Gastrointestinal Cancer Therapeutics via Triggering Unfolded Protein Response and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress by 2-Arylbenzofuran.

Gastrointestinal cancers are a major global health challenge, with high mortality rates. This study investigated the anti-cancer activities of 30 monomers extracted from Morus alba L. (mulberry) against gastrointestinal cancers. Toxicological assessments revealed that most of the compounds, particularly immunotoxicity, exhibit some level of toxicity, but it is generally not life-threatening under normal conditions. Among these components, Sanggenol L, Sanggenon C, Kuwanon H, 3'-Geranyl-3-prenyl-5,7,2',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone, Morusinol, Mulberrin, Moracin P, Kuwanon E, and Kuwanon A demonstrate significant anti-cancer properties against various gastrointestinal cancers, including colon, pancreatic, and gastric cancers. The anti-cancer mechanism of these chemical components was explored in gastric cancer cells, revealing that they inhibit cell cycle and DNA replication-related gene expression, leading to the effective suppression of tumor cell growth. Additionally, they induced unfolded protein response (UPR) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, potentially resulting in DNA damage, autophagy, and cell death. Moracin P, an active monomer characterized as a 2-arylbenzofuran, was found to induce ER stress and promote apoptosis in gastric cancer cells, confirming its potential to inhibit tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of Morus alba L. monomers in gastrointestinal cancers, especially focusing on Moracin P as a potent inducer of ER stress and apoptosis.

Predictive value of CCL2 in the prognosis and immunotherapy response of glioblastoma multiforme.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal primary brain tumor with a poor prognosis. The C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) has shown abnormal expression associated with progression of multiple malignancies, however, its role in predicting the prognosis and immunotherapy response of GBM remains poorly understood. RESULTS: CCL2 was highly expressed in GBM as analyzed by integrating CGGA, GEPIA and UALCAN online platforms, and further verified by histologic examinations, qRT-PCR analysis, and independent GEO datasets. CCL2 could serve as an independent prognostic factor for both the poor overall survival and progression-free survival of GBM patients based on TCGA data, univariate and multivariate cox analyses. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that CCL2 mainly participated in the regulation of chemokine signaling pathway and inflammatory response. Further, CCL2 expression was positively correlated with CD4 T cells, macrophages, neutrophils and myeloid dendritic cells infiltrating GBM as calculated by the TIMER2.0 algorithm. Importantly, the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) algorithm showed that in CCL2-high GBM group, the expression of CD274, CTLA4, HAVCR2 and other immune checkpoints were significantly increased, and the immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy was accordingly more responsive. CONCLUSIONS: CCL2 can be used as a predictor of prognosis as well as immunotherapy response in GBM, offering potential clinical implications.

Target enzymes in serine-glycine-one-carbon metabolic pathway for cancer therapy.

Cancer cells selectively take up exogenous serine or synthesize serine via the serine synthesis pathway for conversion into intracellular glycine and one-carbon units for nucleotide biosynthesis. In this process, serine-glycine metabolism and the one-carbon cycle play vital roles, which is named serine-glycine-one-carbon metabolism (SGOC). The SGOC pathway is a metabolic network crucial for tumorigenesis with unexpected complexity and clinical importance. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that metabolic enzymes in SGOC metabolism play key roles in tumorigenesis, metastasis and resistance to therapies. In this review, we focus on the involvement of serine and glycine in the folate-mediated one-carbon pathway during cancer progression and highlight the pathways through which cancer cells acquire and use one-carbon units. In addition, we discuss the recently elucidated effects of SGOC (folate cycle) metabolic enzymes in the occurrence and development of tumors and their links to drug resistance. Inhibitors of target enzymes in the SGOC pathway display promise as investigational new drug candidates for the treatment of tumors.

Morusin shows potent antitumor activity for melanoma through apoptosis induction and proliferation inhibition.

