Tarawneh N, Hamadneh L, Abu-Irmaileh B, Shraideh Z, Bustanji Y, Abdalla S. Berberine Inhibited Growth and Migration of Human Colon Cancer Cell Lines by Increasing Phosphatase and Tensin and Inhibiting Aquaporins 1, 3 and 5 Expressions.
Molecules 2023;
28:molecules28093823. [PMID:
37175233 PMCID:
PMC10180100 DOI:
10.3390/molecules28093823]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Berberine is a natural isoquinoline alkaloid with anti-cancer properties. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism of its action in human colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been thoroughly elucidated. We investigated the anti-cancer effect of berberine on HT-29, SW-480 and HCT-116 human CRC cell lines. Methods: Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were studied by MTT assay, wound healing, transwell chambers and flow cytometry. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunostaining were used to evaluate the expression of aquaporins (AQPs) 1, 3 and 5 in colon cancer cell lines before and after treatment with berberine (10, 30 and 100 µM). RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to further explore the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and the molecular mechanisms underlying berberine-induced inhibition of cell proliferation. Results: We demonstrated that treatment of these CRC cell lines with berberine inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion through induction of apoptosis and necrosis. HT-29, SW-480 and HCT-116 stained positively for AQP 1, 3 and 5, and berberine treatment down-regulated the expression of all three types of AQPs. Berberine also modulated PI3K/AKT pathway activity through up-regulating PTEN and down-regulating PI3K, AKT and p-AKT expression as well as suppressing its downstream targets, mTOR and p-mTOR at the protein level. Discussion/Conclusions: These findings indicate that berberine inhibited growth, migration and invasion of these colon cancer cell lines via down-regulation of AQP 1, 3 and 5 expressions, up-regulating PTEN which inhibited the PI3K/AKT pathway at the gene and protein levels, and that AQP 1, 3 and 5 expression level can be used as prognostic biomarkers for colon cancer metastasis.
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