Silibinin inhibits the migration and invasion of human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells by downregulating MMP‑2 and MMP‑9 expression via the p38MAPK signaling pathway
Authors: Chunyan Li
Yan Li
Zhuqing Zhang
Lina Liu
Shuming Lu
Meiru Chen
Journal: Oncology Letters (2017)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: gastric cancer; matrix metalloproteinase; p38MAPK; silibinin.
Affiliations: Department of Gastroenterology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004, P.R. China, Department of Pathology, Dalian Municipal Central Hospital, Dalian, Liaoning 116033, P.R. China, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116011, P.R. China

Abstract:  The objective of the present study was to observe the effects of silibinin and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway inhibitor SB203580 on the migration and invasion capabilities of SGC7901 cells, and to explore the underlying associated mechanisms. Scratch, Transwell and Matrigel invasion assays were performed to study the effects of silibinin on cell migration and invasion. Western blot analysis was used to determine the expression levels of p38MAPK, phosphorylated (p-)p38MAPK, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. At the genomic level, quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate the expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9. The results of scratch assay indicated that silibinin inhibited the migration capabilities of human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, Matrigel invasion and Transwell migration assays revealed that silibinin and SB203580 combined treatment significantly reduced the number of invasive cells. Western blot analysis indicated a reduced phosphorylation of p38MAPK without marked changes in p38MAPK expression. In addition, the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 significantly decreased in the presence of silibinin, SB203580, and the combination of silibinin and SB203580. In summary, silibinin decreased the invasion and migration abilities of SGC7901 cells by downregulating the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 through inhibiting p38MAPK signaling cascades. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 Image concerns in this paper were found during a systematic search of papers in Spandidos journals for possible duplicated images. Figure 1A. * Red boxes: In the 0h column, the  control ,  Sb 100 uM , and  Sb 200 uM panels appear to show an area of overlap. ![file] , 
 Figure 2 and 4. Several panels appear to look similar or share an overlap. In some cases, the panels might show the same experiment (marked with blue boxes), but the panels marked in green and pink appear to be showing different experiments. ![file] , 
 Corrigendum [24 March 2021] . ------------------------ An interested reader drew to the authorsu2019 attention that three of the data panels for the 0 h experiments in Fig. 1 appeared to be strikingly similar, and there were also similarities comparing data panels in Fig. 2 with those featured in Fig. 4. The authors were able to consult the original data files, and realized that some inadvertent errors had been made in compiling these figures. Open Access [Corrigendum] Silibinin inhibits the migration and invasion of human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells by downregulating MMPu20112 and MMPu20119 expression via the p38MAPK signaling pathway Authors: Shuming Lu Zhuqing Zhang Meiru Chen Chunyan Li Lina Liu Yan Li View Affiliations Published online on: March 24, 2021 https: doi.org 10.3892 ol.2021.12676 Article Number: 415 Copyright : u00a9 Lu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License [CC BY 4.0]. Metrics: Total Views: 340 (Spandidos Publications: 340 | PMC Statistics: 0 ) Total PDF Downloads: 172 (Spandidos Publications: 172 | PMC Statistics: 0 ) Cited By (CrossRef): 0 citations No Articles Article Oncol Lett 14: [Related article:] 7577-7582, 2017; DOI: 10.3892 ol.2017.7080 An interested reader drew to the authorsu2019 attention that three of the data panels for the 0 h experiments in Fig. 1 appeared to be strikingly similar, and there were also similarities comparing data panels in Fig. 2 with those featured in Fig. 4. The authors were able to consult the original data files, and realized that some inadvertent errors had been made in compiling these figures. t Figure 1. (A) Scratch assay of SGC7901 cells subsequent to treatment with 50, 100 or 200 u00b5M Sb. Images were captured at 0, 24, 48 and 72 h at u00d7200 magnification under an inverted microscope. (B) Following exposure to different concentration of Sb, the migration distance of SGC7901 cells was recorded at different time points and calculated. Control cells were treated with complete medium only. *P 0.05 vs. control. Sb, silibinin. t Figure 4. Effects of silibinin alone or in combination with SB203580 on cell migration and invasion. (A) Cell migration following treatment with silibinin alone or in combination with SB203580 (magnification, u00d7200). (B) The expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were (B) detected by western blot analysis. (C) Cell invasion following treatment with silibinin alone or in combination with SB203580 (magnification, u00d7200). Histograms present the (D) migrated cells, (E) invasive cells and (F) the quantified expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Control cells were treated with complete medium only. *P 0.05, **P 0.01 vs. control. MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; Sb, silibinin. The corrected versions of Figs. 1 and 4 are shown on the next page (the authors have maintained that the data featured in Fig. 2 were all included as intended). Note that the errors made in the compilation of these figures did not affect the overall conclusions reported in the paper. The authors regret that these errors were not picked up upon before the paper was published, and apologize to the Editor of *Oncology Letters* and to the readership for any inconvenience caused. ![] Figure 1. - (A) Scratch assay of SGC7901 cells subsequent to treatment with 50, 100 or 200 u00b5M Sb. Images were captured at 0, 24, 48 and 72 h at u00d7200 magnification under an inverted microscope. (B) Following exposure to different concentration of Sb, the migration distance of SGC7901 cells was recorded at different time points and calculated. Control cells were treated with complete medium only. *P 0.05 vs. control. Sb, silibinin. ![] Figure 4. - Effects of silibinin alone or in combination with SB203580 on cell migration and invasion. (A) Cell migration following treatment with silibinin alone or in combination with SB203580 (magnification, u00d7200). (B) The expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were (B) detected by western blot analysis. (C) Cell invasion following treatment with silibinin alone or in combination with SB203580 (magnification, u00d7200). Histograms present the (D) migrated cells, (E) invasive cells and (F) the quantified expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Control cells were treated with complete medium only. *P 0.05, **P 0.01 vs. control. MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; Sb, silibinin. ,