Cepharanthine suppresses APC-mutant colorectal cancers by down-regulating the expression of β-catenin

The aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is closely associated with the development of various carcinomas, especially colorectal cancers (CRCs), where adenomatous colorectal polyposis (APC) mutations are the most frequently observed, which limits the anti-tumor efficiency of inhibitors targeting the upstream of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The anti-tumor activity of the naturally occurring alkaloid cepharanthine (CEP) extracted from the plant Stephania cepharantha Hayata has been reported in various types of tumors. We previously observed that its derivatives inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin signaling in liver cancer; however, the specific mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we confirmed CEP can effectively inhibit APC-mutant CRC cell lines (SW480, SW620, LoVo) through disturbing of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling and elucidated the underlying mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate that CEP attenuates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling by decreasing the β-catenin, subsequently impeding the proliferation of APC-mutant CRCs. Moreover, CEP induced β-catenin transcription inhibition rather than the instability of β-catenin protein and mRNA contributes to reduction of β-catenin. Taken together, our findings identify CEP as the first β-catenin transcriptional inhibitor in the modulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and indicate CEP as a potential therapeutic option for the treatment of APC-mutated CRCs.

Graphical Abstract