Tricetin, a dietary
flavonoid, has
cytostatic properties and anti-
metastasis activities in various
cancer cells. However, the detailed impacts and underlying mechanisms of
tricetin on human
osteosarcoma cell
metastasis are still unclear. Here, the hypothesis that
tricetin possesses the anti-metastatic effects on human
osteosarcoma cells was tested. The effects of
tricetin on cell viability, motility, migration, and invasion in human
osteosarcoma U2OS and HOS cells were investigated.
Gelatin zymography, western blotting, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the
luciferase assay were used to further explore the underlying mechanisms involved in anti-metastatic effects in U2OS cells. Their results showed that
Tricetin, up to 80 μM without cytotoxicity, attenuated U2OS and HOS cells motility, invasiveness, and migration by reducing
matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9
enzyme activities. In U2OS cells,
tricetin decreased MMP-9
protein and
mRNA expressions, which was confirmed by real-time PCR. Next,
tricetin reduced phosphorylation of p38 and Akt, but no effect on phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and JNK. In conclusion,
tricetin possesses the anti-metastatic activity of
osteosarcoma cells by transcriptionally repressing MMP-9 via p38 and Akt signaling pathways. This may be potentially useful as anti-metastatic agents for
osteosarcoma chemotherapy.