Study on the Regulation of Quercetin on Biological Behaviors of Colorectal Cancer Cells

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor with a significantly high incidence and mortality rate worldwide. Studies have found that quercetin has a significant effect in tumor treatment. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of quercetin remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying molecular pathways involved in the therapeutic effects of quercetin in the treatment of CRC. Methods: We conducted in vitro experiments using quercetin at various concentrations to treat CRC cells. Transwell and plate clone formation assays were performed to detect the proliferation and migration ability of human CRC cells. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) assay was performed to evaluate cell apoptosis. Finally, molecular docking, western blot, and immunofluorescence assay were performed to detect the regulation mechanism. Results: Compared with the control group, the findings revealed significant decreases in cell proliferation and migration abilities, with increased apoptosis, in both the quercetin low, medium, and high dose groups, and the positive drug (rapamycin) group (p < 0.05). Moreover, with the increase of quercetin concentration, these effects became more pronounced, and no significant differences were observed between the quercetin high dose group and the positive drug group. According to western blot and immunofluorescence analysis, we observed that the cadherin 3 (CDH3) protein expression levels in quercetin medium and high dose groups were lower than in the control and quercetin low dose groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Overall, these results indicated that quercetin inhibited the proliferation and migration capabilities while increasing the apoptosis capability of CRC cells. This study provided a theoretical basis for the clinical application of quercetin and enhanced the research capabilities of our institution in CRC treatment.