The Effect of 6-Gingerol on Human AML Cell Lines.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a devastating hematological malignancy without a definitive cure. 6-Gingerol, a bioactive compound, has shown promise in treating various cancers, yet its impact on AML remains elusive.

METHODS

Cell growth and clonogenic capacity were assessed using CCK-8 testing and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry was employed to analyze cell cycle progression and apoptosis. The invasive capability of AML cells was evaluated through the Transwell migration assay. Fluorescent probe staining was used to determine intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentration, while Western blot was utilized to assess the expression levels of key proteins including Bcl-2, caspase3, MAPK, and p-MAPK in AML cells. Potential targets of 6-gingerol in AML were identified through bioinformatics databases (STP, SEA, STICH, OMIM GeneMap, GeneCards). GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was performed using clusterProfiler (v4.16.0).

RESULTS

6-Gingerol inhibited proliferation, colony formation, and invasive capacity of AML cells and induced G1 cell-cycle arrest. 6-Gingerol increased ROS and elevated caspase 3, MAPK, and p-MAPK levels. Sixty-seven overlapping targets between 6-gingerol and AML were identified and enriched in MAPK signaling and ROS-related pathways. NFKB1 emerged as a pivotal hub gene.

CONCLUSION

6-Gingerol may represent a promising Traditional Chinese Medicine-derived agent for AML treatment.