Rosmarinic acid inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and induces apoptosis in human glioma cells

There is a growing evidence that Fyn kinase is upregulated in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), where it plays a key role in tumor proliferation and invasion. In the present study, the antitumor effects of rosmarinic acid (RA), a Fyn inhibitor, were explored in human-derived U251 and U343 glioma cell lines. These cells were treated with various concentrations of RA to determine its effects on proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and gene and protein expression levels. The CCK-8 assay revealed that RA significantly suppressed cell viability of U251 and U343 cells. Furthermore, RA significantly reduced proliferation rates, inhibited migration and invasion, and decreased the expression levels of invasion-related factors, such as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. TUNEL staining revealed that RA resulted in a dose-dependent increase of U251 and U343 cell apoptosis. In line with this finding, the expression of apoptosis suppressor protein Bcl-2 was downregulated and that of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cleaved caspase-3 was increased. In addition, it was revealed that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway was involved in RA-induced cytotoxicity in U251 and U343 cells. Collectively, the present study suggested RA as a drug candidate for the treatment of GBM.