Abstract

BACKGROUND Andrographolide (Andro) belongs to the main bioactive ingredients of Andrographis paniculata. Many studies have shown that andro has a variety of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-virus, anti-oxidant, immune regulation and liver protective effects. Moreover andro has been reported to have anticancer activity in multiple types of cancer, including gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and so on. However, there is no report about the effect of andro on the human NPC cell line C666-1 and the molecular mechanisms of andro-mediated apoptosis in C666-1 cells remain to be clarified. METHODS Cell proliferation was measured by a CCK8 assay, cell apoptosis rate was evaluated by flow cytometric analysis, and the protein expression of LKB1/AMPK signaling pathways was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS Treatment with andro inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of C666-1 cells. Moreover, andro could activate LKB1-AMPK signaling. We also demonstrated that Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinaseβ (CaMKKβ) was not involved in the regulation of andro on AMPK activation in C666-1 Cells. CONCLUSIONS Andro suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis of C666-1 cells through regulating the LKB1/AMPK/mTOR signal pathway.