin (DDP) on HCC and normal liver cells were opposite. In the cotreatment studies, PD synergistically improved the inhibitory activities of DOX and DDP in HCC cells but alleviated their toxicity in HL-7702 cells. Furthermore, RNA-seq studies of PD-treated HepG2 cells revealed multiple altered signaling pathways. We identified 1679 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) with over a 2.0-fold change in response to PD treatment. Integrative analyses using the DEGs in PD-treated HepG2 cells and DEGs in a TCGA dataset of HCC patients revealed five PD-repressed DEGs regulating mitotic spindle midzone formation. The expression of these genes showed significantly positive correlation with poor clinical outcomes of HCC patients, suggesting that mitotic machinery was likely a primary target of PD. Our findings improve the understanding of PD's anticancer mechanisms and provide insights into developing effective clinical approaches in HCC therapies.

Targeting cancer stem cells and signalling pathways through phytochemicals: A promising approach against colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are strongly associated with high tumourigenicity, chemotherapy or radiotherapy resistance, and metastasis and recurrence, particularly in colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, targeting CSCs may be a promising approach. Recently, discovery and research on phytochemicals that effectively target colorectal CSCs have been gaining popularity because of their broad safety profile and multi-target and multi-pathway modes of action.

PURPOSE

This review aimed to elucidate and summarise the effects and mechanisms of phytochemicals with potential anti-CSC agents that could contribute to the better management of CRC.

METHODS

We reviewed PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Ovid, ScienceDirect and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases from the original publication date to March 2022 to review the mechanisms by which phytochemicals inhibit CRC progression by targeting CSCs and their key signalling pathways. Phytochemicals were classified and summarised based on the mechanisms of action.

RESULTS

We observed that phytochemicals could affect the biological properties of colorectal CSCs. Phytochemicals significantly inhibit self-renewal, migration, invasion, colony formation, and chemoresistance and induce apoptosis and differentiation of CSCs by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway (e.g., diallyl trisulfide and genistein), the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway (e.g., caffeic acid and piperlongumine), the neurogenic locus notch homolog protein pathway (e.g., honokiol, quercetin, and α-mangostin), the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway (e.g., curcumin, morin, and ursolic acid), and other key signalling pathways. It is worth noting that several phytochemicals, such as resveratrol, silibinin, evodiamine, and thymoquinone, highlight multi-target and multi-pathway effects in restraining the malignant biological behaviour of CSCs.

CONCLUSIONS

This review demonstrates the potential of targeted therapies for colorectal CSCs using phytochemicals. Phytochemicals could serve as novel therapeutic agents for CRC and aid in drug development.

Polydatin: Pharmacological Mechanisms, Therapeutic Targets, Biological Activities, and Health Benefits

Polydatin is a natural potent stilbenoid polyphenol and a resveratrol derivative with improved bioavailability. Polydatin possesses potential biological activities predominantly through the modulation of pivotal signaling pathways involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Various imperative biological activities have been suggested for polydatin towards promising therapeutic effects, including anticancer, cardioprotective, anti-diabetic, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, anti-microbial, as well as health-promoting roles on the renal system, the respiratory system, rheumatoid diseases, the skeletal system, and women's health. In the present study, the therapeutic targets, biological activities, pharmacological mechanisms, and health benefits of polydatin are reviewed to provide new insights to researchers. The need to develop further clinical trials and novel delivery systems of polydatin is also considered to reveal new insights to researchers.

The Inhibitory Effects of Anti-ERC/Mesothelin Antibody 22A31 on Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Cells, within a Mouse Xenograft Model

Simple Summary

The expression of Renal Carcinoma (ERC)/mesothelin is overexpressed in malignancies such as mesothelioma, pancreatic cancer, and ovarian cancer, and molecular-targeted therapies against ERC/mesothelin have been developed to treat them. Recently, it was revealed that ERC/mesothelin is also expressed in colorectal cancer; thus, this protein is expected to be a therapeutic target in colorectal cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that anti-ERC/mesothelin antibody 22A31 suppressed the growth of colorectal cancer cells subcutaneously xenografted on the back of mice. This is the first report to show the effectiveness of an anti-ERC/mesothelin antibody for the treatment of colorectal cancer in vivo.

