TY - JOUR AB - Recently, Celastrus orbiculatus ethyl acetate extracts (COE) have been investigated for their anticancer effects on digestive tract tumors. However, the therapeutic effects of COE on esophageal squamous carcinoma cells (ESCC) have not been investigated. In the present study, the effects of COE on the cell cycle and apoptosis of ESCCs were assessed in vitro, and it was revealed that COE treatment triggered G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, and induced DNA damage and apoptosis in a dose‑dependent manner in ESCC. Activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase/protein kinase‑B/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway was also suppressed by COE. Additionally, the combined treatment with COE and rapamycin (an mTOR inhibitor) acted synergistically in ECA‑109 cells compared with the treatment with COE or rapamycin alone. These findings extend the understanding of the action of COE and suggest that COE has potential as a treatment option for ESCC as a single treatment or in combination. AD - Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, P.R. China Department of Physiology, Showa University, Tokyo 142‑8555, Japan AU - Jin,Feng AU - Zhu,Guang AU - Li,Dan AU - Ni,Tengyang AU - Dai,Xiaojun AU - Wang,Haibo AU - Feng,Jun AU - Qian,Yayun AU - Yang,Lin AU - Guo,Shiyu AU - Hisamitsu,Tadashi AU - Liu,Yanqing DA - 2018/02/01 DO - 10.3892/ol.2017.7459 EP - 1599 IS - 2 JO - Oncol Lett KW - Celastrus orbiculatus esophageal squamous carcinoma cells cell cycle apoptosis phosphoinositide‑3 kinase/protein kinase B/mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling pathway PY - 2018 SN - 1792-1074 1792-1082 SP - 1591 ST - Celastrus orbiculatus extracts induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human esophageal squamous carcinoma ECA-109 cells in vitro via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway T2 - Oncology Letters TI - Celastrus orbiculatus extracts induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human esophageal squamous carcinoma ECA-109 cells in vitro via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2017.7459 VL - 15 ER -