Emetine, an amoebicidal drug, exerts potent anticancer activity against various solid
tumors, however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, the effects of
emetine were investigated on various
proteins involved in the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway, which has been linked to various human
cancers. It was revealed that
emetine blocked Wnt/β‑catenin signaling by targeting components of this pathway, including the low‑density lipoprotein‑receptor‑related
protein 6 (LRP6) and disheveled (DVL). Moreover, nanomolar concentrations of
emetine decreased phosphorylation of these
proteins and suppressed the expression of Wnt target genes, including
fibronectin, frizzled‑7 (Fzd7), c‑Myc, Nanog and CD133 in MDA‑MB‑231 and MDA‑MB‑468
breast cancer cells. Additionally,
emetine treatment induced apoptosis and suppressed the viability, migration, invasion, and sphere formation of
breast cancer cells. Collectively the present results indicated that
emetine antagonizes Wnt/β‑catenin signaling, providing insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the anticancer activity of
emetine.