Nostoc commune Vauch., classified into cyanobacteria, has been always well appreciated as a healthy food and medicine worldwide owing to its rich nutrition and potent bioactivities. Nevertheless, the inhibitory effect of polysaccharides from N. commune Vauch. (NVPS) against cancer cell progression and metastasis is still being unraveled. The results in this study showed that NVPS remarkably suppressed cell migration through blocking the epithelial-mesenchymal transition program in NCI-H446 and NCI-H1688 human small cell lung cancer cells. The inhibitory effects were attributed to the suppression of integrin β1/FAK signaling through regulating cell-matrix adhesion. Furthermore, NVPS treatment could increase E-cadherin expression, but down-regulate N-cadherin, Vimentin, and MMP-9 expression, which resulted in the blockage of STAT3 nuclear translocation and JAK1 signaling. These findings suggest that NVPS may be a good candidate for development as a possible antitumor agent against small cell lung cancer.
Keywords: Nostoc commune Vauch.; cell migration; epithelial−mesenchymal transition; polysaccharides; small cell lung cancer.