Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33576447›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of molecular medicine2021

Morusin inhibits the growth of human colorectal cancer HCT116‑derived sphere‑forming cells via the inactivation of Akt pathway.

Yuqi Zhou, Xiangyong Li, Min Ye

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of molecular medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Ethnic Differences of Palmoplantar Pustulosis: A Systematic Review.American journal of clinical dermatology · 2025
    Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Yuqi ZhouDepartment of Hematology and Oncology, 904 Hospital of PLA Joint Logistic Support Force, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214000, P.R. China.
Xiangyong LiDepartment of Hematology and Oncology, 904 Hospital of PLA Joint Logistic Support Force, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214000, P.R. China.
Min YeDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, P.R. China.
Second Military Medical University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The existence of colorectal cancer stem‑like cells (CSC) is responsible for the failure of current treatments against colorectal cancer. Therefore, novel therapies need be developed to target CSCs. Some natural agents, including morusin have been proposed as possible candidates for this purpose. Morusin has been shown to exert antitumor effects. In the present study, it is demonstrated that morusin exerts antitumor effects on colorectal CSCs (CCSCs). The viability of human CCSCs was enhanced when the CCSCs formed spheroids in a serum‑free and non‑adhesive floating culture system. HCT116 sphere cells exhibited an increased proliferative capacity and a higher expression of stemness markers [octamer‑binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4), Sox2 and Nanog]. Morusin inhibited the development of cancer spheroids and suppressed the growth of sphere cells via the induction of cell cycle arrest. Similarly, morusin decreased the expression levels of the stemness markers, Nanog and Oct4. The data partially revealed the molecular mechanisms involved: β‑catenin signaling maintains the growth of CSCs and directly modulates the expression of Nanog and Oct4. Morusin suppressed the activity of β‑catenin signaling via the inactivation of Akt; the executive β‑catenin/TCF4 complex and the downstream targets, c‑Myc, survivin and cyclin D1, were also downregulated. Moreover, the morusin‑induced inactivation of Akt also increased the expression of p21Cip1/WAF1 and p27Kip, which can block the cell cycle by interacting with cyclin‑dependent kinase (CDK) complexes. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that morusin inhibited the growth of colorectal cancer sphere cells, which were enriched with CCSCs via the inactivation of the Akt pathway.

Indexed as

ApoptosisCell Cycle CheckpointsCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationFlavonoidsHCT116 CellsHumansOctamer Transcription Factor-3Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktSignal TransductionFlavonoidsmorusinOctamer Transcription Factor-3POU5F1 protein, humanProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktmorusin, cancer stem‑like cell, cancer sphere cells, Akt, β‑catenin

Identifiers

PMID33576447
PMCPMC7891835
OpenAlexW3126986297

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.