Quercetin induces bladder cancer cells apoptosis by activation of AMPK signaling pathway.

Quercetin, a natural existing polyphenol compound, has shown anticancer capacity for liver, breast, nasopharyngeal and prostate carcinoma but has not been clinically approved yet. This might be due to lack of clear mechanistic picture. Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers of the urinary tract in the world. In China, bladder cancer has the highest rate of incidence out of all malignancies of the urinary system. The anticancer application of quercetin on bladder cancer has not been investigated either. This study was aimed to examine the mechanisms of quercetin on inhibition of bladder cancer. First, two human and one murine bladder cancer cell lines were tested in vitro for inhibitory sensitivity by MTT and cologenic assays. Second, AMPK pathway including 4E-BP1 and S6K were examined by western blot. Quercetin induces apoptosis and inhibits migration. We are the first to show that quercetin displays potent inhibition on bladder cancer cells via activation of AMPK pathway.