Quercitrin suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis and angiogenesis by targeting the Nrf2 signaling pathway

Abstract

NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) abnormally accumulates in multi-types of cancer, and its expression is closely associated with a poor prognosis for cancer patients. A large body of research has demonstrated that Nrf2 can protect cancer cells from chemo-therapeutic agents and facilitate the malignant progression of tumors. Quercitrin, which is found in flavonoids from Sedum sarmentosum, has been associated with potential anti-cancer roles in the initiation and progression of several types of cancer. In this current study, we mainly investigated whether quercitrin had a therapeutic effect against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using in vitro and in vivo studies. Herein, we demonstrated that quercitrin inhibit human HCC cell growth, migration, and invasion. In vivo experiments showed the growth and metastasis of HCC cells was markedly inhibited by quercitrin treatment. Additionally, quercitrin inhibited HCC cell-induced mobility and invasion, as well as the tube formation of human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. In vivo, quercitrin markedly suppressed microvessel density and increases HCC cell apoptosis in tumors from nude mice inoculated with HCC cells. Finally, we demonstrated that Nrf2 was involved in cell growth and metastasis in HCC cancer cells. In summary, we demonstrated for the first time that quercitrin inhibited human HCC growth, angiogenesis and metastasis by targeting the Nrf2 signaling pathway.