A Atractylodes lancea polysaccharide inhibits metastasis of human osteosarcoma U‐2 OS cells by blocking sialyl Lewis X (sLe(x))/E‐selectin binding

In this study, a new water and alkaline‐soluble polysaccharide (ALP), with an average molecular weight of 6.63 × 10(4) Da, was successfully purified from the rhizomes of Atractylodes lancea. GC analysis demonstrated that ALP was a kind of glucan. The effect of the ALP on the interaction between E‐selectin and sialyl Lewis X (sLe(x)) was examined in human osteosarcoma U‐2 OS cells. It was obvious that the expression of sLe(x) antigen on the surface of U‐2 OS cells was visible under fluorescence microscopy. The addition of ALP (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/mL) resulted in a marked inhibition on the adhesion, migration and invasion of U‐2 OS cells to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), which was achieved by the decreased sLe(x) expression on U‐2 OS cells. Additionally, the induction of apoptosis can be observed in U‐2 OS cells following ALP treatment using TUNEL staining and Annexin V‐FITC/PI double‐staining analysis on flow cytometry. In conclusion, these results indicated that ALP exerted anti‐metastatic activity towards osteosarcoma cells via inhibition of sLe(x)/E‐selectin binding, which suggested that ALP could be a potent agent for human osteosarcoma intervention.