This study aimed to determine the effect of andrographolide (AD) on the growth of H3255 lung cancer cells and its possible impact on the expression and activity of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 protein. H3255 cells were cultured in vitro, and treated with AD (1, 5 or 10 μM) for 24, 48 or 72 h. Cell proliferation was detected using an MTT assay and the expression of MMP-9 mRNA was measured using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The activity of MMP-9 was assessed by gelatin zymography, while the nuclear translocation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 subunit and the phosphorylation of IκB were determined by western blotting. AD inhibited the proliferation of the H3255 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, in addition to downregulating the expression of MMP-9 mRNA and the activity of MMP-9. Moreover, AD significantly inhibited the nuclear translocation of the NF-κB p65 subunit and suppressed IκB phosphorylation. The significant inhibition of H3255 cell proliferation by AD may have been correlated with the reduction in MMP-9 expression and activity through the inhibition of the phosphorylation of IκB and the translocation of NF-κB. The results suggest that AD is a promising drug candidate for the treatment of the migration and invasion of malignant tumors.
Keywords: MMP-9; NF-κB; andrographolide; lung cancer cells.