Apart from its basic antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory properties, schizandrin A (SchA), which is isolated from Fructus schisandra, can exert anticancer effects on multiple cancer types. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no study identifying the impacts of SchA on gastric cancer (GC). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify how SchA functioned to affect the progression of GC. To investigate the role of SchA in GC development, Cell Counting Kit‑8, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays were conducted to assess the viability, proliferation, migration and invasion of AGS cells, respectively. Then, the apoptosis rate and apoptosis‑ and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress‑related protein expression levels in AGS cells exposed to SchA were detected via TUNEL assays and western blotting, respectively. Subsequently, the aforementioned functional assays were performed again in AGS cells exposed to both SchA and the ER stress inhibitor 4‑phenylbutyric acid (4‑PBA) for the confirmation of the effect of SchA on ER stress in GC. It was found that SchA markedly decreased the viability, proliferation, migration and invasion, while it induced the apoptosis of AGS cells. Moreover, the markers of ER stress were elevated by SchA treatment in AGS cells. Nevertheless, 4‑PBA reversed the effects of SchA on the viability, proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of AGS cells, accompanied by decreased expression of ER stress markers. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that SchA induced the apoptosis and suppressed the proliferation, invasion and migration of GC cells by activating ER stress, which provides a theoretical basis for the use of SchA in the treatment of GC.

中文翻译：

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Schizandrin A 通过激活内质网应激诱导胃癌细胞凋亡并抑制其增殖、侵袭和迁移。

除了基本的抗氧化和抗炎特性外，从五味子中分离出来的五味子素 A (SchA)，可以对多种癌症类型发挥抗癌作用。然而，据我们所知，尚无研究确定 SchA 对胃癌 (GC) 的影响。因此，本研究的目的是确定 SchA 如何影响 GC 的进展。为了研究 SchA 在 GC 发育中的作用，进行了 Cell Counting Kit-8、集落形成、伤口愈合和 Transwell 测定，以分别评估 AGS 细胞的活力、增殖、迁移和侵袭。然后，分别通过 TUNEL 法和蛋白质印迹法检测暴露于 SchA 的 AGS 细胞的凋亡率以及凋亡和内质网 (ER) 应激相关蛋白的表达水平。随后，在暴露于 SchA 和 ER 应激抑制剂 4-苯基丁酸 (4-PBA) 的 AGS 细胞中再次进行上述功能测定，以确认 SchA 对 GC 中 ER 应激的影响。结果发现，SchA显着降低了AGS细胞的活力、增殖、迁移和侵袭能力，同时诱导了AGS细胞的凋亡。此外，在 AGS 细胞中，通过 SchA 处理提高了 ER 应激的标志物。然而，4-PBA 逆转了 SchA 对 AGS 细胞活力、增殖、迁移、侵袭和凋亡的影响，伴随着 ER 应激标志物的表达降低。总之，本研究表明，SchA通过激活ER应激诱导GC细胞凋亡并抑制GC细胞的增殖、侵袭和迁移，