BACKGROUND: The discovery of new anti-melanoma drugs with low side effect is urgently required in the clinic. Recent studies showed that morusin, a flavonoid compound isolated from the root bark of Morus Alba, has the potential to treat multiple types of cancers, including breast cancer, gastric cancer, and prostate cancer. However, the anti-cancer effect of morusin on melanoma cells has not been investigated. METHODS: We analyzed the effects of morusin on the proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, cell migration and invasion ability of melanoma cells A375 and MV3, and further explored the effects of morusin on tumor formation of melanoma cell. Finally, the effects of morusin on the proliferation, cycle, apoptosis, migration and invasion of A375 cells after knockdown of p53 were detected. RESULTS: Morusin effectively inhibits the proliferation of melanoma cells and induces cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Consistently, CyclinB1 and CDK1 that involved in the G2/M phase transition were down-regulated upon morusin treatment, which may be caused by the up-regulation of p53 and p21. In addition, morusin induces cell apoptosis and inhibits migration of melanoma cells, which correlated with the changes in the expression of the associated molecules including PARP, Caspase3, E-Cadherin and Vimentin. Moreover, morusin inhibits tumor growth in vivo with little side effect on the tumor-burden mice. Finally, p53 knockdown partially reversed morusin-mediated cell proliferation inhibition, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and metastasis. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our study expanded the spectrum of the anti-cancer activity of morusin and guaranteed the clinical use of the drug for melanoma treatment.

Pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and autophagy cross-talk in glioblastoma opens up new avenues for glioblastoma treatment.

Glioma is a common primary tumor of the central nervous system (CNS), with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) being the most malignant, aggressive, and drug resistant. Most drugs are designed to induce cancer cell death, either directly or indirectly, but malignant tumor cells can always evade death and continue to proliferate, resulting in a poor prognosis for patients. This reflects our limited understanding of the complex regulatory network that cancer cells utilize to avoid death. In addition to classical apoptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and autophagy are recognized as key cell death modalities that play significant roles in tumor progression. Various inducers or inhibitors have been discovered to target the related molecules in these pathways, and some of them have already been translated into clinical treatment. In this review, we summarized recent advances in the molecular mechanisms of inducing or inhibiting pyroptosis, ferroptosis, or autophagy in GBM, which are important for treatment or drug tolerance. We also discussed their links with apoptosis to better understand the mutual regulatory network among different cell death processes. Video Abstract.

The Recent Research Progress of NF-κB Signaling on the Proliferation, Migration, Invasion, Immune Escape and Drug Resistance of Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and invasive primary central nervous system tumor in humans, accounting for approximately 45-50% of all primary brain tumors. How to conduct early diagnosis, targeted intervention, and prognostic evaluation of GBM, in order to improve the survival rate of glioblastoma patients, has always been an urgent clinical problem to be solved. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the occurrence and development of GBM is also needed. Like many other cancers, NF-κB signaling plays a crucial role in tumor growth and therapeutic resistance in GBM. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the high activity of NF-κB in GBM remains to be elucidated. This review aims to identify and summarize the NF-κB signaling involved in the recent pathogenesis of GBM, as well as basic therapy for GBM via NF-κB signaling.

Berberine alleviates intestinal barrier dysfunction in glucolipid metabolism disorder hamsters by modulating gut microbiota and gut-microbiota-related tryptophan metabolites.

BACKGROUND: Barberry plants can be considered as useful additives and functional compounds in various industries, especially in the food industry. Berberine (BBR), the most important functional compound in the barberry roots, has recently been used to treat obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Gut microbiota and the intestinal barrier play an important role in the development of glucolipid metabolism disorders (GLMDs). However, the association of gut microbiota metabolism disorder and the intestinal barrier dysfunction effect of BBR in GLMDs remains elusive. RESULTS: The results showed that administration of BBR could increase the number of colonic glands and goblet cell mucus secretion, improve the intestinal barrier function, and reduce the serum glycolipid level in GLMD hamsters. Interestingly, BBR was metabolized into 12 metabolites by gut microbiota, and the main metabolic pathways were oxidation, demethylation, and hydrogenation. In addition, BBR significantly improved the species diversity and uniformity of gut microbiota and promoted the proliferation of beneficial microbiota. Furthermore, the levels of tryptophan metabolites, such as indole, indole-3-acetamide, indole-3-acetaldehyde, indole-3-pyruvic acid, and indole-3-acetic acid were significantly altered by BBR. Both the intestinal tight junction proteins and intestinal immune factors were altered by BBR. CONCLUSION: BBR could alleviate intestinal barrier dysfunction of GLMDs by modulating gut microbiota and gut-microbiota-related tryptophan metabolites, which may be one of the pharmacological mechanisms for the treatment of GLMDs. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Effect of Morus alba extract sanggenon C on growth and proliferation of glioblastoma cells].

