A novel anticancer effect of butein: Inhibition of invasion through the ERK1/2 and NF-κB signaling pathways in bladder cancer cells

Zhang, LiRui; Chen, Wei; Li, Xu

doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2008.04.046

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Volume 582, Issue 13 , Pages 1821-1828, 11 June 2008

A novel anticancer effect of butein: Inhibition of invasion through the ERK1/2 and NF-κB signaling pathways in bladder cancer cells

Edited by Beat Imhof

Center for Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China

Received 1 March 2008; received in revised form 11 April 2008; accepted 24 April 2008. published online 08 May 2008.

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a critical role in cancer metastasis. Butein is a polyphenolic compound, which has been found to exhibit anti-proliferation effects on cancer cells. Here, we report that in addition to its function as an anti-proliferation agent, butein can inhibit migration and invasion through the ERK1/2 and NF-κB signaling pathways in human bladder cancer cells, and this inhibitory effect may be associated with reversal of EMT. These results were further confirmed by RNAi-mediated suppression of NF-κB, which partly reverses EMT and inhibits cell invasive ability in vitro. These results suggest a novel function of butein as an invasion inhibitor in bladder cancer.

Keywords: Butein, NF-κB, Invasion, Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), Bladder cancer