Effect of acetone-derived pomegranate extract on the expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin proteins in PC-3 cells

E-cadherin protein is a member of cadherin superfamily which expressed mainly at the surface of epithelial cells. Reduced expression of this protein results in cell adhesion weakening, EMT (Epithelial-mesenchymal transition), migration and metastasis of epithelial cancer cells. In traditional medicine, pomegranate (Punica granatum) is used to treat several diseases including diarrhea, heart diseases and blood pressure disorders. In this study, we examined the effect of pomegranate acetone extract on the expression of β-catenin and E-cadherin proteins in PC-3 cancer cells. The results of MTT experiments showed that acetone-derived extract of pomegranate inhibits viability of PC-3 cells, especially in concentrations higher than100 μg/ml. The IC50 value of pomegranate extract was estimated to be 86μg/ml. The results of western blotting experiments showed that concentrations of 20 and 50 μg/ml of pomegranate extract led to 1.5- and 2.2-folds increase in β-catenin and E-cadherin protein levels, respectively. The results of this study suggest that pomegranate fruit may have great potentials in inhibition of cancer cell metastasis.