Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42042013›Full record

ArticleCurrent issues in molecular biology2026

Herbal Melanin Inhibits Colorectal Cancer Cell Motility, Invasiveness, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Associated with u-PAR Downregulation Through JNK and ERK Pathways.

Maha-Hamadien Abdulla, Ahmad Al Zahrani, Mansoor-Ali Vaali-Mohammed, Sabine Matou-Nasri, Abdullah O Al Obeed, Thamer Bin Traiki, Noura S Alhassan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Current issues in molecular biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

7 authors.

Maha-Hamadien AbdullaDepartment of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmad Al ZahraniDepartment of General Surgery, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Majmaah 15341, Saudi Arabia.
Mansoor-Ali Vaali-MohammedDepartment of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0002-6437-711X
Sabine Matou-NasriBlood and Cancer Research Department, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0003-4372-2903
Abdullah O Al ObeedDepartment of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia.
Thamer Bin TraikiDepartment of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia.
Noura S AlhassanDepartment of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0003-0155-100X

Funding

King Saud University ORF 2026-344
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Herbal melanin (HM), previously reported for its antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic properties, has garnered interest as a promising anti-colorectal cancer drug. However, HM's biological effects and underlying molecular mechanisms and the related signaling pathways in colorectal cancer (CRC) cell motility are poorly investigated. To evaluate the impact of various concentrations (50, 100, and 200 μg/mL) of HM on cell migration, invasion, and tumorigenicity on human HT29 and SW620 CRC cell lines, a real-time cell analyzer instrument and colony formation assays were employed, respectively. An angiogenesis-related protein array was also used, and the levels of protein expression contributing to colony formation and extracellular proteolysis-driven cell migration and invasion, such as E-cadherin, N-cadherin and urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), were monitored using Western blotting and RT-qPCR technologies. HM significantly decreased CRC cell motility, invasiveness, and formation of colonies, associated with E-cadherin upregulation and N-cadherin downregulation. In addition, HM specifically inhibited uPAR expression levels, which were also decreased by the pharmacological mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase (MEK) inhibitor UO126 and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125, in both CRC cell lines, including metastatic CRC (mCRC) SW620 cell line. Addition of HM to cells pretreated with JNK and MEK inhibitors attenuated the blockade of JNK and ERK phosphorylation and alleviated HM-downregulated uPAR expression and HM-inhibited mCRC cell migration. In conclusion, our in vitro studies demonstrate that HM exhibits an inhibitory effect on CRC migration and invasiveness, associated with uPAR downregulation through JNK and ERK pathways.

Indexed as

colorectal cancerepithelial–mesenchymal transitionherbal melaninurokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor

Identifiers

PMID42042013
PMCPMC13114825

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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.