Basic & Clinical Medicine ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (6): 748-754.doi: 10.16352/j.issn.1001-6325.2025.06.0748

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Inhibitory effect of β-elemonic acid on proliferation and invasion of colon cancer cell lines

SUN Ting1, ZOU Teng1, YANG Yisong1, LIU Shuangping1, REN Xin1*, WANG Dan2*   

  1. 1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical College, Dalian University, Dalian 116622;
    2. Clinical Laboratory, Baoding No.1 Central Hospital, Baoding 071000, China
  • Received:2024-11-11 Revised:2025-02-26 Online:2025-06-05 Published:2025-05-26

Abstract: Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of β-elemonic acid(β-EA)on the proliferation and invasion of colon cancer cells and the underlying mechanisms through PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Methods The effects of β-EA on colon cancer cell proliferation were evaluated using the MTT assay and colony formation assay. Transwell invasion assay were used to assess the impact of β-EA on invasion. Western blot analysis was conducted to detect changes in PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway proteins after treatment. Results MTT assay showed that β-EA effectively inhibited the proliferation of colon cancer HCT8 and HCT116 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The colony formation assay confirmed its inhibitory effect on cell proliferation. Transwell invasion assays demonstrated that β-elemonic acid reduced the invasion abilities of the cells. Western blot analysis revealed increased expression of apoptosis-related proteins cleaved-caspase 3, cleaved-caspase 9, and Bax, while Bcl-2 expression was decreased. Invasion-related proteins vimentin, snail, MMP2, and MMP9 were downregulated after treatment. Additionally, β-EA reduced the levels of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-mTOR, and these reductions were more pronounced after the addition of the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Conclusions β-EA may inhibit proliferation and invasion in colon cancer cell lines HCT8 and HCT116 through PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, and potentially be transformed as a novel therapeutic agent for colon cancer.

Key words: β-elemonic acid, colon cancer, apoptosis, MMP2, PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway

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