ArticleJournal of natural medicines2026
Casticin inhibits AKR1C3 and enhances abiraterone efficacy in castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Article in Journal of natural medicines, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) continues to represent a critical therapeutic hurdle owing to its resistance to both androgen deprivation and next-generation antiandrogens like abiraterone (ABI). One of the key mechanisms underlying this resistance involves overexpression of aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3), an enzyme contributing to intratumoral androgen biosynthesis. In this study, casticin (CAS), a flavonoid derived from Vitex agnus-castus, was identified as a potent inhibitor of AKR1C3. CAS showed potent inhibitory activity in enzymatic assays (IC₅₀ = 5.99 µM), significantly suppressed AKR1C3-mediated coumberone metabolism in 22Rv1 prostate cancer cells, and showed greater cytotoxicity in AKR1C3-expressing 22Rv1 cells relative to AKR1C3-deficient LNCaP cells. CAS significantly enhanced ABI's cytotoxic efficacy in 22Rv1 cells, as evidenced by synergistic interactions (CI: 0.31-0.71); however, no such synergy was observed in LNCaP cells or with enzalutamide. CAS enhanced apoptosis in ABI-treated 22Rv1 cells, as well as combination showed only a limited effect against normal epithelial PNT-2 cell line. Docking and molecular dynamics simulations indicated a stable CAS-AKR1C3 interaction, characterized by crucial hydrogen bonding and aromatic stacking within the active site. These results suggest that CAS is a promising chemosensitizer targeting AKR1C3 to overcome ABI resistance in CRPC.
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