Abstract

The expression of Renal Carcinoma (ERC)/mesothelin is enhanced in a variety of cancers. ERC/mesothelin contributes to cancer progression by modulating cell signals that regulate proliferation and apoptosis. Based on such biological insights, ERC/mesothelin has become a molecular target for the treatment of mesothelioma, pancreatic cancer, and ovarian cancer. Recent studies revealed about 50–60% of colorectal adenocarcinomas also express ERC/mesothelin. Therefore, colorectal cancer can also be a potential target of the treatment using an anti-ERC/mesothelin antibody. We previously demonstrated an anti-tumor effect of anti-ERC antibody 22A31 against mesothelioma. In this study, we investigated the effect of 22A31 on a colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line, HCT116. The cells were xenografted into BALB/c nu/nu mice. All mice were randomly allocated to either an antibody treatment group with 22A31 or isotype-matched control IgG1κ. We compared the volume of subsequent tumors, and tumors were pathologically assessed by immunohistochemistry. Tumors treated with 22A31 were significantly smaller than those treated with IgG1κ and contained significantly fewer mitotic cells with Ki67 staining. We demonstrated that 22A31 exhibited a growth inhibitory property on HCT116. Our results implied that ERC/mesothelin-targeted therapy might be a promising treatment for colorectal cancer.

Old dog, new tricks: Polydatin as a multitarget agent for current diseases

Polydatin (PD) is a natural single-crystal product that is primarily extracted from the traditional plant Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. Early research showed that PD exhibited a variety of biological activities. PD has attracted increasing research interest since 2014, but no review comprehensively summarized the new findings. A great gap between its biological activities and drug development remains. It is necessary to summarize new findings on the pharmacological effects of PD on current diseases. We propose that PD will most likely be used in cardiac and cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion-related diseases and atherosclerosis in the future. The present work classified these new findings according to diseases and summarized the main effects of PD via specific mechanisms of action. In summary, we found that PD played a therapeutic role in a variety of diseases, primarily via five mechanisms: antioxidative effects, antiinflammatory effects, regulation of autophagy and apoptosis, maintenance of mitochondrial function, and lipid regulation.

Emerging agents that target signaling pathways to eradicate colorectal cancer stem cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The modern concept of cancer biology indicates that cancer is formed of a small population of cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs), which present both pluripotency and self-renewal properties. These cells are considered responsible for the progression of the disease, recurrence and tumor resistance. Interestingly, some cell signaling pathways participate in CRC survival, proliferation, and self-renewal properties, and most of them are dysregulated in CSCs, including the Wingless (Wnt)/β-catenin, Notch, Hedgehog, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase/Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad pathways. In this review, we summarize the strategies for eradicating CRC stem cells by modulating these dysregulated pathways, which will contribute to the study of potential therapeutic schemes, combining conventional drugs with CSC-targeting drugs, and allowing better cure rates in anti-CRC therapy.

Cancer Stem Cell Biomarkers Predictive of Radiotherapy Response in Rectal Cancer: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Rectal cancer (RC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed and particularly challenging tumours to treat due to its location in the pelvis and close proximity to critical genitourinary organs. Radiotherapy (RT) is recognised as a key component of therapeutic strategy to treat RC, promoting the downsizing and downstaging of large RCs in neoadjuvant settings, although its therapeutic effect is limited due to radioresistance. Evidence from experimental and clinical studies indicates that the likelihood of achieving local tumour control by RT depends on the complete eradication of cancer stem cells (CSC), a minority subset of tumour cells with stemness properties.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was conducted by querying two scientific databases (Pubmed and Scopus). The search was restricted to papers published from 2009 to 2021.

RESULTS

After assessing the quality and the risk of bias, a total of 11 studies were selected as they mainly focused on biomarkers predictive of RT-response in CSCs isolated from patients affected by RC. Specifically these studies showed that elevated levels of CD133, CD44, ALDH1, Lgr5 and G9a are associated with RT-resistance and poor prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

This review aimed to provide an overview of the current scenario of in vitro and in vivo studies evaluating the biomarkers predictive of RT-response in CSCs derived from RC patients.

