Arsenic Trioxide Suppressed Migration and Angiogenesis by Targeting FOXO3a in Gastric Cancer Cells

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3), a traditional remedy in Chinese medicine, has been used in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) research and clinical treatment. Previous studies have shown that As2O3 exerts its potent antitumor effects in solid tumors by regulating cell proliferation and survival. The aim of this study was to investigate whether As2O3 inhibited gastric cancer cell migration and angiogenesis by regulating FOXO3a expression. We found that As2O3 reduced gastric cancer cell viability in a dose-dependent manner and also inhibited cell migration and angiogenesis in vitro. Western blotting and immunofluorescence showed that As2O3 downregulated the levels of p-AKT, upregulated FOXO3a expression in the nucleus, and attenuated downstream Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9) expression. Moreover, we demonstrated that knockdown of FOXO3a significantly reversed the inhibition of As2O3 and promoted cell migration and angiogenesis in vitro. Further, As2O3 significantly inhibited xenograft tumor growth and angiogenesis by upregulating FOXO3a expression in vivo. However, knockdown of FOXO3a attenuated the inhibitory effect of As2O3 in xenograft tumors, and increased microvessel density (MVD) and VEGF expression. Our results demonstrated that As2O3 inhibited migration and angiogenesis of gastric cancer cells by enhancing FOXO3a expression.