Guggulsterone induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells and inhibits tumor growth in murine colorectal cancer xenografts.

The plant sterol guggulsterone has recently been shown to have anti-tumorigenic potential. This study was designed to investigate the anti-tumor efficacy of guggulsterone and to elucidate its molecular mechanisms in colon cancer. Guggulsterone significantly increased apoptosis in HT-29 cells by activating caspases-3 and -8. Furthermore, guggulsterone decreased cIAP-1, cIAP-2, and Bcl-2 levels and increased the levels of truncated Bid, Fas, p-JNK, and p-c-Jun. The size of HT-29 xenograft tumors in guggulsterone-treated mice was significantly smaller than of the size of tumors in control mice. The present study suggests a potential therapeutic use for this compound in the treatment of colorectal cancer.