Polyphyllin I inhibits growth and invasion of cisplatin-resistant gastric cancer cells by partially inhibiting CIP2A/PP2A/Akt signaling axis

J Pharmacol Sci. 2018 Jul;137(3):305-312. doi: 10.1016/j.jphs.2018.07.008. Epub 2018 Jul 26.

Abstract

The aberrant expression of cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) indicates poor prognosis and promotes EMT and metastasis. EMT, a crucial cellular process that occurs during cancer progression and metastasis, has been reported to promote drug resistance in several previous studies. Consequently, ongoing research has been focused on exploring therapeutic options for preventing EMT to delay or reverse drug resistance. Polyphyllin I (PPI) is a natural component extracted from Paris polyphylla that displays anti-cancer properties. In the present study, we investigated whether PPI can be used in the cisplatin (DDP)-resistant human gastric cancer cell line SGC7901/DDP. The results demonstrated that PPI treatment significantly inhibited cell proliferation, invasion and EMT. TGF-β1 is known to promote EMT-induced metastasis in numerous tumor types. PPI inhibited the invasion of TGFβ1-induced SGC7901/DDP cells in vitro. PPI also increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of E-cadherin but decreased the expression levels of vimentin. Further examination of the mechanism revealed that the CIP2A/PP2A/Akt pathway is partially involved in this regulation of EMT-related biomarkers and invasion. Furthermore, xenograft tests also confirmed the antitumor effects of PPI in vivo. We propose that PPI could be developed as a candidate drug for treating cancer invasion and migration.

Keywords: CIP2A; EMT; Gastric cancer; Metastasis; Polyphyllin I.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic*
  • Autoantigens / genetics*
  • Autoantigens / metabolism*
  • Cadherins / genetics
  • Cadherins / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects*
  • Cell Proliferation / genetics
  • Cisplatin / pharmacology*
  • Depression, Chemical
  • Diosgenin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Diosgenin / pharmacology
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / drug effects*
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / genetics*
  • Gene Expression / drug effects
  • Gene Expression / genetics
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics*
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness / prevention & control
  • Neoplasm Metastasis / genetics*
  • Protein Phosphatase 2 / genetics*
  • Protein Phosphatase 2 / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • Signal Transduction / genetics*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / physiology
  • Vimentin / genetics
  • Vimentin / metabolism

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Autoantigens
  • CIP2A protein, human
  • Cadherins
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1
  • Vimentin
  • polyphyllin I
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Protein Phosphatase 2
  • Diosgenin
  • Cisplatin