Icaritin induces apoptosis and downregulates RhoA/ROCK pathway in the A549 adenocarcinoma cell line

Introduction: Icaritin is a prenylflavonoid derivative from a traditional Chinese herb, Epimedium Genus. Icaritin exerts its anti-tumour effects in various cancers mainly by inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing cell differentiation and apoptosis, and suppressing cell migration and invasion. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of icaritin on apoptosis, cell cycle, and expression of selected cell cycle proteins: RhoA, ROCK1, and ROCK2 in the A549 cell line. Methods: Apoptosis and the cell cycle distribution were evaluated by flow cytometry. Protein expression was measured by conducting a western blot assay and immunofluorescence staining. Results and conclusions: The study revealed that icaritin induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase in A549 cells. The authors showed that icaritin activates the p53 protein and downregulates Rho/ROCK pathway. Additionally, the decrease in expression of thrombospondin-1 was observed which can be part of the cytoprotective response of A549 cells on ICT treatment. The present study investigates the antitumour prop-erties of icaritin and conducts molecular analysis to show that ICT exerts its effect via the RhoA/ROCK pathway.