Isorhamnetin Inhibits Proliferation and Invasion and Induces Apoptosis Through the Mitochondria‑Dependent Apoptosis in Human Gastric Cancer Cells

The major treatment strategies for gastric cancer (GC) including surgery, chemotherapy, and molecular-targeted therapy are limited by tumor recurrence and chemoresistance. Isorhamnetin (ISO) derives from the total flavones of Hippophae rhamnoides L. and has been used as potential antitumor medicine in several types of cancer. However, the antitumor effect of ISO on GC cells remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of ISO on two types of GC cells and explored its apoptotic mechanisms underlying such effects. The transcriptomic analysis of ISO-treated GC cells enriched multiple targets on cell growth and apoptosis. The CCK-8, colony formation and morphology observation assays demonstrated that ISO treatment significantly inhibited the growth and proliferation of GC cells in time- and dose-dependent manners. In addition, we also found that ISO treatment inhibited cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, ISO increased TUNEL positive apoptotic bodies as well as severe cell apoptosis. Intriguingly, ISO treatment significantly increased the expression of mitochondria-associated Bax/Bcl-2, cytosolic Cytochrome c and activated the cleavage of Caspase-3 and PARP, followed by severe reduction of mitochondrial potential. Moreover, the apoptosis of ISO-treated GC cells was blocked by the specific inhibitor of Caspase-3. Therefore, we demonstrated that ISO could induce apoptosis of GC cells through mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway. In summary, we reported for the first time the antitumor function of ISO in GC via intervening apoptosis, indicating a potential application in GC therapy. two types of GC cells (AGS-1 and HGC-27) were treated with 50 μM Isorhamnetin(ISO)