Matrine inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis of human rhabdomyosarcoma cells via downregulation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway

Abstract

Abstract. Matrine, extracted from the Chinese traditional medicine Sophorae flavescentis, has been demonstrated to exhibit antitumor effects on numerous types of cancer in vivo and in vitro with low toxicity. However, its antitumor mechanism in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells remains unclear. In the present study, the antitumor effects of matrine and its underlying mechanisms in RMS were investigated in vitro. The results demonstrated that matrine inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis of RMS cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the expression levels of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-MEK) and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) significantly decreased in RMS cells following matrine treatment. In addition, the apoptotic effects of matrine in RMS cells were partially inhibited upon MEK1 overexpression and enhanced upon combined treatment with an ERK inhibitor (U0126). In addition, the ratio of apoptosis regulator BCL-2/BAX significantly decreased following matrine treatment. In conclusion, these findings indicate that matrine inhibits cell proliferation and induces the apoptosis of RMS cells by suppressing the ERK signaling pathway, and may be a novel effective candidate for the treatment of patients with RMS.

Matrine induces senescence of human glioblastoma cells through suppression of the IGF1/PI3K/AKT/p27 signaling pathway

“…Chemotherapeutic agents lead to decreases in cancer cell proliferation through a variety of biological processes, including apoptosis and cellular senescence. In the case of matrine, studies have shown that the molecule induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cell types . We therefore investigated first whether matrine induced apoptosis in GBM cells.…”

“…In the case of matrine, studies have shown that the molecule induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cell types. [16][17][18] We therefore investigated first whether matrine induced apoptosis in GBM cells. Based on propidium iodide and annexin V staining and the TUNEL assay, the percentage of apoptotic cells did not increase significantly for either cell line treated with matrine (Figures 2A and S2A,C).…”

Matrine: A Promising Natural Product With Various Pharmacological Activities

“…Matrine can inhibit the proliferation of rhabdomyosarcoma cells by inhibiting ERK signaling pathway and induce apoptosis (Yan et al, 2017). In combination with cisplatin, matrine can downregulate the expression of X-linked IAP (XIAP) and induce the apoptosis of rhabdomyosarcoma RD cells (Li L. et al, 2016).…”

Src Acts as the Target of Matrine to Inhibit the Proliferation of Cancer Cells by Regulating Phosphorylation Signaling Pathways

“…Researches have showed that MEK/ERK signaling pathway plays an important role in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, thus blocking it can inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells [12].…”

“…Intensive studies con rmed the anti-tumor mechanisms of matrine, including regulation of phosphorylation of proliferation-and apoptosis-related cell signaling pathways [10,11]. It has been reported that matrine inhibits cell proliferation of human rhabdomyosarcoma cells via inactivation of the ERK signaling [12].…”