Abstract
The critical step in colorectal cancer progression and associated mortality is cancer invasion, which depends on two key gelatinase enzymes, matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9. Dried longan ( Euphoria longana Lam.) seed is a rich natural source of antioxidant polyphenols.This study evaluated the effect of dried longan seeds on colon cancer cell invasion via gelatinase function and expression. Three dried longan seed fractions were collected by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. They showed a potent inhibitor on colorectal cancer cell invasion and gelatinase activity. The antigelatinase activities of fractions 1 and 2 were a direct effect via Zn²⁺ chelation, whereas fraction 3 modulated indirectly through suppression of zymogen activators. Among the fractions, only fraction 3 reduced the gelatinase expression, which was correlated with the levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and may as well involve the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases and the c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling pathways. This primary research has manifested and encouraged the anticancer properties of dried longan seed extracts with potential inhibitory effects on cancer cell invasion as well as antigelatinase activity and expression in colon cancer cells.