Abstract
Background Paeoniflorin has been reported to exert antitumor effects on human cancers. However, the role of paeoniflorin in gastric cancer and the underlying molecular mechanism are unelucidated. Therefore, we determined whether paeoniflorin could exhibit anticancer activity in gastric cancer cells. Methods MTT was used to measure the viability of cells after paeoniflorin treatment. FACS was performed to examine cell apoptosis. Wound healing and transwell invasion assays were conducted to examine cell migratory and invasive activities. Western blotting was used to explore the mechanism by which paeoniflorin exerted tumor suppressive effects. Results We found that paeoniflorin suppressed cell growth, enhanced apoptosis, and reduced cell invasion. Notably, we showed that paeoniflorin inhibited the expression of TAZ in gastric cancer cells. The overexpression of TAZ abrogated the antitumor activity of paeoniflorin in gastric cancer cells. In contrast, the downregulation of TAZ promoted the tumor suppressive effects of paeoniflorin treatment. Conclusion Hence, targeting TAZ with paeoniflorin could be a novel approach for the treatment of human gastric cancer.
Highlights
Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers worldwide [1]
Paeoniflorin stimulated apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells via inhibition of prostaglandin E receptor EP2, elevation of the Bax-to-Bcl-2 ratio, and activation of caspase-3 [7]. Consistent with these findings, paeoniflorin inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP9) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and promoted the expression of E-cadherin in HCC cells, leading to suppression of cell migration and invasion [6]. ese findings clearly suggest that paeoniflorin has antitumor activity in human cancers
To investigate whether paeoniflorin could suppress the viability of gastric cancer cells, MGC803 gastric cancer cells were exposed to different concentrations of paeoniflorin for 72 h
Summary
Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers worldwide [1]. Globally, 1,033,701 new cases of gastric cancer have been reported, and gastric cancer is the fifth most frequently diagnosed cancer. ere have been an estimated 782,685 deaths due to this disease, and it is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality [1]. ere are 27,510 new gastric cancer cases and an estimated 11,140 gastric cancer-related deaths in the United States [2]. Paeoniflorin was found to inhibit the expression of Bcl-2 and promote the expression of Bax and caspase-3, leading to the induction of apoptosis in cervical cancer cells [6]. Paeoniflorin stimulated apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells via inhibition of prostaglandin E receptor EP2, elevation of the Bax-to-Bcl-2 ratio, and activation of caspase-3 [7]. Consistent with these findings, paeoniflorin inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP9) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and promoted the expression of E-cadherin in HCC cells, leading to suppression of cell migration and invasion [6]. Targeting TAZ with paeoniflorin could be a novel approach for the treatment of human gastric cancer
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