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Unrevealing Lithium Repositioning in the Hallmarks of Cancer: Effects of Lithium Salts (LiCl and Li2CO3) in an In Vitro Cervical Cancer Model

Authors :
Juan Carlos García-Acosta
Alejando Israel Castillo-Montoya
Gareth Omar Rostro-Alonso
Edgar Yebrán Villegas-Vázquez
Laura Itzel Quintas-Granados
Luis Sánchez-Sánchez
Hugo López-Muñóz
Lizbeth Cariño-Calvo
Israel López-Reyes
Lilia Patricia Bustamante-Montes
Gerardo Leyva-Gómez
Hernán Cortés
Nadia Judith Jacobo-Herrera
Rosario García-Aguilar
Octavio Daniel Reyes-Hernández
Gabriela Figueroa-González
Source :
Molecules, Vol 29, Iss 18, p 4476 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Lithium, a natural element, has been employed as a mental stabilizer in psychiatric treatments; however, some reports indicate it has an anticancer effect, prompting the consideration of repurposing lithium for cancer treatment. The potential anticancer use of lithium may depend on its form (salt type) and the type of cancer cells targeted. Little is known about the effects of Li2CO3 or LiCl on cancer cells, so we focused on exploring their effects on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and cell cycle as part of the hallmarks of cancer. Firstly, we established the IC50 values on HeLa, SiHa, and HaCaT cells with LiCl and Li2CO3 and determined by crystal violet that cell proliferation was time-dependent in the three cell lines (IC50 values for LiCl were 23.43 mM for SiHa, 23.14 mM for HeLa, and 15.10 mM for HaCaT cells, while the IC50 values for Li2CO3 were 20.57 mM for SiHa, 11.52 mM for HeLa, and 10.52 mM for HaCaT cells.) Our findings indicate that Li2CO3 and LiCl induce DNA fragmentation and caspase-independent apoptosis, as shown by TUNEL, Western Blot, and Annexin V/IP assay by flow cytometry. Also, cell cycle analysis showed that LiCl and Li2CO3 arrested the cervical cancer cells at the G1 phase. Moreover, lithium salts displayed an anti-migratory effect on the three cell lines observed by the wound-healing assay. All these findings imply the viable anticancer effect of lithium salts by targeting several of the hallmarks of cancer.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
14203049
Volume :
29
Issue :
18
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Molecules
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.873c372376e942b49ad5d9e5c522c0df
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29184476