PTEN/AKT/mTOR signaling mediates anticancer effects of epigallocatechin‑3‑gallate in ovarian cancer

Epigallocatechin3gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol present in green tea, exhibits anticancer effects in various types of cancer. A number of studies have focused on the effects of EGCG on lung cancer, but not ovarian cancer. Previous reports have implicated that EGCG suppressed ovarian cancer cell proliferation and induced apoptosis, but its potential anticancer mechanisms and signaling pathways remain unclear. Thus, it is necessary to determine the antiovarian cancer effects of EGCG and explore the underlying mechanisms. In the present study, EGCG exerted stronger proliferation inhibition on SKOV3 cells compared with A549 cells and induced apoptosis in SKOV3 cells, as well as upregulated PTEN expression and downregulated the expression of phosphoinositidedependent kinase1 (PDK1), phosphor (p)AKT and pmTOR. These effects were reversed by the PTEN inhibitor VOOhpic trihydrate. The results of the mouse xenograft experiment demonstrated that 50 mg/kg EGCG exhibited increased tumor growth inhibition compared with 5 mg/kg paclitaxel. In addition, PTEN expression was upregulated, whereas the expression levels of PDK1, pAKT and pmTOR were downregulated in the EGCG treatment group compared with those in untreated mice in vivo. In conclusion, the results of the present study provided a new underlying mechanism of the effect of EGCG on ovarian cancer and may lead to the development of EGCG as a candidate drug for ovarian cancer therapy.