Co-Crystals of Resveratrol and Polydatin with L-Proline: Crystal Structures, Dissolution Properties, and In Vitro Cytotoxicities

Resveratrol (RSV) and polydatin (PD) have been widely used to treat several chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and diabetes, among several others. However, their low solubility hinders their further applications. In this work, we show that the solubility of PD can be boosted via its co-crystallization with L-proline (L-Pro). Two different phases of co-crystals, namely the RSV-L-Pro (RSV:L-Pro = 1:2) and PD-L-Pro (PD:L-Pro = 1: 3), have been prepared and characterized. As compared to the pristine RSV and PD, the solubility and dissolution rates of PD-L-Pro in water (pH 7.0) exhibited a 15.8% increase, whereas those of RSV-L-Pro exhibited a 13.8% decrease. A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay of pristine RSV, PD, RSV-L-Pro, and PD-L-Pro against lung cancer cell line A549 and human embryonic kidney cell line HEK-293 indicated that both compounds showed obvious cytotoxicity against A549, but significantly reduced cytotoxicity against HEK-293, with PD/PD-L-Pro further exhibiting better biological safety than that of RSV/RSV-L-Pro. This work demonstrated that the readily available and biocompatible L-Pro can be a promising adjuvant to optimize the physical and chemical properties of RSV and PD to improve their pharmacokinetics.

Dietary Polyphenols: Promising Adjuvants for Colorectal Cancer Therapies

Simple Summary

Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the development of novel surgical and therapeutic strategies, 50% of patients relapse after treatment. Therapy failure, due to low efficacy, adverse effects and drug resistance, is thus a major concern. The idea of combining standard therapy with non-toxic bioactive natural compounds is a recent topic in cancer research and aims to increase the efficacy of current antitumor therapies while reducing drug toxicity and adverse effects. In recent years, several studies have explored the capacity of polyphenols, dietary bioactive compounds enriched in fruit and vegetables, to act as adjuvants to improve colorectal cancer therapy. In the present review, we discuss these studies, highlighting the mechanisms underlying the adjuvant effect, and bring out the potential of this novel therapeutic approach as well as the critical issues related to clinical application.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cancer type and a leading cause of death worldwide. Despite advances in therapeutic management, the current medical treatments are not sufficient to control metastatic disease. Treatment-related adverse effects and drug resistance strongly contribute to therapy failure and tumor recurrence. Combination therapy, involving cytotoxic treatments and non-toxic natural compounds, is arousing great interest as a promising more effective and safer alternative. Polyphenols, a heterogeneous group of bioactive dietary compounds mainly found in fruit and vegetables, have received great attention for their capacity to modulate various molecular pathways active in cancer cells and to affect host anticancer response. This review provides a summary of the most recent (i.e., since 2016) preclinical and clinical studies using polyphenols as adjuvants for CRC therapies. These studies highlight the beneficial effects of dietary polyphenols in combination with cytotoxic drugs or irradiation on both therapy outcome and drug resistance. Despite substantial preclinical evidence, data from a few pilot clinical trials are available to date with promising but still inconclusive results. Larger randomized controlled studies and polyphenol formulations with improved bioavailability are needed to translate the research progress into clinical applications and definitively prove the added value of these molecules in CRC management.

Polydatin, a Glycoside of Resveratrol, Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Metastasis Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells In Vitro

Although various methods, such as surgery and chemotherapy, are applied to the treatment of OSCC, there are problems, such as functional and aesthetic limitations of the mouth and face, drug side effects, and lymph node metastasis. Many researchers are making efforts to develop new therapeutic agents from plant-derived substances to overcome the side effects that occur in oral cancer treatment. Polydatin is known as a natural precursor of resveratrol, and research on its efficacy is being actively conducted recently. Therefore, we investigated whether polydatin can induce apoptosis and whether it affects cell migration and invasion through the regulation of EMT-related factors in OSCC. Polydatin decreased the survival and proliferation rates of CAL27 and Ca9-22 cells, and induced the release of cytochrome c, a factor related to apoptosis, and fragmentation of procaspase-3 and PARP. Another form of cell death, autophagy, was observed in polydatin-treated cells. In addition, polydatin inhibits cell migration and invasion, and it has been shown to occur through increased expression of E-cadherin, an EMT related factor, and decreased expression of N-cadherin and Slug and Snail proteins and genes. These findings suggest that polydatin is a potential oral cancer treatment.

