Morusin Reverses Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Gallbladder Cancer Cells by Regulating STAT3/HIF-1α Signaling

Gallbladder cancer is the most prevalent malignancy of the biliary tract and has a dismal overall survival even in the present day. The development of new drugs holds promise for improving the prognosis of this lethal disease. The possible anti-neoplastic role of morusin was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Through cell viability and colony formation assays, we observed that morusin inhibited the proliferation of gallbladder cancer cells in vitro. Wound healing and transwell assays revealed that morusin impeded the migration and invasion of gallbladder cancer cells. Given the observed morphological changes, we examined epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. Subsequent investigations demonstrated that morusin treatment, both in vitro and in vivo, downregulated the expression of phospho-STAT3 (Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) and HIF-1α (Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α) in gallbladder cancer cells. Furthermore, morusin effectively reversed EMT induced by phospho-STAT3 or HIF-1α. Morusin has a reversing effect on the EMT of gallbladder cancer cells by modulating STAT3/HIF-1α signaling.