Evaluation of the effect of 6-shogaol on the expression of FASN and Insig1 genes in the acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line Nalm-6

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer among children. Our previous study on the cytotoxic effect of ginger extract (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) demonstrated the anti-leukemic effects of ginger extract on ALL cells. 6-Shogaol, the most active derivative of ginger extract, inhibits the growth and proliferation of cancer cells, by affecting the expression of genes involved in the cell cycle and apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 6-shogaol on the expression of FASN (Fatty acid synthase) via Insig1(Insulin induced gene 1) gene over expression, in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells, in order to find the molecular pathways related to this drug derivative. CCRF-CEM, R-CCRF-CEM, Nalm-6 and RN95 were treated with increasing concentrations of 6-shogaol. The cell viability was determined using MTT assay and the rate of cell death was assessed by trypan blue staining assay. The mRNA expression levels of FASN and Insig1 genes were evaluated using real-time PCR. Statistical analyses were performed using the GraphPad Prism 6 software. Results presented 6-shogaol significantly decrease R-CCRF-CEM, Nalm-6 and RN95 cells viability. This inhibitory effect was greater in R-CCRF-CEM and Nalm-6 than in CCRF-CEM. Moreover, 6-shogaol reduces FASN expression significantly, but it did not show a significant effect on the expression of Insig1, so this drug derivative may induce its anti-cancer effect by affecting other molecular pathways.