Open Access

Emodin exerts antitumor effects in ovarian cancer cell lines by preventing the development of cancer stem cells via epithelial mesenchymal transition

  • Authors:
    • Heming Long
    • Hongmei Chen
    • Jun Yan
    • Haiyan Cheng
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: January 27, 2022     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2022.13215
  • Article Number: 95
  • Copyright: © Long et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Ovarian cancer has the worst prognosis among all types of gynecological malignancies and patients are often diagnosed at an advanced stage with distant metastasis. In the present study, it was found that emodin, a small molecular chemical drug derived from natural plants, has antitumor effects on ovarian cancer cells. Emodin induced cytotoxicity and inhibited proliferation in the ovarian cancer cell lines, SK‑OV‑3, A2780 and PA‑1. In addition, emodin inhibited the migration and invasion abilities of the ovarian cancer cells by inhibiting epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT), which was evidenced by the downregulation of N‑cadherin and vimentin, and the upregulation of E‑cadherin protein expression levels. When a subcutaneous xenograft SK‑OV‑3 tumor mouse model was used, emodin notably reduced the tumor growth rate and inhibited tumor cell proliferation. Furthermore, mechanical analysis revealed that emodin markedly inhibited EMT and reduced the stemness of tumor cells, which was evidenced by the decrease in the protein expression of CD133 and Oct4. Pulmonary metastasis of the ovarian cancer cells was significantly suppressed in the tumor mouse model by the administration of emodin. In addition, flow cytometry analysis indicated that emodin significantly reduced the proportion of ovarian cancer stem‑like cells in metastatic lung tissues. In conclusion, emodin, a potent inhibitor of EMT, could serve as a potential candidate for ovarian cancer therapy.
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March-2022
Volume 23 Issue 3

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
Online ISSN:1792-1082

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Spandidos Publications style
Long H, Chen H, Yan J and Cheng H: Emodin exerts antitumor effects in ovarian cancer cell lines by preventing the development of cancer stem cells via epithelial mesenchymal transition. Oncol Lett 23: 95, 2022
APA
Long, H., Chen, H., Yan, J., & Cheng, H. (2022). Emodin exerts antitumor effects in ovarian cancer cell lines by preventing the development of cancer stem cells via epithelial mesenchymal transition. Oncology Letters, 23, 95. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2022.13215
MLA
Long, H., Chen, H., Yan, J., Cheng, H."Emodin exerts antitumor effects in ovarian cancer cell lines by preventing the development of cancer stem cells via epithelial mesenchymal transition". Oncology Letters 23.3 (2022): 95.
Chicago
Long, H., Chen, H., Yan, J., Cheng, H."Emodin exerts antitumor effects in ovarian cancer cell lines by preventing the development of cancer stem cells via epithelial mesenchymal transition". Oncology Letters 23, no. 3 (2022): 95. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2022.13215