Combination of UPLC-Q-TOF/MS and Network Pharmacology to Reveal the Mechanism of Qizhen Decoction in the Treatment of Colon Cancer

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been utilized for the treatment of colon cancer. Qizhen decoction (QZD), a potential compound prescription of TCM, possesses multiple biological activities. It has been proven clinically effective in the treatment of colon cancer. However, the molecular mechanism of anticolon cancer activity is still not clear. This study aimed to identify the chemical composition of QZD. Furthermore, a collaborative analysis strategy of network pharmacology and cell biology was used to further explore the critical signaling pathway of QZD anticancer activity. First, ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was performed to identify the chemical composition of QZD. Then, the chemical composition database of QZD was constructed based on a systematic literature search and review of chemical constituents. Moreover, the common and indirect targets of chemical components of QZD and colon cancer were searched by multiple databases. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the String database (https://www.string-db.org/). All of the targets were analyzed by Gene Oncology (GO) bioanalysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and the visual network topology diagram of "Prescription-TCM-Chemical composition-Direct target-Indirect target-Pathway" was constructed by Cytoscape software (v3.7.1). The top molecular pathway ranked by statistical significance was further verified by molecular biology methods. The results of UPLC-Q-TOF/MS showed that QZD had 111 kinds of chemical components, of which 103 were unique components and 8 were common components. Ten pivotal targets of QZD in the treatment of colon cancer were screened by the PPI network. Targets of QZD involve many biological processes, such as the signaling pathway, immune system, gene expression, and so on. QZD may interfere with biological pathways such as cell replication, oxygen-containing compounds, or organic matter by protein binding, regulation of signal receptors or enzyme binding, and affect cytoplasm and membrane-bound organelles. The main antitumor core pathways were the apoptosis metabolic pathway, the PI3K-Akt signal pathway, and so on. Expression of the PI3K-Akt signal pathway was significantly downregulated after the intervention of QZD, which was closely related to the inhibition of proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells by cell biology methods. The present work may facilitate a better understanding of the effective components, therapeutic targets, biological processes, and signaling pathways of QZD in the treatment of colon cancer and provide useful information about the utilization of QZD.

Radiosensitizing effects of curcumin alone or combined with GLUT1 siRNA on laryngeal carcinoma cells through AMPK pathway-induced autophagy

In this study, we investigated the ability of curcumin alone or in combination with GLUT1 siRNA to radiosensitize laryngeal carcinoma (LC) through the induction of autophagy. Protein levels in tumour tissues and LC cells were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. In vitro, cell proliferation, colony formation assays, cell death and autophagy were detected. A nude mouse xenograft model was established through the injection of Tu212 cells. We found that GLUT1 was highly expressed and negatively associated with autophagy-related proteins in LC and that curcumin suppressed radiation-mediated GLUT1 overexpression in Tu212 cells. Treatment with curcumin, GLUT1 siRNA, or the combination of the two promoted autophagy. Inhibition of autophagy using 6-amino-3-methypourine (3-MA) promoted apoptosis after irradiation or treatment of cells with curcumin and GLUT1 siRNA. 3-MA inhibited curcumin and GLUT1 siRNA-mediated non-apoptotic programmed cell death. The combination of curcumin, GLUT1 siRNA and 3-MA provided the strongest sensitization in vivo. We also found that autophagy induction after curcumin or GLUT1 siRNA treatment implicated in the AMP-activated protein kinase-mTOR-serine/threonine-protein kinase-Beclin1 signalling pathway. Irradiation primarily caused apoptosis, and when combined with curcumin and GLUT1 siRNA treatment, the increased radiosensitivity of LC occurred through the concurrent induction of apoptosis and autophagy.

Hemodynamic Forces Regulate Cardiac Regeneration-Responsive Enhancer Activity during Ventricle Regeneration

Cardiac regenerative capacity varies widely among vertebrates. Zebrafish can robustly regenerate injured hearts and are excellent models to study the mechanisms of heart regeneration. Recent studies have shown that enhancers are able to respond to injury and regulate the regeneration process. However, the mechanisms to activate these regeneration-responsive enhancers (RREs) remain poorly understood. Here, we utilized transient and transgenic analysis combined with a larval zebrafish ventricle ablation model to explore the activation and regulation of a representative RRE. lepb-linked enhancer sequence (LEN) directed enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expression in response to larval ventricle regeneration and such activation was attenuated by hemodynamic force alteration and mechanosensation pathway modulation. Further analysis revealed that Notch signaling influenced the endocardial LEN activity as well as endogenous lepb expression. Altogether, our work has established zebrafish models for rapid characterization of cardiac RREs in vivo and provides novel insights on the regulation of LEN by hemodynamic forces and other signaling pathways during heart regeneration.

