Cancer is caused by abnormal cell changes leading to uncontrolled cell growth. The specific characteristics of
cancer cells, including the loss of apoptotic control and the ability to migrate into and invade the surrounding tissue, result in
cancer cell
metastasis to other parts of the body. Therefore, the inhibition of the proliferation, migration, and invasion of
cancer cells are the principal goals in the treatment of
cancer. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory activity of
nordentatin, a
coumarin derivative isolated from Clausena harmandiana, regarding the proliferation and migration of human
neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y).
Nordentatin at a concentration of 100 µM showed cell cytotoxicity toward SH-SY5Y that was significantly different from that of the control group (p < 0.01) at 24, 48, and 72 h. Moreover,
nordentatin inhibited SH-SY5Y proliferation by inhibiting the antiapoptotic
protein Mcl-1, leading to the cleavage of
caspase-3 and resulting in the inhibition of a migratory
protein, MMP-9, through the
GSK-3 pathway (compared with cells treated with a GSK inhibitor). These results suggest that
nordentatin inhibited the proliferation and migration of
neuroblastoma cells through the
GSK-3 pathway.