The synthetic flavonoid WYC02-9 inhibits cervical cancer cell migration/invasion and angiogenesis via MAPK14 signaling

•WYC02-9 inhibits cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo.•WYC02-9 inhibits cervical cancer cell migration, invasion and angiogenesis through suppression of MAPK14 activity.•WYC02-9 may be a promising drug candidate for cervical cancer chemotherapy.

ObjectiveDevelopment of flavonoids as potential chemotherapeutic agents for cervical cancer may open new avenues in anticancer drug design. In this study, the cytotoxic activity and anti-migration/invasion/angiogenesis efficiency of the synthetic flavonoid WYC02-9 on cervical cancer and the underlying mechanisms are explored.MethodsXTT cell viability assay, apoptosis assays, cell cycle analysis, and immunoblotting analysis were applied to study the biologic activity of WYC02-9. Anchorage independent soft agar assay and xenograft nude mouse model were applied to study the anti-tumor effect of WYC02-9 in vivo. Wound healing assay, transwell invasion assay, and gelatin zymography analysis were applied to study the effect of WYC02-9 on cancer cell migration and invasion. Tube formation analysis, zebrafish angiogenesis model, and nude mice Matrigel plug angiogenesis assay were applied to study the effect of WYC02-9 on angiogenesis.ResultsWYC02-9 induced cytotoxicity on cervical cancer cells by promoting apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. WYC02-9 inhibited cervical cancer cell migration/invasion and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo via MAPK14 pathway.ConclusionWYC02-9 significantly inhibited cervical cancer cell proliferation/migration/invasion and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. WYC02-9 may be a promising drug candidate for cervical cancer chemotherapy.