Antimetastatic activity of polyphenol-rich extract of Ecklonia cava through the inhibition of the Akt pathway in A549 human lung cancer cells

► Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 degrades extracellular matrix and plays a key role in cancer metastasis. ► Reactive oxygen species can enhance and activate MMP activity in cancer cell. ► Ethyl acetate fraction (ECE) of a brown alga, Ecklonia cava, is polyphenol-enriched and has high anti-oxidative activities. ► ECE strongly inhibits the migration and invasion of lung cancer cell. ► ECE suppresses MMP-2 via PI3K/Akt and p38 pathways.