Patient-derived organoids as individual patient models for chemoradiation response prediction in gastrointestinal malignancies

Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is an important treatment modality for specific gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, as it has been shown to improve clinical outcomes. Recent developments in the neoadjuvant setting such as wait-and-see strategies for rectal as well as for esophageal cancers have even proven that CRT might be an effective organ-sparing treatment. However, due to molecular heterogeneity, only a subset of patients will show a complete response to CRT, which addresses the need for an individualized treatment approach. In recent years, the demand for more physiologically relevant predictive in vitro models has fostered the development of patient-derived tumor organoids. In this review, we describe the current treatment options for patients with GI cancers who are treated with (neo)adjuvant CRT. Furthermore, we provide an in-depth discussion of the organoid technology in the context of predicting CRT response for GI cancers as well as possible challenges for clinical implementation.

Cordycepin induces apoptosis in human tongue cancer cells in vitro and has antitumor effects in vivo

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to explore the ability of cordycepin to disrupt human tongue cancer cell growth, and to assess the mechanistic basis for such anti-cancer activity.

METHODS

CAL-27 human tongue cancer cells were treated with cordycepin prior to analysis via CCK-8 assay in order to assess their proliferation. In addition, cell cycle progression and apoptotic death in these cells were measured via flow cytometry, while the expression of apoptosis-associated genes and proteins (caspase-3, caspase-9, caspase-12, Bcl-2, and Bax) were measured via real-time PCR and western blotting. We further measured the intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and used a murine xenograft model system to explore the in vivo anti-tumor activity of cordycepin.

RESULTS

Cordycepin was able to significantly suppress the proliferation of CAL-27 cells in a dose-dependent fashion (IC₅₀ = 40 μg/mL at 24 h). Cordycepin further induced Bax, caspase-3, caspase-9, and caspase-12 upregulation at the mRNA and protein levels while simultaneously downregulating anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression. CAL-27 cells treated using cordycepin also exhibited elevated levels of intracellular ROS. Importantly, cordycepin was able to effectively suppress tongue cancer tumor growth in a murine xenograft model system and similar mRNA and protein levels were observed in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

Cordycepin can inhibit human tongue cancer cell growth and can drive their apoptotic death via the mitochondrial pathway. In addition, cordycepin can suppress tongue cancer growth in vivo in treated mice.

High-throughput screening suggests glutathione synthetase as an anti-tumor target of polydatin using human proteome chip

Polydatin (PD) is a bio-active ingredient with known anti-tumor effects. However, its specific protein targets yet have not been systematically screened, and the molecular anti-tumor mechanism is still unclear. Here, proteomic-chip was efficiently used to screen potential targets of PD. First, we investigated through animal experiment and proteomics studies, and found that polydatin play an important role in tumor cells. Then, the red-green fluorescent of polydatin was compared comprehensively to screen its targets on chip, followed by bioinformatics analysis. Glutathione synthetase (GSS) was selected as candidate research target. After a series of molecular biological experiments GSS was confirmed a target protein for PD in vitro. Moreover, we also found that PD can significantly inhibit the activity of GSS in vitro and live cells. Our findings reveal that PD could be a selective small-molecule GSS enzyme activity inhibitor and GSS could be a potential therapeutic target in cancer.

p53 dependent LGR5 inhibition and caspase 3 activation are critically involved in apoptotic effect of compound K and its combination therapy potential in HCT116 cells

Though ginsenoside metabolite compound K was known to have antitumor effect in several cancers, its underlying apoptotic mechanism still remains unclear so far. Thus, in the present study, the apoptotic mechanism of compound K was explored in colorectal cancer cells (CRCs) in association with leucine rich repeat containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) that was overexpressed in colorectal cancers with poor survival rate. Here compound K significantly reduced viability of HCT116^p53+/+ cells better than that of HCT116^p53-/- cells. Consistently, compound K increased sub G1 population and attenuated the expression of LGR5, c-Myc, procaspase3, Pin1 in HCT116^p53+/+ cells more than in HCT116^p53-/- cells. Conversely, caspase 3 inhibitor Z-DEVD-FMK reversed inhibitory effect of compound K on LGR5, c-Myc and procaspase3 in HCT116 cells. Consistently, inhibition of LGR5 using transfection method enhanced suppression of pro-PARP, Bcl-x_L c-Myc, Snail and Pin1 in compound K treated HCT116^p53+/+ cells. Furthermore, compound K synergistically potentiated antitumor effect of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or Doxorubicin to reduce the survival genes and cytotoxicity in HCT116^p53+/+ cells. Overall, our findings provide scientific insight that compound K induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells via caspase and p53 dependent LGR5 inhibition with combination therapy potential with 5-FU or doxorubicin.