Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in males and the ninth most common in females. However, despite the numerous advances made in the past few decades, the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer remains poor. Metastasis is one of the major causes of mortality in bladder cancer patients. Therefore, the inhibition of metastasis is one of the most significant issues in bladder cancer research. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti-metastatic potential of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG, the major phytochemical in green tea) against bladder cancer and its mechanism of action. EGCG efficiently and dose-dependently inhibited adhesion, migration and invasion of T24 human bladder cancer cells. Mechanistically, EGCG inhibited phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/Akt activation that resulted in inactivation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and the inhibition of the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), ultimately suppressing invasion and metastasis. These findings suggest that EGCG is a potential therapeutic candidate against tumor invasion.
Keywords: bladder cancer; matrix metalloproteinase-9; epigallocatechin gallate; invasion; nuclear factor-κB.