Natural compounds which can block cell transformation due to potential for
chemoprevention have received increased attention. The present study aimed to investigate whether
aloe emodin, which is present in aloe
latex or the roots of the Rheum palmatum L. are able to block
epidermal growth factor (
EGF)‑ and tissue
plasminogen activator‑induced JB6 C141 cell transformation. The
aloe emodin treatment was applied to the JB6 C141 cell neoplastic model. The toxicity of
aloe emodin was determined. The present study detected the expression level of AKT
serine/
threonine kinase 1 (AKT), lysine‑tRNA
ligase MSK1 (MSK1) and cyclin D1 using western blotting. The cell proliferation and cell cycle distribution were also monitored. And when 95‑maximal effective dose ranged between 1 and 15 µM, the cell death was evident. Aloe emodin‑treated cells had an impaired anchorage‑independent growth capability, leading to a dose‑dependent reduction of colony formation. Western blotting revealed that
aloe emodin had a significant effect on phosphorylation of
pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 and
glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and AKT was inhibited. The present study determined that the proliferation of JB6 C141 cells was reduced in a dose‑dependent manner and the effect may be associated with its inhibition of the G1/S cell cycle transition.
Cyclin D1 transcriptional activity was reduced to 25%, 24 h following
aloe emodin treatment. The
protein expression of cyclin D1 was inhibited. The findings of the present study indicated that
aloe emodin may be able to suppress
neoplastic cell transformation by inhibiting the extracellular‑signal regulated
kinase/MSK1 and AKT/GSK3β signaling pathways. It may be a potential natural compound for
chemoprevention.