The polyphenolic compound, α-conidendrin, exerts anti-colon cancer and anti-angiogenic effects by targeting several signaling molecules.

Our previous study indicated that α-conidendrin had considerable anti-proliferative activities against breast cancer cell lines. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-colon cancer and anti-angiogenic influences of α-conidendrin as well as its molecular mechanisms. The findings of the current study demonstrate that α-conidendrin possesses potent anti-colon cancer and anti-angiogenic effects. α-Conidendrin significantly inhibited the proliferation of colon cancer cells. This polyphenolic compound induced caspase-mediated apoptosis in HT-29 cells by modulating the PTEN/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. α-Conidendrin markedly upregulated the protein expression of PTEN and downregulated the protein expression of p-PI3K, p-AKt, and p-mTOR. The protein expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 enhanced in colon cancer cells following treatment with α-conidendrin. This study also revealed the anti-angiogenic activities of α-conidendrin in the ex vivo and in vitro models. α-Conidendrin significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of HIF-1α, VEGF, MMP-2, and MMP-9 in endothelial cells. These data highlight that α-conidendrin can act as a novel and promising anti-cancer and anti-angiogenic agent for treatment of colon cancer.