Daphnoretin inhibits glioblastoma cell proliferation and metastasis via PI3K/AKT signaling pathway inactivation.

Glioblastoma (GBM) was the most malignant intracranial tumor with high mortality rates and invariably poor prognosis due to its limited clinical treatments. The urgent need to develop new therapeutic drugs for GBM treatment is evident. As a coumarin derivative, daphnoretin's favorable pharmacological activities have been widely documented. However, the potential inhibitory effects of daphnoretin on GBM have not been explored. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of daphnoretin on GBM and elucidate its anti-GBM mechanisms for the first time. It was observed that daphnoretin inhibited GBM cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and suppressed tumor growth without significant drug toxicity in GBM xenograft tumor models in vivo. Mechanistically, daphnoretin was predicted to target the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway through network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis. Subsequently, it was further verified by Biacore assay for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments. Experimentally, daphnoretin induced apoptosis in GBM cells via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Moreover, the effects of daphnoretin on GBM cells could be reversed by the AKT activator SC79. These results suggest that daphnoretin holds potential as a therapeutic drug against GBM and provides new insights into GBM treatment.