Evodiamine Inhibits Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation via PTEN-Mediated EGF/PI3K Signaling Pathway

Abstract

Aims. In this study, the pharmacological effects and potential molecular mechanisms of evodiamine in treating gastric cancer (GC) were investigated. Methods. GC cells lines of AGS and BGC-823 were treated with evodiamine at various concentrations for different times (24, 48, and 72 h). Inhibition of the proliferation of AGS and BGC-823 cells was assessed using a CCK-8 assay. The morphology of gastric cancer cells was detected by high-content screening (HCS). The apoptosis-inducing effect of evodiamine on AGS and BGC-823 cells was detected by flow cytometric analysis. Cell migration and invasion were detected by Transwell assay. The relative mRNA and protein expression levels of PTEN-mediated EGF/PI3K signaling pathways were investigated via RT-qPCR or western blotting, respectively. Results. Evodiamine substantially inhibited AGS and BGC-823 cells proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that evodiamine could induce apoptosis of AGS and BGC-823 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, evodiamine inhibited AGS and BGC-823 cell migration and invasion. Mechanistically, the results demonstrated that evodiamine promoted the relative mRNA and protein expression of PTEN and decreased expression of EGF, EGFR, PI3K, AKT, p-AKT, and mTOR. Most importantly, evodiamine could effectively increase the mRNA and protein expression of PTEN and decrease the protein expression of EGF/PI3K pathway, indicating that evodiamine downregulated EGF/PI3K through the activation of PTEN pathway. Conclusion. Evodiamine inhibited the directional migration and invasion of GC cells by inhibiting PTEN-mediated EGF/PI3K signaling pathway. These findings revealed that evodiamine might serve as a potential candidate for the treatment or prevention of GC.