Anticancer effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate nanoemulsion on lung cancer cells through the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase signaling pathway

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a green tea–derived polyphenol, exhibits antitumor activities. An EGCG nanoemulsion (nano-EGCG) was prepared to improve the stability and reduce the side effects of EGCG for treatment of human lung cancer cells, and the antitumor effects were studied. The possible molecular mechanism underlying its antitumor effects on cultured human lung cancer cells was also elucidated. The antitumor effects of EGCG and nano-EGCG were determined using methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT), colony formation, migration, and invasion assays. In addition, changes in the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway were investigated using Western blot analyses. AMPK inhibitors were used to determine the roles of the AMPK signaling pathway involved in the molecular mechanism of the nano-EGCG. Our results showed that both EGCG and nano-EGCG inhibited the growth of H1299 lung cancer cells, with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of 36.03 and 4.71 μM, respectively. Additionally, nano-EGCG effectively suppressed lung cancer cell colony formation, migration, and invasion in a dose-dependent manner. Nano-EGCG may inhibit lung cancer cell invasion through matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2- and MMP-9-independent mechanisms. Furthermore, the expression of several key regulatory proteins in the AMPK signaling pathway was modulated by nano-EGCG. Nano-EGCG may inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion through the activation of AMPK signaling pathways. This novel mechanism of nano-EGCG suggests its application in lung cancer prevention and treatment. Our results provide an experimental foundation for further research on its potential activities and effects in vivo.