Investigation of the Effects of Glabridin on the Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Migration of the Human Colon Cancer Cell Lines SW480 and SW620 and Its Mechanism Based on Reverse Virtual Screening and Proteomics

Abstract

Colon cancer is a relatively common malignant tumor of the digestive tract. Currently, most colon cancers originate from adenoma carcinogenesis. By screening various licorice flavonoids with anticancer effects, we found that glabridin (GBN) has a prominent anticolon cancer effect. First, we initially explored whether GBN can inhibit proliferation, migration, and invasion and induce apoptosis in SW480 and SW620 cells. Next, we exploited reverse virtual and proteomics technologies to screen out closely related target pathways on the basis of a drug and target database. At the same time, we constructed the structure of the GBN target pathway in colon cancer. We predicted that GBN can regulate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)–protein kinase B (AKT)–mammalian target of the rapamycin pathway (mTOR) pathway to fight colon cancer. Finally, through Western blot analysis and qRT-PCR, we verified that the expression levels of the PI3K, AKT, and mTOR proteins and genes in this pathway were significantly reduced after GBN administration. In short, the promising discovery of the anticolon cancer mechanism of GBN provides a reliable experimental basis for subsequent new drug development.