Abstract

Our previous study demonstrated that Anisomeles indica hexane extract (AIE) can induce cellular death in FaDu human pharynx squamous cancer cells by apoptosis. This study investigates the anti-metastatic effect of AIE on FaDu cells. First, the starting material of A. indica was confirmed based on nucleotide sequence analysis of ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 of rDNA. The inhibitory effects of AIE on migration and invasion of FaDu cells were then investigated using the wound healing assay and Boyden chamber assay. Experimental results indicate that AIE significantly inhibited migration and invasion of FaDu cells in a dose-dependent manner under non-cytotoxic concentrations. Western blotting analysis revealed that AIE treatments inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and MMP-2 proteins dose-dependently. Moreover, according to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and gelatin zymographic assay results for the expression of MMP-9 and MMP-2, both proteins declined significantly with an increasing AIE dose. Results of this study suggest that AIE can inhibit the migration and invasion of FaDu cells by suppressing the expression of MMP-9 and MMP-2.

Key words: Anisomeles indica extract, FaDu pharynx cancer cells, cytotoxicity on cancer cells, cell migration and invasion, plant authentication.