Matrine derivative YF-18 inhibits lung cancer cell proliferation and migration through down-regulating Skp2

// Lichuan Wu 1, * , Guizhen Wang 2, * , Jinrui Wei 3, * , Na Huang 4, * , Sen Zhang 1 , Fangfang Yang 1 , Ming Li 5 , Guangbiao Zhou 2 , Lisheng Wang 1 1 School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China 2 State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China 3 Guangxi Scientific Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China 4 Affiliated Tumour Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China 5 Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan, PR China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Lichuan Wu, email: wulichuan@126.com Lisheng Wang, email: w_lsheng@163.com Keywords: lung cancer, matrine derivative, Skp2, proliferation, migration Received: May 17, 2016     Accepted: December 16, 2016     Published: December 28, 2016 ABSTRACT Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death which needs novel drugs to improve patient outcomes. In this study, we examined the ability of YF-18, a novel matrine derivative to inhibit the growth and migration of lung cancer cells. By cell cycle analysis, wound healing and transwell assays, we found that YF-18 induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and inhibited migration of lung cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Further results indicated that YF-18 inhibited cell proliferation and migration through down-regulating Skp2 and up-regulating its substrates, p27 and E-cadherin. Moreover, YF-18 inhibited A549-luciferase cell xenograft tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner. The findings indicate that YF-18 bears therapeutic potentials for lung cancer.