Carvacrol Targets AXL to Inhibit Cell Proliferation and Migration in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells.

Abstract

AXL has been reported to be overexpressed and highly activated in various cancer types. In this study, we demonstrated the effect of carvacrol on cell proliferation and migration in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells by impeding the expression and activation of AXL. The levels of AXL protein, mRNA and promoter activity were evaluated by western blot, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and luciferase assay, respectively. AXL-overexpressing cells were established by ectopic expression of AXL cDNA. Cell viability, clonogenicity, and migration were measured in carvacrol-treated NSCLC cells. Carvacrol treatment of NSCLC cells caused down-regulation of AXL expression at the transcriptional level and also inhibited phosphorylation of AXL upon ligand stimulation. Carvacrol suppressed cell proliferation and migration and its inhibitory effect was attenuated in AXL-overexpressing NSCLC cells. Our data demonstrate that AXL is a crucial therapeutic target of carvacrol-induced inhibition of NSCLC cell proliferation and migration.