Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Author Spotlight: Liujunzi Decoction as a Traditional Chinese Treatment for Coloproctitis Cancer
Published on: October 13, 2023
Crocin Suppresses Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation by Regulating miR-143/145 and KRAS/RREB1 Pathways
Seyed Samad Hosseini1, Paria Nazifi1,2, Mohammad Amini1
1Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Background:
As a chemoprevention agent, crocin effectively decreases the risk of human cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanism underlying the anti-cancer effects of crocin is not entirely explained. Considering that in this study, we investigated the crocin effect on miR-143/145 and related signaling pathways in CRC cells.
Methods:
HCT-116 and HT-29 CRC cells were treated with different concentrations of crocin and then were subjected to MTT and qRT-PCR assays to investigate cell viability and miR-143/miR-145, KRAS, and RREB1 expression, respectively. Also, western blotting was performed to evaluate gene expression at protein levels.
Results:
Our results showed that treating CRC cells with crocin decreases cell viability by upregulating miR-143/145 expression and reducing KRAS and RREB1 expression dose-dependently. These effects on gene expression in CRC cells were reversed by removing crocin from the media after 48 h. Furthermore, western blotting results exhibited that crocin significantly reduced the protein expression of KRAS and RREB1. Also, it was found that treatment of CRC cells by crocin led to the inactivation of AKT by decreasing its phosphorylation.
Conclusions:
This study suggests that crocin may inhibit CRC cell proliferation by modulating KRAS, REEB1, and AKT signaling pathways mediated through miR-143/145 upregulation.
More Related Videos
09:29Development and Maintenance of a Preclinical Patient Derived Tumor Xenograft Model for the Investigation of Novel Anti-Cancer Therapies
Published on: September 30, 2016
10:13A Multiplexed Luciferase-based Screening Platform for Interrogating Cancer-associated Signal Transduction in Cultured Cells
Published on: July 3, 2013
Related Concept Videos
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
The Ras Gene
Ras is a...
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
Abnormal Proliferation
The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...