Platycodin D inhibits glioblastoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by regulating DEPDC1B-mediated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

BACKGROUND:Platycodin D (PD) is a potent bioactive constituent in the medicinal herb Platycodon grandiflorum. It has shown anticancer properties, particularly against glioblastoma (GB) and other human malignancies. DEPDC1B (DEP domain-containing protein 1B) is an oncogene associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). It is highly expressed in GB and correlated with tumor grade and patient prognosis. In this study, we investigated whether the antiglioma effect of PD was associated with downregulation of DEPDC1B. METHODS:Gene expression and clinical data were obtained from the China Glioma Genome Atlas and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases for glioma samples. In vitro experiments were conducted using Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell assays to assess the impact of PD on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GB cells. mRNA and protein expression was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. RESULTS:PD exerted inhibitory effects on the proliferation and motility of GB cells. PD downregulated DEPDC1B protein as well as several markers associated with EMT, namely N-cadherin, vimentin, and Snail. The suppressive effects of PD were enhanced when DEPDC1B was knocked down in GB cells, while overexpression of DEPDC1B in cells reversed the inhibitory effects of PD. CONCLUSION:PD exerts an antiglioma effect by regulating DEPDC1B-mediated EMT.