Background:Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is overexpressed in tumor cells, which promotes
tumor cell survival and cell proliferation and causes tumor cells to escape T-cell killing. Schisanhenol, a
biphenyl cyclooctene lignin-like compound, was extracted and isolated from the plant named Schisandra rubriflora
(Franch.).Purpose:In this work, we studied the anticancer potential of schisanhenol and explored whether schisanhenol
mediated its effect by inhibiting the expression of PD-L1 in vitro and in vivo.Materials and Methods:In vitro, we performed western blot, immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, and
colony formation assays to study the proteins, genes, and pathways related to the anti-tumour activity of schisanhenol.
In vivo, we explored the antitumor activity of schisanhenol through orthotopic liver transplantation and
subcutaneous transplantation tumor models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.Results:We found that schisanhenol decreased the viability of HCC cells. It inhibited the expression of programmed
cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), which plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis. Subsequently, schisanhenol
suppressed the expression of PD-L1 by decreasing the activation of STAT3. Furthermore, we found that schisanhenol
inhibited the activation of STAT3 via JAK/STAT3 (T705), Src/STAT3 (T705), and
PI3K/AKT/mTOR/STAT3 (S727) pathways. Colony formation tests showed that schisanhenol suppressed cell
proliferation by inhibiting PD-L1. Schisanhenol also enhanced cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) activity and regained
their ability to kill tumour cells in co-culture. Finally, in vivo observation confirmed the antitumor activity
of schisanhenol.Conclusion:Schisanhenol inhibits the proliferation of HCC cells by targeting PD-L1 via the STAT3 pathways.
These findings prove that schisanhenol is a valuable candidate for HCC therapeutics and reveal previously unknown
characteristics of schisanhenol.