Total saponins isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis suppresses tumor cells growth by regulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and p38 MAPK pathways

•RLTS suppressed proliferation and colony formation in lung and liver cancer cells.•RLTS inhibited the migration of NCI-H460 and SMMC-7721 cells.•RLTS inhibited PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling cascades.•RLTS regulated p38 activation in tumor cells.

Both PI3K/AKT/mTOR and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades played an important role in tumorigenesis, a more complete understanding of these signaling pathways allowed the development of new therapeutic strategies. Total saponins isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis (RLTS) was recognized with anticancer properties. In a murine hepatocellular carcinoma H22 cell-bearing mouse model, RLTS exhibited significant inhibitory effect on tumor growth. Here, we investigated the role of RLTS on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and MAPK pathways in liver and lung cancer cells. Results obtained showed RLTS inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in vitro, which attributed to the inhibition on the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR cascade and its related signaling molecules, such as activated VEGFR and NF-κB, and activation of p38 MAPK in tumor cells. Additional, RLTS inhibited cell migration and downregulated proteins that mediated metastasis including CXCR4, MMP2 and MMP9. Overall, these findings suggested that RLTS interfered with multiple signaling cascades involved in tumorigenesis and had potential in cancer therapy.