A novel o-naphtoquinone inhibits N-cadherin expression and blocks melanoma cell invasion via AKT signaling

The down-regulation or loss of epithelial markers is often accompanied by the up-regulation of mesenchymal markers. E-cadherin generally suppresses invasiveness, whereas N-cadherin promotes invasion and metastasis in vitro. The aim of this work is to investigate the role of biflorin, a naphthoquinone with proven anticancer properties, on the expression of N-cadherin and AKT proteins in MDA-MB-435 invasive melanoma cancer cells after 12 h of exposure to 1, 2.5 and 5 μM biflorin. Biflorin inhibited MDA-MB-435 invasion in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.01). Likewise, biflorin down-regulated N-cadherin and AKT-1 expression in a dose-dependent manner. Biflorin did not inhibit the adhesion of MDA-MB-435 cells to any tested substrates. Additionally, biflorin blocked the invasiveness of cells by down-regulating N-cadherin, most likely via AKT-1 signaling. As such, biflorin may be a novel anticancer agent and a new prototype for drug design.