Lentinan mitigates pemetrexed chemoresistance by the PI3K/Akt pathway in non-small cell lung cancer

Pemetrexed is a folate analog metabolic inhibitor that is given for therapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Drug resistance affects the efficacy of pemetrexed in NSCLC. Lentinan is a polysaccharide extracted from Shiitake mushrooms which has antitumor roles in multiple cancers, including lung cancer. However, the effects of lentinan on pemetrexed resistance in NSCLC remain unclear. In present study, The pemetrexed-resistant NSCLC cells were established and exposed to pemetrexed and lentinan. Oxidative stress was investigated via mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1 staining), levels of MDA and SOD.The phosphorylation and total of PI3K and Akt levels were actuated using specific activator 740Y-P and measured through western blot. We observed that Lentinan decreased IC50 of pemetrexed in resistant NSCLC cells. Lentinan aggravated pemetrexed-induced proliferation inhibition of resistant NSCLC cells via reducing PCNA levels. Lentinan exacerbated pemetrexed-triggered oxidative stress through increasing ROS and MDA levels, and reducing mitochondrial membrane potential and SOD levels. Lentinan inhibited PI3K/Akt signaling activation in pemetrexed-treated cells. Activated PI3K/Akt pathway using activator 740Y-P reversed the effects of lentinan on pemetrexed-mediated proliferation inhibition and oxidative stress. Our findings uncover that Lentinan mitigates pemetrexed resistance in NSCLC through inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing oxidative stress by suppressing PI3K/Akt signaling.