Study on apoptosis of human melanoma cell Induced by solanine in vitro and its mechanism

Objects: Melanoma (malignant melanoma, MM) is a highly aggressive tumor, ranking as the third most common cutaneous malignancy, characterized by high metastatic potential, mortality, and poor prognosis. Solanine is a major steroidal alkaloid found in potatoes, and its anticancer benefits have been widely reported. However, its inhibitory effects on melanoma cells have been less studied. The aim of this study was to observe the effects of solanine on the proliferation, apoptosis and related apoptotic proteins of melanoma A375 and A2058 cells, and then to investigate the possible anti-tumor mechanism of solanine. Methods The morphological changes of apoptosis induced by varying concentrations of solanine in melanoma A375 and A2058 cells were observed using an inverted microscope. The proliferation inhibition rate of melanoma cells was examined using CCK-8 proliferation assay. DAPI staining was employed to observe cell growth and morphological alterations. Gene and protein expression levels of apoptosis-related genes (Caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax) were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis. Results Within a certain concentration and time range, solanine can inhibit the viability of A375 and A2058 cells significantly in a time-dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Apoptosis induced by solanine was confirmed through DAPI staining. Notably, there was a marked decrease in the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, alongside a significant increase in the expression of Bax and Caspase-3 at both the mRNA and protein levels (P < 0.05). Conclusion Our data demonstrated the inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of solanine in melanoma A375 and A2058 cells, and revealed it may be associated with the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.