Methyl gallate is a phenolic compound mainly found in medicinal plants. It has been reported to its anticancer activity in various
tumors. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the antitumor effect of
methyl gallate in the
melanoma mouse model and B16F10 cells. Our results showed that
methyl gallate decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis by increasing the expression of cleaved caspase3 in B16F10 cells and prevented cell migration and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. In B16F10 cell-inoculated mice,
methyl gallate not only decreased
tumor volume by 30% but also significantly reduced
tumor vessel density and pericyte coverage. Moreover,
methyl gallate diminished by close to 50% the expression of
cytokeratin and LYVE-1 in mouse right inguinal lymph nodes, indicating that
methyl gallate could suppress
metastasis. In conclusion, this study suggests that
methyl gallate inhibits
tumor development by inducing apoptosis and blocking
tumor angiogenesis and
metastasis and might be considered a therapeutic agent for
melanoma.