Baicalein inhibits pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion via suppression of NEDD9 expression and its downstream Akt and ERK signaling pathways

Baicalein, a flavone ingredient of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, is a promising anti-cancer agent. However, its potential anti-pancreatic cancer effects and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we showed that Baicalein not only induced apoptosis, but also suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion of two pancreatic cancer cell lines BxPC-3 and PANC-1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Notably, Baicalein exhibited low toxicity to normal human liver or kidney cells. We further discovered that Baicalein suppressed BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cell proliferation and invasion through targeting the expression of NEDD9, a Cas scaffolding protein, to decrease Akt and ERK activities. Especially, Baicalein decreased Akt phosphorylation at T-308 via lowering NEDD9-dependent PDK1 expression. Overexpression of NEDD9 effectively rescued proliferation and invasion of BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cells dampened by Baicalein. Taken together, our findings suggest that Baicalein is a potent remedy applied to pancreatic cancer treatment in the future.