Effect of andrographolide on osteosarcoma 143B cells and its mechanism

AIM To investigate the inhibitory effect of andrographolide （AG） on human osteosarcoma 143B cells and its underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS Osteosarcoma 143B cells were cultured in vitro and treated with AG at different concentrations (0~20 μmol/L), and the effect of AG on the proliferation of 143B cells was determined by crystal violet staining, MTT assay and colony formation assay. The wound-healing assay was performed to detect the migration ability of osteosarcoma 143B cells. Transwell assay was performed to analyze the invasive capacity of osteosarcoma 143B cells. The effect of AG on the apoptosis of osteosarcoma 143B cells was detected by Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry. After treatment with of AG at different concentrations, the protein levels of the molecules related to proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of osteosarcoma 143B cells were determined by Western blot. The expression of β-catenin and its related molecule c-Myc in the Wnt signaling pathway was analyzed by Western blot. RESULTS Compared with blank group, the proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma 143B cells in AG treatment group were significantly inhibited (P<0.05) in a concentration-dependent manner. The expression levels of invasion- and migration-related proteins matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), vimentin and Snail were all down-regulated (P<0.05). AG also increased the expression of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2, and the levels of apoptosis-related protein caspase-3 was decreased but cleaved caspase-3 was increased. At the same time, the expression levels of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway related proteins β-catenin and c-Myc were significantly decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Andrographolide may inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma 143B cells and promote their apoptosis by inhibiting the activity of Wnt signaling pathway.