Skullcapflavone I inhibits proliferation of human colorectal cancer cells via down-regulation of miR-107 expression
Authors: W Li
W Zhang
X Han
Journal: Neoplasma (2019)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: Colorectal cancer; Skullcapflavone I; miR-107; TPM1; cell proliferation
Affiliations: Department of Gastroenterology, Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital, Dongying, China.

Abstract:  Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor with high global increase and mortality. While Skullcapflavone I has been reported to exert anti-tumor effect in several cancers, its role in CRC has not previously been investigated. Recent studies have also demonstrated that microRNA-107 (miR-107) and tropomyosin alpha-1 (TPM1) are important regulators of cancer cell proliferation, but it remains unclear if these are involved in regulating the effect of Skullcapflavone I on CRC cells. This study therefore assessed the effects of Skullcapflavone I on CRC cell proliferation and investigated miR-107 and TPM1 regulatory effects on this process. The results showed that Skullcapflavone I significantly suppressed cell proliferation and viability and down-regulated PCNA and Cyclin D1protein levels. It also down-regulated miR-107 expression which then promoted TPM1 expression, but miR-107 over-expression abolished Skullcapflavone I anti-proliferative effects. Furthermore, Skullcapflavone I inhibited the activations of MEK/ERK and NF-κB signal pathway activation by regulating TPM1 in HCT116 cells. These results demonstrated that Skullcapflavone I increased the expression of TPM1 by down-regulating miR-107 and inhibiting the MEK/ERK and NF-κB signal pathways. It then inhibited HCT116 cell proliferation, and therefore Skullcapflavone I may provide new methodology in colorectal cancer treatment. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 The journal Neoplasma seems to be affected by the systematic falsification of articles from Chinese research institutes. We have so far detected almost 300 articles with similar structure and Western immunoblots with repeated patterns in the background. Shown is an example from Figure 6. ![file] , 
 This paper belongs to a set of over 400 papers (as per February 2020) that share very similar Western blots with tadpole-like shaped bands, the same background pattern, and striking similarities in title structures, paper layout, bar graph design, and - in a subset - flow cytometry panels. Despite these similarities, these papers are authored by researchers from different departments and institutes, with almost no overlap in authors. The list of these papers is available here: https: docs.google.com spreadsheets d 1KXqTAyl4j-jVorFPMD2XRpr76LcIKJ0CVyIvRj0exYQ edit?usp=sharing A more detailed description of this set of papers, suspected to all be generated by a common source, a paper mill , can be found here: * https: forbetterscience.com 2020 01 24 the-full-service-paper-mill-and-its-chinese-customers (January 2020) * https: scienceintegritydigest.com 2020 02 21 the-tadpole-paper-mill (February 2020) The same paper mill has been described in these papers: * Jana Christopher - Systematic fabrication of scientific images revealed - FEBS Letters (2018) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13201 * Jennifer A Byrne and Jana Christopher - Digital magic, or the dark arts of the 21st centuryu2014how can journals and peer reviewers detect manuscripts and publications from paper mills? - FEBS Letters (2020) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13747 ,