Xiaotan Sanjie decoction inhibits interleukin-8-induced metastatic potency in gastric cancer

AIM: To investigate the interaction between Xiaotan sanjie (XTSJ) decoction and interleukin-8 (IL-8) and its effect on adhesion, migration and invasion of SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells. METHODS: SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells were exposed to serum containing XTSJ decoction and/or IL-8 (1 ng/mL). SGC-7901 cell adhesion to fibronectin, an extracellular matrix component, was detected using the Cell Counting Kit-8. Migration and invasion abilities of SGC-7901 cells were detected by scratch wound and Transwell chamber assays. Then, protein (immunofluorescence and Western blot) and mRNA levels (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) of cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), a cell adhesion molecule, were measured in 72-h-cultured SGC-7901 cells. RESULTS: Cell adhesion was promoted by IL-8 (P = 0.001), but was inhibited by XTSJ decoction (P = 0.0001). Similarly, IL-8 promoted SGC-7901 cell invasion (P = 0.003), and XTSJ decoction inhibited cell invasion (P = 0.001). IL-8 induced SGC-7901 cell migration, but this was inhibited by XTSJ decoction. IL-8 up-regulated CD44 protein (P = 0.028) and mRNA expression (P = 0.002), whereas XTSJ decoction inhibited CD44 protein expression (P = 0.0001), but not mRNA expression (P = 0.275). An interaction between XTSJ decoction and IL-8 was confirmed in the invasion (P = 0.001) and CD44 mRNA expression of SGC-7901 cells (P = 0.010), but not in cell adhesion (P = 0.051). CONCLUSION: XTSJ decoction may inhibit adhesion, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells, which is partly associated with down-regulation of IL-8.