Open Access
ARTICLE
Astragaloside IV Inhibits the Progression of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Through the Akt/GSK-3β/β-Catenin Pathway
Liwei Jia*, Dongying Lv†, Shuang Zhang*, Zhenyue Wang*, Bo Zhou*
* School of Pharmacy, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, P.R. China
† Heilongjiang Environmental Monitoring Central Station, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, P.R. China
Oncology Research 2019, 27(4), 503-508. https://doi.org/10.3727/096504018X15344989701565
Abstract
Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is an active ingredient in Astragalus membranaceus and is involved in various
biological processes, such as regulating the immune system, and counteracting inflammation and malignancy.
The aim of this study was to explore the effect of AS-IV on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Cell
counting kit (CCK)-8 assay and flow cytometry were performed to investigate cell survival and cell death, and
Western blotting was performed to assess protein expression. We found that AS-IV inhibited the migration
and proliferation of NSCLC cells and caused a noticeable increase in cell death. Furthermore, the expression
of Bax, a marker of cell death, was increased, whereas the expression of Bcl-2, an antiapoptotic protein, was
reduced. AS-IV also promoted cleavage of caspase-3, another indication of apoptosis. Finally, the Akt/GSK-
3 / -catenin axis was suppressed in response to AS-IV. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that
AS-IV inhibits NSCLC development via inhibition of the Akt/GSK-3 / -catenin signaling axis. We therefore
propose that AS-IV represents a promising novel agent for the treatment of NSCLC.
Keywords
Cite This Article
Jia, L., Lv, D., Zhang, S., Wang, Z., Zhou, B. (2019). Astragaloside IV Inhibits the Progression of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Through the Akt/GSK-3β/β-Catenin Pathway.
Oncology Research, 27(4), 503–508. https://doi.org/10.3727/096504018X15344989701565