Glioblastoma is the most common primary cranial malignancy, and chemotherapy remains an important tool for its treatment. Sanggenon C(San C), a class of natural flavonoids extracted from Morus plants, is a potential antitumor herbal monomer. In this study, the effect of San C on the growth and proliferation of glioblastoma cells was examined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay and 5-bromodeoxyuridinc(BrdU) labeling assay. The effect of San C on the tumor cell cycle was examined by flow cytometry, and the effect of San C on clone formation and self-renewal ability of tumor cells was examined by soft agar assay. Western blot and bioinformatics analysis were used to investigate the mechanism of the antitumor activity of San C. In the presence of San C, the MTT assay showed that San C significantly inhibited the growth and proliferation of tumor cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. BrdU labeling assay showed that San C significantly attenuated the DNA replication activity in the nucleus of tumor cells. Flow cytometry confirmed that San C blocked the cell cycle of tumor cells in G_0/G_1 phase. The soft agar clone formation assay revealed that San C significantly attenuated the clone formation and self-renewal ability of tumor cells. The gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA) implied that San C inhibited the tumor cell division cycle by affecting the myelocytomatosis viral oncogene(MYC) signaling pathway. Western blot assay revealed that San C inhibited the expression of cyclin through the regulation of the MYC signaling pathway by lysine demethylase 4B(KDM4B), which ultimately inhibited the growth and proliferation of glioblastoma cells and self-renewal. In conclusion, San C exhibits the potential antitumor activity by targeting the KDM4B-MYC axis to inhibit glioblastoma cell growth, proliferation, and self-renewal.

Molecular Characterization of Two Genes Encoding Novel Ca2+-Independent Phospholipase A2s from the Silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Eicosanoids are crucial downstream signals in the insect immune responses. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) catalyzes phospholipids, the initial step in eicosanoid biosynthesis. In mammals, the biological roles of Ca2+-independent Phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) have been extensively studied; however, only a few studies have attempted to explore iPLA2 functions in insects. In this study, we identified two iPLA2 genes (designated as BmiPLA2A and BmiPLA2B) in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. BmiPLA2A had a 2427 base pair (bp) open reading frame (ORF) that coded for a protein with 808 amino acids. In contrast, BmiPLA2B had a 1731 bp ORF that coded for a protein with 576 amino acids. Domain analysis revealed that BmiPLA2A had six ankyrin repeat domains, but BmiPLA2B lacks these domains. BmiPLA2A and BmiPLA2B were transcribed widely in various tissues and developmental stages with different expression patterns. The administration of 20-hydroxyecdysone increased their expression levels in the epidermis and hemocytes. Furthermore, challenged with virus, fungus, Gram-negative bacteria, and Gram-positive bacteria induced the expression of BmiPLA2A and BmiPLA2B with variable degrees along with different time points. Our findings imply that BmiPLA2A and BmiPLA2B may have important biological roles in the development and innate immunity of B. mori.

HECTD3 regulates the tumourigenesis of glioblastoma by polyubiquitinating PARP1 and activating EGFR signalling pathway.

BACKGROUND: The E3 ubiquitin ligase HECTD3 is a homologue of the E6-related protein carboxyl terminus, which plays a crucial role in biological processes and tumourigenesis. However, the functional characterisation of HECTD3 in glioblastoma is still elusive. METHODS: Determination of the functional role of HECTD3 in glioblastoma was made by a combination of HECTD3 molecular pattern analysis from human glioblastoma databases and subcutaneous and in situ injections of tumours in mice models. RESULTS: This study reports that the DOC domain of HECTD3 interacts with the DNA binding domain of PARP1, and HECTD3 mediated the K63-linked polyubiquitination of PARP1 and stabilised the latter expression. Moreover, the Cysteine (Cys) 823 (ubiquitin-binding site) mutation of HECTD3 significantly reduced PARP1 polyubiquitination and HECTD3 was involved in the recruitment of ubiquitin-related molecules to PARP1 ubiquitin-binding sites (Lysines 209 and 221, respectively). Lastly, activation of EGFR-mediated signalling pathways by HECTD3 regulates PARP1 polyubiquitination. CONCLUSION: Our results unveil the potential role of HECTD3 in glioblastoma and strongly preconise further investigation and consider HECTD3 as a promising therapeutic marker for glioblastoma treatment.

