Raddeanin A augments the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells against chronic myeloid leukaemia cells by modulating MAPK and Ras/Raf signalling pathways

Abstract Natural killer (NK) cell therapy, a developing approach in cancer immunotherapy, involves isolating NK cells from peripheral blood. However, due to their limited number and activity, it is essential to significantly expand these primary NK cells and enhance their cytotoxicity. In this study, we investigated how Raddeanin A potentiate NK activity using KHYG‐1 cells. The results indicated that Raddeanin A increased the expression levels of cytolytic molecules such as perforin, granzymes A and granzymes B, granulysin and FasL in KHYG‐1 cells. Raddeanin A treatment increased CREB phosphorylation, p65 phosphorylation, NFAT1 and acetyl‐histone H3 expression. Raddeanin A elevated caspase 3 and PARP cleavage, increased t‐Bid expression, promoting apoptosis in K562 cells. Furthermore, it reduced the expression of HMGB2, SET and Ape1, impairing the DNA repair process and causing K562 cells to die caspase‐independently. Additionally, Raddeanin A increased ERK, p38 and JNK phosphorylation at the molecular level, which increased granzyme B production in KHYG‐1 cells. Raddeanin A treatment increased Ras, Raf phosphorylation, MEK phosphorylation, NKG2D, NKp44 and NKp30 expression in KHYG‐1 cells. Collectively, our data indicate that Raddeanin A enhances the cytotoxic activity of NK cells against different cancer cells.