Acevaltrate promotes apoptosis and inhibits proliferation by suppressing HIF-1α accumulation in cancer cells

•We identified acevaltrate as an inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α accumulation from the roots of Valeriana glechomifolia.•Acevaltrate inhibits HIF-1α protein synthesis and promotes degradation of HIF-1α protein.•Acevaltrate inhibits HIF-1α protein expression through suppression of mTOR/p70S6K/4E-BP1 signaling pathway.•Acevaltrate promotes apoptosis and inhibits proliferation by inhibiting HIF-1α.•Acevaltrate could be a valuable candidate for the intervention of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α-dependent anticancer activity. Acevaltrate is a natural product isolated from the roots of Valeriana glechomifolia F.G.Mey. (Valerianaceae) and has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer activity. However, the mechanism by which acevaltrate inhibits tumor growth is not fully understood. We here demonstrated the effect of acevaltrate on hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression. Acevaltrate showed a potent inhibitory activity against HIF-1α induced by hypoxia in various cancer cells. This compound markedly decreased the hypoxia-induced accumulation of HIF-1α protein dose-dependently. Further analysis revealed that acevaltrate inhibited HIF-1α protein synthesis and promoted degradation of HIF-1α protein, without affecting the expression level of HIF-1α mRNA. Moreover, the phosphorylation levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), and eIF4E binding protein-1 (4E-BP1) were significantly suppressed by acevaltrate. In addition, acevaltrate promoted apoptosis and inhibited proliferation, which was potentially mediated by suppression of HIF-1α. We also found that acevaltrate administration inhibited tumor growth in mouse xenograft model. Taken together, these results suggested that acevaltrate was a potent inhibitor of HIF-1α and provided a new insight into the mechanisms of acevaltrate against cancers.