In vitro study demonstrates honokiol suppresses growth and induces apoptosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells, suggesting its potential as a natural therapeutic agent.
Key Points
To investigate the antitumor and pro-apoptotic activities of the natural compound honokiol on oral squamous cell carcinoma cells in vitro.
Evaluated the growth and proliferation of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells exposed to honokiol using MTT and propidium iodide assays.
Characterized apoptotic cell death and DNA fragmentation using morphology analysis, TUNEL staining, DNA laddering, and flow cytometry, comparing outcomes against 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).
Honokiol significantly suppressed OSCC cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner by activating apoptosis, marked by DNA ladder fragmentation and TUNEL-positive signals.
Treatment with 15 µg/mL and 20 µg/mL of honokiol induced greater cell growth inhibition and apoptosis at 48 hours compared to 20 µg/mL of 5-fluorouracil.