Resveratrol Affects Cell Activities, Induces Apoptosis and Regulates AMPK Signaling Pathway in Pleural Mesothelioma Cells

Pleural Mesothelioma (PM) is an aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Despite the notion that resveratrol (RSV) significantly inhibits the growth of PM cancer cells, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of this stilbene as a tumor suppressor agent. In this work, the effects of the natural polyphenol were investigated on PM cell lines (MSTO-211H and IST-MES 2) to evaluate its action as a potential adjuvant agent, together with chemotherapy. Our results showed that RSV treatment was effective in PM cell lines, in particular in MSTO-211H. RES treatment decreases the viability evaluated with the MTT assay and Live/Dead staining. RSV stimulates the apoptotic process with positive staining for Annexin V-PI and Caspase-3/7 and inhibits the migration ability of both PM cell lines. In IST-MES 2, RSV causes a reduction in mitochondrial and cytoplasmic calcium levels. Moreover, RSV affects cellular morphology, E-cadherin protein expression, and decreased nuclear localization of β-catenin, attenuating Wnt/β-catenin signaling, which regulates tumor cell proliferation. At the molecular level, RSV modulated the expression of key genes that play an important role in cellular adhesion, proliferation, and metabolic activity, as well as AMPK signaling. RSV seems to be a promising therapeutic adjuvant agent for PM treatment.