Cinobufagin (CB), with its steroidal nucleus structure, is one of the major, biologically active components of Chan Su. Recent studies have shown that CB exerts inhibitory effects against numerous cancer cells. However, the effects of CB regarding the metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the involved mechanisms need to be further studied. The purpose of the present study aimed to report the inhibitory function of CB against proliferation and metastasis of H1299 cells. CB inhibited proliferation of H1299 lung cancer cells with an IC50 value of 0.035±0.008 μM according to the results of MTT assays. Antiproliferative activity was also observed in colony forming cell assays. In addition, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) retention assays revealed that CB significantly inhibited the rate of DNA synthesis in H1299 cells. Moreover, results of the scratch wound healing assays and transwell migration assays displayed that CB exhibited significant inhibition against migration and invasion of H1299 cells. Furthermore, CB could concentration-dependently reduce the expression of integrin α2, β-catenin, FAK, Src, c-Myc, and STAT3 in H1299 cells. These western blotting results indicated that CB might target integrin α2, β-catenin, FAK and Src to suppress invasion and migration of NSCLC, which was consistent with the network pharmacology analysis results. Collectively, findings of the current study suggest that CB possesses promising activity against NSCLC growth and metastasis.
Keywords: H1299 cell; cinobufagin; lung cancer; metastasis; proliferation.
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