RESUMO
AIMS: Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is a flavonoid, that has been shown to have antioxidant, vasorelaxant, anti-inï¬ammatory, and antitumor activities. This study aimed to explore the antitumor effect of ISL on human osteosarcoma U2OS cells and investigate the mechanism of this effect. METHODS: The effect of ISL on osteosarcoma U2OS cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis were determined by a CCK8 assay, a transwell invasion assay, a transwell migration assay, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting, respectively. In addition, the protein expression levels of Bcl2, Bax, active Caspase-3, Akt, mTOR, p70, and Cyclin D1 were detected by western blotting. RESULTS: ISL suppressed cell proliferation, inhibited invasion and migration, and promoted apoptosis in U2OS cells. After treatment with ISL, the protein expression levels of Bax and active Caspase-3 increased, while the level of Bcl-2 declined significantly. Furthermore, the phosphorylation levels of Akt and mTOR declined significantly compared with that of the control. CONCLUSION: ISL could retard proliferation and promote apoptosis of U2OS cells possibly by suppressing the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway, indicating that it might be a potential therapeutic agent for osteosarcoma treatment.