Effect of berberine on adhesion characteristic of PG cell line from highly metastatic human giant cell lung carcinoma

Objective:To study the effect of berberine on adhesion characteristic of PG cell line and to investigate possible mechanism of inhibiting tumor metastasis of berberine.Methods:MTT assay was used to detect PG-PG homotypic adhesion and PG-matrix(FN,matrigel) adhesion,and PG-HUVEC adhesion was determined by Rose Bengal stain. Auantitative immunocytochemical method and RT-PCR were applied to detect the expression of E-cadherin and CD44 protein and mRNA respectively.Results:After 24 h treatment, berberine enhanced PG-PG homogeneous adhesion at 10 μg/ml(P0.05) and reduced PG-matrix(FN,matrigel) adhesion and PG-HUVEC adhesion at 5,10 μg/ml(P0.05,P0.01).The expression of E-cadherine protein and mRNA was increased by berberine, while CD44 was decreased.Conclusion:Berberine enhances PG-PG homogeneous adhesion through increasing the expression of E-cadherine protein and mRNA and weaks PG-matrix and PG-HUVEC adhesion through decreasing the expression of CD44 protein and mRNA, which may be one of mechanisms of inhibiting tumor metastasis of berberine.