BACKGROUND Esophageal cancer is a digestive tract malignancy, ranking sixth among the world's deadliest tumor incidence. However, the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer is complex and the prognosis remains poor. Therefore, in-depth study of the pathogenesis and developing effective treatments are of great value for esophageal cancer. β-elemene is a natural monomeric compound derived from the Chinese herbal Curcuma wenyujin. β-elemene has been reported to have anti-tumor effects and used as an adjunct to clinical therapy for multiple cancers. This study aims to explore the effects of β-elemene on esophageal cancer and its related molecular mechanisms. METHODS TE-1 and KYSE-150 cells were used to evaluate the activity of β-elemene on esophageal cancerin vitro and in vivo. Western blot was performed for protein expression assessment. CCK8 assay and cell cycle analysis were used for proliferation testing. Flow cytometry was performed for apoptosis detection. Wound healing assay was subjected to assess the migration ability. Transwell chamber assay was applied to assess the invasion ability. HE staining, TUNEL staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to evaluate the changes in tumor tissues. RESULTS We found that β-elemene treatment suppressed proliferation, as well as induced apoptosis of esophageal cancer cells. In addition, β-elemene inhibited the migration and invasion ability of esophageal cancer cells. Furthermore, β-elemene exerted its effects against esophageal cancer by specifically regulating AKT signaling, thereby controlling the expression of PD-L1. CONCLUSION β-elemene inhibits proliferation and metastasis of esophageal cancer cells by regulating the phosphorylation of AKT.

中文翻译：

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β-榄香烯通过调节AKT的磷酸化来抑制食道癌细胞的恶性行为。

背景技术食道癌是一种消化道恶性肿瘤，在世界上最致命的肿瘤发病率中排名第六。但是，食管癌的发病机制复杂，预后仍然很差。因此，深入研究其发病机理并开发有效的治疗方法对于食道癌具有重要的价值。β-榄香烯是一种天然单体化合物，衍生自中草药姜黄温榆锦。据报道，β-榄香烯具有抗肿瘤作用，可作为多种癌症的临床治疗的辅助手段。本研究旨在探讨β-榄香烯对食管癌的影响及其相关的分子机制。方法采用TE-1和KYSE-150细胞体外和体内评价β-榄香烯对食管癌的活性。进行蛋白质印迹以进行蛋白质表达评估。CCK8测定和细胞周期分析用于增殖测试。进行流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡。进行伤口愈合测定以评估迁移能力。应用Transwell室测定法评估侵袭能力。HE染色，TUNEL染色和免疫组化染色用于评估肿瘤组织的变化。结果我们发现β-榄香烯治疗抑制食管癌细胞的增殖，并诱导其凋亡。此外，β-榄香烯抑制食管癌细胞的迁移和侵袭能力。此外，β-榄香烯通过特异性地调节AKT信号传导而发挥其对食道癌的作用，从而控制PD-L1的表达。