18 β-glycyrrhetinic acid exhibits potent antitumor effects against colorectal cancer via inhibition of cell proliferation and migration

Wang,Saisai; Shen,Yong; Qiu,Runfeng; Chen,Zhiliang; Chen,Zhehang; Chen,Wenbin

doi:10.3892/ijo.2017.4059

18 β-glycyrrhetinic acid exhibits potent antitumor effects against colorectal cancer via inhibition of cell proliferation and migration

Authors:
- Saisai Wang
- Yong Shen
- Runfeng Qiu
- Zhiliang Chen
- Zhehang Chen
- Wenbin Chen
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Affiliations: Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, P.R. China, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, P.R. China
Published online on: June 27, 2017 https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.2017.4059
Pages: 615-624

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Abstract

Accumulating evidence shows that 18 β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GRA) has antitumor activities in breast, ovarian cancer and leukemia, while its role in colorectal cancer remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effect of GRA in colorectal cancer cells LoVo, SW480 and SW620 and studied the underlying molecular mechanisms. Results showed that GRA had potent inhibitory effects on colorectal cancer cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo. Growth inhibition was mediated by pro-apoptosis, as evident from Annexin V-FITC staining, the reduced expression of survivin and the induced expression of cleaved PARP. Furthermore, GRA treatment resulted in marked reduction of cell migration, invasion and wound healing capability, accompanying by the downregulated MMP expression. Moreover, GRA decreased the protein levels of p-PI3K, p-AKT, p-STAT3, p-JNK, p-p38 and p-NF-κB p65, of which the phosphorylation of PI3K and STAT3 decreased as early as 2 h after the GRA treatment. These results suggest that regulation of the apoptosis, invasion and migration of colorectal cancer cells by GRA might be through suppressing PI3K and STAT3 signaling pathways. the present study indicated that GRA could be a potential effective therapy for patients with colorectal cancer.

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