Huaier Granule extract inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of lung cancer cells through down-regulation of MTDH, JAK2/STAT3 and MAPK signaling pathways

Although the effect of Huaier has been widely studied, its role and its molecular mechanism in lung cancer are not clear. In this study, we explored the inhibitory effect of Huaier on lung cancer cells and its molecular mechanism. The cell viability, migration and invasion were analyzed by CCK-8 and BrdU cell proliferation assay kits, Transwell and colony forming assay. The cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. The experimental results showed that the viability, migration and invasion of A549 and NCI-H1650 cells were inhibited by Huaier in a dose and time-dependent manner. Huaier induced cell apoptosis and the cells were blocked in the S phase to inhibit cell proliferation. Western blotting results showed that Huaier inhibited the expression of MTDH and increased the proportion of Bax/Bcl-2, it could also promote the expression of Cleaved Caspase-3 and increase the activity of Caspase-3, promote cell apoptosis and inhibit cell proliferation. Huaier inhibited the metastasis and invasion of lung cancer cells by inhibiting the expression levels of EMT related proteins, it also inhibited the expression of JAK2/STAT3 and MAPK signaling pathways. Therefore, our results showed that Huaier may inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of lung cancer cells through multiple targets, it had the potential for treatment of lung cancer.