Chlorogenic acid suppresses the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7 and cell invasiveness to almost the same extent as isofraxidin in human colorectal cancer cells.

The expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7 is reported to be correlated with invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, the inhibition of MMP-7 would be beneficial for the suppression or prevention of CRC cell invasion and metastasis. The stem bark of Acanthopanax senticosus, a widely used medicinal herb, contains isofraxidin (IF) and chlorogenic acid (CGA) as major components. Previously we reported that IF suppressed the expression of MMP-7 and cell invasion in human hepatoma cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of CGA on cell invasion, MMP-7 mRNA expression and the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and compared it with those of IF in human CRC cells (HT-29). We found that CGA significantly suppressed 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced cell invasion, MMP-7 expression and the expression of activated form of MMP-7 to almost the same extent as IF. Meanwhile, we also found that TPA-induced expression of MMP-7 mRNA and ERK1/2 phosphorylation were significantly suppressed when cells were exposed to the ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 and that CGA was a little more potent than IF at inhibiting TPA-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Taken together, the present results indicate that CGA suppresses cell invasion, MMP-7 expression and ERK1/2 phosphorylation to almost the same extent as IF and suggest that not only IF but also CGA suppresses cell invasion by inhibiting MMP-7 expression via the inhibition of at least ERK1/2 phosphorylation and Acanthopanax senticosus, which contains two components with anti-MMP-7 activity, may be a beneficial herb with anti-invasive effects against human CRC cells.