inhibitory effect of quercetin on epithelial to mesenchymal transition in sk-mel-28 human melanoma cells defined by in vitro analysis on 3d collagen gels

Dhairya H Patel,* Neeti Sharma* Symbiosis School of Biomedical Sciences, Symbiosis International University, Gram – Lavale, Taluka – Mulshi, Pune, India *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Considering the emerging concept of complementary and alternative medicine under the paucity of effective treatment for melanoma, we aimed to understand the effect of quercetin (Qu) on collagen I-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in melanoma cells. To investigate the effect of Qu in melanoma cells, we used multiple methods, including real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, migration assay, and wound healing assay. We found that EMT was altered by Qu in melanoma cells. Qu-treated cells exhibited decreased migration and invasion activities. Mechanistically, a high expression of epithelial markers and a decrease in the expression of mesenchymal markers were found to be associated with reversal of EMT in melanoma cells. Time-dependent apoptosis was observed in Qu-treated melanoma cells, which was further confirmed by the upregulation in the protein levels of Caspase 3, a proapoptotic marker. Thus, our findings suggest Qu as a promising dietary compound under the new complementary and alternative medicine category of therapeutic drugs in the chemoprevention of melanoma. Keywords: metastatic melanoma, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, quercetin, complementary and alternate medicine, chemoprevention