Therapeutic intervention of silymarin on the migration of non-small cell lung cancer cells is associated with the axis of multiple molecular targets including class 1 HDACs, ZEB1 expression, and restoration of miR-203 and E-cadherin expression.

Lung cancer and its metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality world-wide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 90% of total lung cancer cases. Despite advancements in therapeutic approaches, only limited improvement has been achieved. Therefore, alternative strategies are required for the management of lung cancer. Here we report the chemotherapeutic effect of silymarin, a phytochemical from milk thistle plant (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.), on NSCLC cell migration using metastatic human NSCLC cell lines (A549, H1299 and H460) together with the molecular targets underlying these effects. Using an in vitro cell migration assay, we found that treatment of human NSCLC cells (A549, H1299 and H460) with silymarin (0, 5, 10 and 20 µg/mL) for 24 h resulted in concentration-dependent inhibition of cell migration, which was associated with the inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and reduced levels of class 1 HDAC proteins (HDAC1, HDAC2, HDAC3 and HDAC8) and concomitant increases in the levels of histone acetyltransferase activity (HAT). Known HDAC inhibitors (sodium butyrate and trichostatin A) exhibited similar patterns of therapeutic effects on the lung cancer cells. Treatment of A549 and H460 cells with silymarin reduced the expression of the transcription factor ZEB1 and restored expression of E-cadherin. The siRNA knockdown of ZEB1 also reduced the expression of HDAC proteins and enhanced re-expression of the levels of E-cadherin in NSCLC cells. MicroRNA-203 (miR-203) acts as a tumor suppressor, regulates tumor cell invasion and is repressed by ZEB1 in cancer cells. Silymarin treatment restored the levels of miR-203 in NSCLC cells. These findings indicate that silymarin can effectively inhibit lung cancer cell migration and provide a coherent model of its mechanism of action suggesting that silymarin may be an important therapeutic option for the prevention or treatment of lung cancer metastasis when administered either alone or with standard cancer therapeutic drugs.