Inhibition of peiminine on invasion and migration of human lung cancer A549 cells by decreasing epithelial-mesenchymal transition process via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To detect the influence of peiminine on the invasion and migration of human lung cancer A549 cells. Methods A549 cells were treated with peiminine at the final concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 200 μmol/L, respectively. The influence of peiminine on the invasion and migration of A549 cells and its underlying mechanisms were investigated by cell invasion experiment, cell scratch experiment, real-time quantitative PCR, ELISA, and Western blotting. Results Compared with 0 μmol/L peiminine group, the cell transmembrane number and scratch wound healing rate and expressions of MMP-9 and MMP-2 in the group treated with different concentrations of peiminine significantly decreased (P < 0.01). Compared with 0 μmol/L peiminine group, the mRNA expression of E-cadherin increased significantly (P < 0.01), while the mRNA expressions of N-cadherin and vimentin decreased significantly (P < 0.01). Compared with 0 μmol/L peiminine group, FN protein expression was significantly decreased in all the groups with different concentrations of peiminine group except treatment with 50 μmol/L peiminine after 24 h (P < 0.05, 0.01). Compared with 0 μmol/L peiminine group, the ratio of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-mTOR/mTOR in all concentrations of peiminine groups and p-Akt/Akt in 100 and 200 peiminine groups were significantly decreased (P < 0.05, 0.01). Conclusion Peiminine can inhibit the invasion and migration of A549 cells, which may be related to the activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and decreasing the epithelial- mesenchymal transition process.