ACTL6A deficiency induces apoptosis through impairing DNA replication and inhibiting the ATR-Chk1 signaling in glioblastoma cells.

Actin-like 6A (ACTL6A) is a core subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex and is highly expressed in several types of human cancers including glioblastoma. Recent studies verified that ACTL6A regulates the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of cancer cells. In this study, we identified ACTL6A as an important regulator of DNA replication. ACTL6A knockdown could impair the DNA replication initiation in glioblastoma cells. The regulation of DNA replication by ACTL6A was mediated through regulating the expression of the CDC45-MCM-GINS (CMG) complex genes. Further investigation revealed that ACTL6A transcriptionally regulates MCM5 expression. Furthermore, ACTL6A knockdown induced DNA damage and diminished the activity of the ATR-Chk1 pathway, which ultimately led glioblastoma cells to apoptosis and death. Taken together, our findings highlight the critical role of ACTL6A in DNA replication and ATR-Chk1 pathway, and reveal a potential target for therapeutic intervention in glioblastoma.

The Crucial Roles of Bmi-1 in Cancer: Implications in Pathogenesis, Metastasis, Drug Resistance, and Targeted Therapies.

B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration region 1 (Bmi-1, also known as RNF51 or PCGF4) is one of the important members of the PcG gene family, and is involved in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation and senescence, and maintaining the self-renewal of stem cells. Many studies in recent years have emphasized the role of Bmi-1 in the occurrence and development of tumors. In fact, Bmi-1 has multiple functions in cancer biology and is closely related to many classical molecules, including Akt, c-MYC, Pten, etc. This review summarizes the regulatory mechanisms of Bmi-1 in multiple pathways, and the interaction of Bmi-1 with noncoding RNAs. In particular, we focus on the pathological processes of Bmi-1 in cancer, and explore the clinical relevance of Bmi-1 in cancer biomarkers and prognosis, as well as its implications for chemoresistance and radioresistance. In conclusion, we summarize the role of Bmi-1 in tumor progression, reveal the pathophysiological process and molecular mechanism of Bmi-1 in tumors, and provide useful information for tumor diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

Deoxyelephantopin Induces Apoptosis and Enhances Chemosensitivity of Colon Cancer via miR-205/Bcl2 Axis.

Colon cancer (CC) is one of the major causes of cancer death in humans. Despite recent advances in the management of CC, the prognosis is still poor and a new strategy for effective therapy is imperative. Deoxyelephantopin (DET), extracted from an important medicinal plant, Elephantopus scaber L., has been reported to exhibit excellent anti-inflammatory and -cancer activities, while the detailed anti-cancer mechanism remains unclear. Herein, we found that DET showed a significant CC inhibiting effect in vitro and in vivo without obvious organ toxicity. Mechanistically, DET inhibited CC cells and tumor growth by inducing G2/M phase arrest and subsequent apoptosis. DET-mediated cell cycle arrest was caused by severe DNA damage, and DET decreased the Bcl2 expression level in a dose-dependent manner to promote CC cell apoptosis, whereas restoring Bcl2 expression reduced apoptosis to a certain extent. Moreover, we identified a microRNA complementary to the 3'-UTR of Bcl2, miR-205, that responded to the DET treatment. An inhibitor of miR-205 could recover Bcl2 expression and promoted the survival of CC cells upon DET treatment. To further examine the potential value of the drug, we evaluated the combinative effects of DET and 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) through Jin's formula and revealed that DET acted synergistically with 5FU, resulting in enhancing the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of CC to 5FU. Our results consolidate DET as a potent drug for the treatment of CC when it is used alone or combined with 5FU, and elucidate the importance of the miR-205-Bcl2 axis in DET treatment.

RAI14 Promotes Melanoma Progression by Regulating the FBXO32/c-MYC Pathway.

