Effect of sea cucumber glycosides on ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3: an in vitro and in silico study

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is a life-threatening pathological condition in women through the world. The treatment of ovarian cancer is limited to surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Sea cucumbers are natural and a health food with a well-known potential for the development of anticancer pharmaceuticals. Sea cucumber glycosides are the anticancer substance in sea cucumbers. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of sea cucumber glucosides on ovarian cancer in the cell line SKOV3. Methods: Comprehensive bioinformatic analysis were performed to predict the pharmacological effect of sea cucumber on OC. Dose screening, microarray analysis and cytological experiments were performed to investigate the detailed effects of sea cucumber glucosides on OC. Results: Sea cucumber glycosides were found to have apoptotic, anti-proliferated, anti-invading and migration effects on SKOV3 ovarian cells. By using microarray analysis, we speculate that the anti-cancer effect of sea cucumber glycosides on ovarian cancer might be related to the p38-MAPK pathway. Conclusion: In the present study, we showed that sea cucumber glycosides have anti-cancer effects by inducing the apoptosis rate, reducing cell proliferation and cell invasion, and we also identified the possible cellular pathway for the sea cucumber glycoside action by in silico study. Our study provides a new potential in the treatment of ovarian cancer by natural products.