Available online 16 May 2015
Anti-metastatic effects of Rheum Palmatum L. extract in human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells
Abstract
Rheum palmatum
L. (RP) has been widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment
of various diseases in Asian countries. The molecular mechanism of its
anti-metastasis effect remains elusive. The present study assessed the
effect of RP ethanol extract (RPE) on the highly metastatic human
MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in vitro. At a non-toxic
concentration, RPE inhibited migration, motility and invasion in a
concentration-dependent manner. To investigate the mechanisms involved,
real-time PCR and Western blot analyses were performed. Results showed
that RPE down-regulated the levels of extracellular matrix
degradation-associated proteins, including MMP-2/-9, uPA and uPAR, and
up-regulated PAI-1. In addition, RPE affected NF-kB by degrading IkBα,
and affected the mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction
pathway by depressing the activation of p38, ERK and Akt. These results
suggest that RPE has potential anti-metastatic activity and warrants
further investigation.
Keywords
- Rheum palmatum L.;
- invasion, matrix metalloproteinases;
- urokinase-type plasminogen activator;
- nuclear factor-kB;
- MDA-MB-231
- Corresponding
author. Herbal Medicine Resources Group, Korea Institute of Oriental
Medicine, 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-811, Republic of
Korea. Tel.:
+82 42 868 9502; fax: +82 42 863 9434.
Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.
