Apatinib has anti-tumor effects and induces autophagy in colon cancer cells

Objective(s): Apatinib recently has been used to treat patients with gastric cancer, but the function of apatinib in colon cancer remains unclear. This study was conducted to investigate the impacts of apatinib on the biological function and its potential mechanism of colon cancer cells in vitro. Materials and Methods:The effect of apatinib in colon cancer cells were detected by assessing cell viability, migration and invasion capabilities. Apoptosis cells and the cell cycle distribution of colon cancer cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. The potential mechanism was investigated via autophagy related proteins and pathways in vitro. Results: The proliferation, migration and invasion of colon cancer cells were inhibited when they were treated with different concentration of apatinib (۲۰, ۴۰ μM). When HCT۱۱۶ and SW۴۸۰ cells were treated with apatinib at the concentration of ۲۰ μM, the apoptosis percentage were ۳.۷% and ۵.۸% respectively. As the drug concentration increased to ۴۰μΜ, the the apoptosis percentage increased to ۱۱.۹% and ۱۳.۵%. Meanwhile, cell cycle was also altered. Furthermore, apatinib inhibited the expression of AKT-mTOR signaling pathway and increased the expression of LC۳-Ⅱ. Conclusion: Apatinib can significantly inhibit the malignant phenotype of colon cancer cells, and it was involved in regulation of autophagy.

Keywords:

Apatinib , Apoptosis , Autophagy , Colon cancer , Migration , mTOR