Abstract

Background Emodin, extracted from the rhizomes of various Chinese herbs, is a natural anthraquinone derivative with the formula C15H10O5. Many recent studies have shown that emodin has an antitumour effect. In this study, emodin was investigated in vitro to observe its effect on the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of the B16F10 melanoma cell line. Methods B16F10 cells were treated with 20, 40, 60, or 80 µM emodin for 24 h. A Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to measure the effect of emodin on cell proliferation. After 24 h of emodin treatment, a scratch test was used to detect the wound healing rate of each group. A Transwell test was used to measure the effect of emodin on cell migration ability. The apoptosis rate of the B16F10 cells was determined by a TUNEL assay. The expression of caspase-3 was measured by western blot analysis. Results Compared with the control group, emodin significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of the B16F10 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Emodin also inhibited the migration of the B16F10 cells and induced their apoptosis. Conclusions Emodin can effectively suppress the viability and migration of B16F10 cells and may induce apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway or death receptor-mediated pathway.