Anti-Metastatic Effects of Chalcone Complex on Prostate Cancer and Prostate Cancer Stem Cell-Like Cells

3rd International Conference on Chemo and BioInformatics, Kragujevac, September 25-26. 2025. (pp. 656-659) 

 

АУТОР(И) / AUTHOR(S): Yaren Yildiz, Melih Oztepe, Oguzhan Akgun, Elif Erturk, Digdem Yöyen Ermis, Burhan Coskun, Demet Coskun, Ferda Ari

 

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DOI:  10.46793/ICCBIKG25.656Y

САЖЕТАК / ABSTRACT:

Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men. Prostate cancer stem cells, which significantly impact patient survival, play a critical role in metastasis, recurrence, and therapy resistance. Alongside conventional treatments, interest has grown in the use of plant-derived chemotherapeutic agents and other natural products in prostate cancer. Chalcones, a subgroup of the flavonoid family, have gained attention due to their diverse biological properties and potential in anticancer drug development. This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic and anti-metastatic effects of the 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl chalcone complex in a human prostate cancer cell line (PC-3) and a cancer stem cell-enriched subpopulation derived from it (PC-3s). Following characterization of PC-3s using cancer stem cell markers, the cytotoxic effects of the chalcone complex on PC-3, PC-3s, and healthy prostate stromal cells (WPMY-1) were assessed using Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) cell viability assays. The anti-metastatic potential of the chalcone complex was evaluated at the gene and protein levels using RT-PCR and Western blot analyses. Additionally, the effects of the complex on migration and colony-forming abilities of PC-3 cells were analyzed using scratch assay, colony formation assay, and transwell invasion assay. The chalcone complex significantly reduced cell viability in PC-3 and PC-3s compared to WPMY-1 cells. Notable changes were observed in the expression levels of EMT-related genes (WNT3a, FN1, VIM, CDH1, SANI1, CTNNB1, SOX-2, OCT- 4, NANOG) and proteins (E-Cadherin, Vimentin, Fibronectin, β-Catenin) following treatment. Furthermore, the chalcone complex suppressed migration, colony formation, and invasion capacities in PC-3 cells. The promising findings from this study suggest that the investigated chalcone complex may serve as an effective and potential new therapeutic molecule for prostate cancer. Its potential should be further validated through comprehensive in vitro and in vivo studies.

КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ / KEYWORDS:

cancer, chalcone complex, metastasis, natural chemicals

ПРОЈЕКАТ / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

This study was supported by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Bursa Uludağ University (Project No: TGA-2023-1206). We would like to thank the Bursa Uludag Molecular Cancer Research Laboratory (BUMKAL) for their valuable support and contributions throughout this study.

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