Melanoma originates from the malignant transformation of melanocytes. Compared with other skin cancers, melanoma has a higher fatality rate. The 5-year survival rate of patients with early-stage primary melanoma through surgical resection can reach more than 90%. However, the 5-year survival rate of patients with metastatic melanoma is only 25%. Therefore, accurate assessment of melanoma progression is critical. Previous studies have found that Retinoic Acid Induced 14(RAI14) is critical in tumorigenesis. However, the biological function of RAI14 for the development of melanoma is unclear. In this study, RAI14 is highly expressed in melanoma and correlated with prognosis. The expression of RAI14 can affect the proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma cells. F-Box Protein 32(FBXO32) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase of c-MYC. We found that RAI14 affects the transcriptional expression of FBXO32 and regulates the stability of c-MYC. These results suggest that RAI14 play an important role in the growth of melanoma and is expected to be a therapeutic target for melanoma.

Antheraea pernyi Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 2 Negatively Modulates the JAK/STAT Pathway to Attenuate Microbial Infection.

The Janus kinase (JAK) signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway has been shown to govern various physiological processes, including immune responses, hematopoiesis, cell growth, and differentiation. Recent studies show that suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins attenuate JAK-STAT signaling in mammals; however, their functions are less clear in lepidopteran insects. Here, we report a full-length sequence of SOCS-2 from the Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi (designated as ApSOCS-2) and study its biological role in immune responses via the JAK-STAT pathway. ApSOCS-2 expression was high in the fat bodies and hemocytes of A. pernyi fifth instar larvae. After pathogen infection with nucleopolyhedrovirus, Beauveria bassiana, Escherichia coli, and Microccus luteus, ApSOCS-2 mRNA was strongly increased compared to the control group. To elucidate the possible involvement in innate immunity, we measured antimicrobial peptide genes expression profiles in the fat body of A. pernyi. In contrast, recombinant ApSOCS-2 protein administration significantly reduced the AMPs transcription, while the depletion of ApSOCS-2 by RNAi increased their expression. Furthermore, we observed higher antibacterial activity and lower bacterial replication in dsApSOCS-2-treated larvae. The ApSOCS-2 transcription level was reduced in STAT depleted A. pernyi larvae challenged by M. luteus. The ApSOCS-2 RNAi data sets were also subjected to transcriptomic analysis, which suggests that ApSOCS-2 is a key regulator of immune function. Taken together, our data suggest that ApSOCS-2 is required for the negative regulation of AMPs transcripts via the JAK-STAT pathway in the insect.

TRAF4 Promotes the Proliferation of Glioblastoma by Stabilizing SETDB1 to Activate the AKT Pathway.

The process of ubiquitination regulates the degradation, transport, interaction, and stabilization of substrate proteins, and is crucial for cell signal transduction and function. TNF receptor-associated factor 4, TRAF4, is a member of the TRAF family and is involved in the process of ubiquitination as an E3 ubiquitin protein ligase. Here, we found that TRAF4 expression correlates with glioma subtype and grade, and that TRAF4 is significantly overexpressed in glioblastoma and predicts poor prognosis. Knockdown of TRAF4 significantly inhibited the growth, proliferation, migration, and invasion of glioblastoma cells. Mechanistically, we found that TRAF4 only interacts with the Tudor domain of the AKT pathway activator SETDB1. TRAF4 mediates the atypical ubiquitination of SETDB1 to maintain its stability and function, thereby promoting the activation of the AKT pathway. Restoring SETDB1 expression in TRAF4 knockdown glioblastoma cells partially restored cell growth and proliferation. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel mechanism by which TRAF4 mediates AKT pathway activation, suggesting that TRAF4 may serve as a biomarker and promising therapeutic target for glioblastoma.

[Research progress on chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Morus alba].

Morus alba, a traditional economic crop, is also a significant medicinal plant. The branches(Mori Ramulus), leaves(Mori Folium), roots and barks(Mori Cortex), and fruits(Mori Fructus) of M. alba are rich in chemical components, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, flavanols, anthocyanins, benzofurans, phenolic acids, and polysaccharides, and possess hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-microbial, liver protective, immunoregulatory, and other pharmacological activities. This study analyzed the sources, classification, and functions of the main chemical components in M. alba and systematically summarized the latest research results of essential active components in M. alba and their pharmacological effects to provide references for in-depth research and further development as well as utilization of active components in M. alba.

