title: Euphorbia fischerianaSteud inhibits malignant melanoma via modulation of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway.
abstract: Euphorbia fischerianaSteud, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to inhibit the growth of various cancers by the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway and the inhibitory effect ofEuphorbia fischerianaSteud on the growth and metastasis of melanoma B16 cellsin vitro, and the underlying mechanisms. MTT assay results indicated thatEuphorbia fischerianaSteud inhibited the growth of B16 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis revealed thatEuphorbia fischerianaSteud markedly induced apoptosis of the B16 cells, with arrest at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. In addition, in a Transwell assayEuphorbia fischerianaSteud significantly suppressed the migration of B16 cells. Western blot analysis revealed that the expression levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) were upregulated, and the phosphorylation of Akt was downregulated, which resulted in inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and the eventual suppression of its downstream targets, such as matrix metalloproteinase-2 mRNA, in B16 cells. The results demonstrated thatEuphorbia fischerianaSteud inhibited the growth and migration of B16 cells, possibly via modulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and upregulation of PTEN expression levels, in addition to downregulation of p-Akt expression. The aforementioned findings suggest thatEuphorbia fischerianaSteud may have broad therapeutic applications in the treatment of malignant melanoma.
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong 264003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Meng-Hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong 264003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong 276003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yuan-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong 264003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Bai-Sui
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong 264003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yu-Fei
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong 264003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fu
keywords: Euphorbia fischeriana Steud; PI3K/Akt signaling pathway; malignant melanoma; traditional Chinese medicine