Abstract

To explore the effects of jatrorrhizine on proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells via the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-468 was treated with varying concentrations of jatrorrhizine and then the effects of varying concentrations of jatrorrhizine on apoptosis of the cell were analyzed by flow cytometry. Western blotting was performed to test the protein expression of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. The breast cancer cells treated with 0 μM jatrorrhizine, breast cancer cells treated with 5 μM showed significant down-regulation in proliferation (p>0.05) and the breast cancer cells treated with 20 μM jatrorrhizine obviously decreased in proliferation activity, indicating the presence of statistical difference (p<0.05). The breast cancer cells treated with 0 μM jatrorrhizine and those treated with 5 μM showed an increase in apoptosis rate, the breast cancer cells treated with 20 μM jatrorrhizine obviously increased in apoptosis rate, indicating the presence of statistical difference (p<0.05). 0 μM group, the experiment of cell invasion and migration showed that 5 μM group experienced remarkable decline in the number of invasive and migratory cells vs. 0 μM group (p<0.05); and in this respect, 20 μM group had a marked decrease vs. 5 μM group, showing significant difference (p<0.05). In contrast with 0 μM group, apoptosis rate and B-cell lymphoma 2 expression level were observed to be an obvious decline and caspase-3 expression level presented an apparent increase in 5 μM group (p<0.05). In contrast with 5 μM group, apoptosis rate and B-cell lymphoma 2 expression level were observed to be an obvious decline and caspase-3 expression level presented an apparent increase in 20 μM group (p<0.05). After 48 h of treatment with jatrorrhizine, the beta-catenin expression in breast cancer cells was down-regulated in a concentrationdependent manner and whereas those of glycogen synthase kinase-3 and E-cadherin were up-regulated in a concentration-dependent manner, but that of interstitial marker protein N-cadherin in 5 μM group and 20 μM group was remarkably lower vs. 0 μM group. The regulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway following the treatment of MDA-MB-468 with jatrorrhizine can promote apoptosis, inhibit proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner.