Dandelion root extract suppressed gastric cancer cells proliferation and migration through targeting lncRNA-CCAT1.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common tumors worldwide. Standard treatment after early detection involves surgical excision (recurrence is possible), and metastatic gastric cancer is refractory to immuno-, radio-, and most harmful chemotherapies. Various natural compounds have shown efficacy in killing different cancers, albeit not always specifically. In this study, we show that dandelion root extract (DRE) specifically and effectively suppresses proliferation and migration in human gastric cells without inducing toxicity in noncancerous cells. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known to promote tumorigenesis in many cancer types. Here, we showed that the lncRNA colon cancer-associated transcript-1 (CCAT1) was down-regulated in dandelion-treated GC cells. Furthermore, downregulation of CCAT1 inhibited proliferation and migration of gastric cells. We also found that DRE exerted its function in GC cells partially through targeting CCAT1. This data will provide a basis on which further research in cancer treatment through DRE can be executed.