Open Access

Apatinib suppresses the migration, invasion and angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by blocking VEGF and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways

  • Authors:
    • Jifu Song
    • Zhibin Guan
    • Chao Song
    • Maojiang Li
    • Zhiwei Gao
    • Yongli Zhao
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: April 7, 2021     https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2021.12068
  • Article Number: 429
  • Copyright: © Song et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a commonly diagnosed malignancy worldwide with poor prognosis and high metastasis and recurrence rates. Although apatinib has been demonstrated to have potential antitumor activity in multiple solid tumors, the underlying mechanism of apatinib in HCC treatment remains to be elucidated. In the present study, apatinib were used to treat HCC cells transfected with or without VEGFR2 overexpression vectors. The proliferation of HCC cells was detected by MTT assay. The migration and invasion of HCC cells were detected by wound healing assay and Transwell assay. The ability of angiogenesis of HCC cells were detected by tube formation assay. The related protein expression levels were detected by western blotting. The present study aims to investigate the effect and potential mechanism of apatinib on the migration, invasion and angiogenesis of HCC cells. It was found that apatinib treatment significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of Hep3b cells and suppressed angiogenesis in HUVECs. In addition, apatinib inhibited the epithelial‑mesenchymal transition of Hep3b cells by increasing the expression of the epithelial hallmarks E‑cadherin and α‑catenin and decreased the expression of the mesenchymal hallmarks N‑cadherin and vimentin. These effects were associated with the downregulation of VEGF and VEGFR2 and suppression of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Thus, apatinib inhibited cell migration, invasion and angiogenesis by blocking the VEGF and PI3K/AKT pathways, supporting an effective therapeutic strategy in the treatment of HCC.
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June-2021
Volume 23 Issue 6

Print ISSN: 1791-2997
Online ISSN:1791-3004

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Spandidos Publications style
Song J, Guan Z, Song C, Li M, Gao Z and Zhao Y: Apatinib suppresses the migration, invasion and angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by blocking VEGF and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Mol Med Rep 23: 429, 2021.
APA
Song, J., Guan, Z., Song, C., Li, M., Gao, Z., & Zhao, Y. (2021). Apatinib suppresses the migration, invasion and angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by blocking VEGF and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Molecular Medicine Reports, 23, 429. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2021.12068
MLA
Song, J., Guan, Z., Song, C., Li, M., Gao, Z., Zhao, Y."Apatinib suppresses the migration, invasion and angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by blocking VEGF and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways". Molecular Medicine Reports 23.6 (2021): 429.
Chicago
Song, J., Guan, Z., Song, C., Li, M., Gao, Z., Zhao, Y."Apatinib suppresses the migration, invasion and angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by blocking VEGF and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways". Molecular Medicine Reports 23, no. 6 (2021): 429. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2021.12068