Morin, a Flavonoid from Moraceae, Inhibits Cancer Cell Adhesion to Endothelial Cells and EMT by Downregulating VCAM1 and Ncadherin

Abstract

Morin, a flavonoid found in figs and other Moraceae species, displays a variety of biological actions, exerting antioxidant, antiinflammatory and anticarcinogenic effects. Here, we investigated the anticancer activity of morin focusing on antiadhesive influence. We performed experiments with MDAMB231 human breast cancer cells. Morin inhibited TNFinduced cancer cell adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) without showing any toxicity. It further inhibited the expression of VCAM1 on MDAMB231 cells as well as HUVECs. Morin also decreased the expression of Ncadherin on MDAMB231 cells. In addition, there was apparent antimetastatic activity in vivo. In conclusion, this study suggested that morin inhibits cancer cell adhesion to HUVECs by reducing VCAM1, and EMT by targeting Ncadherin, and that it features antimetastatic activity in vivo. Further investigation of possible antimetastatic activity of morin against human breast cancer cells is warranted.