Pathological and Prognostic Indications of the mdig Gene in Human Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The mineral-dust-induced gene mdig is a lung-cancer-associated oncogene. The focus of this study is to evaluate the expression status of mdig in lung cancer and to assess its influence in predicting the patient's overall survival. METHODS: Using high-density tissue microarrays and clinical samples of synchronous multiple primary lung cancer (SMPLC), we investigated the expression of mdig through immunohistochemistry and utilized the open-access lung cancer patient databases containing genomic and transcriptomic data from the UCSC Xena and TCGA web platforms to determine the prognostic values of mdig expression status among different subtypes of lung cancer. RESULTS: mdig is upregulated in smokers and in lung squamous cell carcinoma. High mdig expression predicted poor overall survival in lung squamous cell carcinoma and female smokers. Among tumor tissues from SMPLC patients, we not only unraveled the highest positive rate of mdig expression, but also revealed a unique cytoplasmic, rather than nuclear localization of mdig protein. Furthermore, by inspecting some pathological but not cancerous lung tissues, we believe that mdig is required for the transformation of non-cancerous lung cells to the fully-fledged cancer cells. CONCLUSION: These data suggested that mdig is involved in various stages of lung carcinogenesis, possibly through the epigenetic regulation on some critical cancer-associated genes, and increased mdig expression is an important prognostic factor for some types of lung cancer.

Effects of Cynaroside on Cell Proliferation, Apoptosis, Migration and Invasion though the MET/AKT/mTOR Axis in Gastric Cancer.

The Chinese medicine monomer cynaroside (Cy) is a flavonoid glycoside compound that widely exists in plants and has a variety of pharmacological effects, such as its important role in the respiratory system, cardiovascular system and central nervous system. Studies have reported that Cy has varying degrees of anticancer activity in non-small cell lung cancer, cervical cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer and other cancers. However, there are no relevant reports about its role in gastric cancer. The MET/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway plays important roles in regulating various biological processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, invasion and tumorigenesis. In this study, we confirmed that Cy can inhibit the cell growth, migration and invasion and tumorigenesis in gastric cancer. Our finding shows that Cy can block the MET/AKT/mTOR axis by decreasing the phosphorylation level of AKT, mTOR and P70S6K. Therefore, the MET/AKT/mTOR axis may be an important target for Cy. In summary, Cy has anti-cancer properties and is expected to be a potential drug for the treatment of gastric cancer.

[Effects of tetrandrine on proliferation, migration, and invasion of glioblastoma cells].

Glioblastoma is the most common intracranial primary malignant tumor, which leads to the poor quality of life of patients and has a high recurrence rate. Chemotherapy is a vital part in the treatment of this disease. Tetrandrine(Tet) is an active ingredient extracted from the root of the Chinese medicinal plant Stephania tetrandra, which has been proved with a wide range of pharmacological effects including anti-tumor. However, there are few studies regarding the effect of Tet on glioma. In this study, MTT and BrdU assays were employed to detect the effect of Tet on the proliferation of LN229 glioblastoma cells; flow cytometry was used to analyze the cycle distribution and apoptosis; plate cloning assay and soft agar colony formation assay were performed to study the colony formation ability of LN229 cells exposed to Tet; scratch assay and Transwell assay were conducted to detect the ability of migration and invasion; Western blot was adopted to the exploration of the molecular mechanism. The MTT and BrdU assays showed that Tet inhibited the proliferation of LN229 cells in a time-and dose-dependent manner. The plate cloning assay and soft agar colony formation assay showed that Tet weakened the colony formation of LN229 cells in vitro; cytometry assay showed that Tet blocked cells in the G_1 phase and promoted cell apoptosis; scratch and Transwell assays proved that Tet inhibited the migration and invasion of LN229 cells; Western blot results showed that Tet down-regulated the expression levels of CDK2, CDK6, cyclin D1, cyclin E1, snail, slug, vimentin, and N-cadherin, while up-regulated the level of E-cadherin. The results indicate that Tet has a certain inhibitory effect on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LN229 glioblastoma cells, and such effect may be related to the participation of Tet in the regulation of c-Myc/p27 axis and snail signaling pathway.