Title:DIMming Ovarian Cancer Growth
Volume: 13
Issue: 14
Author(s): Prabodh K. Kandala and Sanjay K. Srivastava
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Diindolylmethane, cisplatin, STAT3, apoptosis, angiogenesis, anoikis, ER stress, autophagy, metastasis
Abstract: Ovarian cancer is the leading gynecologic malignancy with more than 22,000 new cases and 15,000 deaths estimated
each year. It is usually detected in late stages with poor prognosis due to lack of sufficiently accurate screening
tests. Epidemiological studies continue to support the notion that consumption of cruciferous vegetables reduces the risk
of ovarian cancer. In the present review article, we describe the anti-cancer effects of 3, 3’-diindolylmethane (DIM), a
compound present in cruciferous vegetables, against ovarian cancer. DIM targets multiple aspects of cancer such as cellcycle
regulation and survival, including EGFR-JAK2-STAT3 signaling, checkpoint activation, caspase activation, endoplasmic
reticulum stress, autophagy and anoikis. This broad spectrum of anti-cancer activities in conjunction with low
systemic toxicity accentuates the translational value of DIM in cancer therapy. Together, our pre-clinical studies demonstrate
that DIM has activity against ovarian cancer and hence should be further investigated in clinical setting to exploit its
therapeutic potential.
