Micheliolide inhibits gastric cancer growth in vitro and in vivo via blockade of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway

Upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 is observed in gastric cancer tissue, and high IL-6 serum levels predict a poor prognosis of gastric cancer patients. The IL-6/STAT3 pathway has been confirmed to play essential roles in the process of carcinogenesis, including gastric cancer. Thus, blockade of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway may be a potentially effective therapeutic option for gastric cancer. Micheliolide (MCL), a guaianolide sesquiterpene lactone, possesses anti-inflamma tory properties and can attenuate the IL-6 level. In addition, MCL has been widely reported to possess anti-tumor activity. But the anti-cancer effect of MCL on gastric cancer is unclear. In this study, we detected the effects of MCL on gastric cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis by performing MTT, colony formation, TUNEL and western blot assays, and found that MCL inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in vitro. We further investigated the molecular mechanism by which MCL played an efficient role against gastric cancer, and found that the IL-6/STAT3 pathway is involved in the anti-cancer effect of MCL on gastric cancer. In vivo experiments further confirmed this conclusion. Taken together, MCL inhibits gastric cancer growth in vitro and in vivo via blockade of IL-6/STAT3 pathway.