TargetRx Atlas

MRNA basic information

  • mRNA ID:ENST00000337138
  • Gene Name:HIF1A
  • mRNA database:Ensembl
  • mRNA expression :down-regulated
  • mRNA Method:RT-PCR
  • mRNA Pathway:HIF-1 signaling pathway
  • Evidence:validated
  • (mRNA-drug)

Drug basic information

  • Drug ID:DB07352
  • Drug Name:Apigenin
  • Drug Method:down-regulated the gene expression the gene expression

Disease basic infommation

  • Disease:prostate cancer
  • Tissue:cell lines (PC3-M )

Other information

  • Title:Inhibition of HIF-1 alpha and VEGF expression by the chemopreventive bioflavonoid apigenin is accompanied by Akt inhibition in human prostate carcinoma PC3-M cells
  • Journal:Mol Carcinog
  • Published:2008
  • PubMed ID:18240292
  • Abstract:Progression of cancer leads to hypoxic solid tumors that mount specific cell signaling responses to low oxygen conditions. An important objective of anti-cancer therapy is the development of new drugs that suppress hypoxic responses in solid tumors. Apigenin is a natural flavone that has been shown to have chemopreventive and/or anti-cancer properties against a number of tumor types. However, the mechanisms underlying apigenin's chemopreventive properties are not yet completely understood. In this study, we have investigated the effects of apigenin on expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) in human metastatic prostate PC3-M cancer cells. We found that hypoxia induced a time-dependent increase in the level of HIF-1alpha subunit protein in PC3-M cells, and treatment with apigenin markedly decreased HIF-1alpha expression under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Further, apigenin prevented the activation of the HIF-1 downstream target gene vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We then showed that apigenin inhibited expression of HIF-1alpha by reducing stability of the protein as well as by reducing the level of HIF-1alpha mRNA. We also found that apigenin inhibited Akt and GSK-3beta phosphorylation in PC3-M cells. Further experiments demonstrated that constitutively active Akt blunted the effect of apigenin on HIF-1alpha expression. Taken together, our results identify apigenin as a bioflavonoid that inhibits hypoxia-activated pathways linked to cancer progression in human prostate cancer, in particular the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3 pathway. Further studies on the mechanism of action of apigenin will likely provide new insight into its applicability for pharmacologic targeting of HIF-1alpha for cancer therapeutic or chemopreventive purposes.