Hesperidin suppresses the migration and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer cells by inhibiting the SDF-1/CXCR-4 pathway

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the ability of hesperidin to suppress the migration and invasion of A549 cells, and to investigate the role of the SDF-1/CXCR-4 cascade in this suppression. Methods: We performed a Transwell migration assay to measure the migratory capability of A549 cells treated with 0.5% DMSO, SDF-la, AMD3100 or hesperidin. The SDF-1 level in the culture medium was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect whether different concentrations of hesperidin affected SDF-1 secretion. A wound-healing assay was performed to determine the effects of different concentrations of hesperidin on the migration inhibition of A549, H460 and H1975 cells. Additionally, the effect of various hesperidin concentrations on the rate of A549 cell invasion and migration was examined with and without Matrigel in Transwell assays, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the protein levels of CXCR-4, MMP-9, CK-19, Vimentin, p65, p-p65, p-IKB, IKB, p-Akt and Akt. RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA levels of CXCR-4, MMP-9, CK-19, Vimentin, p65, IKB, SDF-1 and Akt. Results: The Transwell migration assay indicated that SDF-1 a promoted A549 cell migration, while AMD3100 and hesperidin significantly inhibited the migratory capability. The wound-healing assay demonstrated that hesperidin treatment significantly reduced the rate of wound closure compared with the control group in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, the migration and invasive abilities of A549 cells, H460 and H1975 cells treated with hesperidin were significantly decreased compared with the control group. The ELISA data suggested that hesperidin attenuated the secretion of SDF-1 from A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, western blot analysis indicated that SDF-1 a treatment significantly increased the levels of CXCR-4, p-p65, p-IKB and p-Akt in A549 cells. In contrast, AMD3100 or hesperidin reversed the effect induced by SDF-1 a through decreasing the expression of CXCR-4. Subsequent RT-qPCR and western blot analyses also confirmed that hesperidin had a significant effect on the expression of EMT-related proteins, including MMP-9, CK-19 and Vimentin, in A549 cells. Conclusion: In summary, we demonstrated that hesperidin inhibited the migratory and invasive capabilities of A549 human non-small cell lung cancer cells by the mediation of the SDF-1/CXCR-4 signaling cascade, thus providing the foundation for the development of hesperidin as a safer and more effective anticancer drug for non-small cell lung cancer.