Astaxanthin suppresses the metastasis of colon cancer by inhibiting the MYC-mediated downregulation of microRNA-29a-3p and microRNA-200a

Sci Rep. 2019 Jul 1;9(1):9457. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-45924-3.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer, and is associated with a high percentage of cancer-related death globally. Furthermore, the success rate of therapeutic treatment for CRC patients mainly depends on the status of metastasis. Therefore, novel drugs or therapeutic techniques should be discovered for the treatment of metastatic CRC. In this study, we selected Astaxanthin (AXT), one of the most common carotenoids, as a novel metastasis inhibitor through high-throughput drug screening based on invadopodia staining, and confirmed the anti-migratory and anti-invasive activity of AXT. We demonstrated that AXT increases miR-29a-3p and miR-200a expression, and thereby suppresses the expression of MMP2 and ZEB1, respectively. As a result, AXT represses the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of CRC cells. Through the mechanistic study, we identified that AXT shows anti-metastatic activity through the transcriptional repression of MYC transcription factor. Finally, we also confirmed that AXT suppresses the in vivo metastatic capacity of colon cancer cell using mouse model. Collectively, we uncovered the novel function of AXT in the inhibition of EMT and invadopodia formation, implicating the novel therapeutic potential for AXT in metastatic CRC patients.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement / drug effects
  • Colonic Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Colonic Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Colonic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects*
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / genetics
  • Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness / prevention & control
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / metabolism*
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Small Interfering / metabolism
  • Transplantation, Heterologous
  • Xanthophylls / pharmacology
  • Xanthophylls / therapeutic use
  • Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1 / metabolism

Substances

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • MIRN200 microRNA, human
  • MIRN29a microRNA, human
  • MicroRNAs
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Xanthophylls
  • ZEB1 protein, human
  • Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1
  • astaxanthine
  • Matrix Metalloproteinase 2