Eudesmin exerts antitumor effects by down-regulating EZH2 expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a head and neck epithelial malignancy with high prevalence and represents a significant disease burden. Eudesmin is a natural lignin that has been reported to exhibit antitumor effect on lung cancer. However, the effect of eudesmin on NPC has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of eudesmin in NPC and to explore the underlying mechanism. The NPC cell lines CNE-1 and HONE-1 were treated with eudesmin for 48 h. Cell viability was measured using MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry. The expression levels of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), Akt, and p-Akt were measured using Western blot analysis. We found that eudesmin inhibited cell viability and induced cell apoptosis of NPC cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Eudesmin suppressed the expression of EZH2 and blocked the activation of Akt signaling pathway. Inhibition of Akt signaling pathway caused significant decrease in EZH2 expression. Moreover, knockdown of EZH2 attenuated the effects of Akt overexpression on cell viability and apoptosis in NPC cells. In conclusion, eudesmin exhibited antitumor activity via downregulating EZH2 expression through the inhibition of Akt signaling pathway. Eudesmin could be developed as a new pharmacologic approach for NPC treatment.