Colorectal Cancer

CircMYH9[Circular RNA]

miR-761[miRNA]

HDGF[mRNA]

CRC cells

Homo sapiens (human)

Arch Biochem Biophys. 2021 Jul 15;705:108919. doi: 10.1016/j.abb.2021.108919. Epub 2021 May 13.

Use Chou's 5-steps rule to study how Baicalin suppresses the malignant phenotypes and induces the apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells.

Dual-luciferase reporter assay;RIP assay;RNA immunoprecipitation;Luciferase reporter assay;RNA immunoprecipitation;

Baicalin is a traditional Chinese herb purified from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. In this study, we further analyzed the molecular mechanism behind the anti-tumor activity of Baicalin in colorectal cancer (CRC). The establishment of circular RNA (circRNA)/microRNA (miRNA)/messenger RNA (mRNA) axis was predicted by bioinformatic databases and verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. Baicalin dose-dependently reduced the expression of circRNA myosin heavy chain 9 (circMYH9) in CRC cells. Baicalin exposure suppressed the malignant phenotypes of CRC cells, which were largely reversed by the overexpression of circMYH9. CircMYH9 functioned as a molecular sponge for miR-761. CircMYH9 overexpression protected CRC cells from Baicalin-induced injury partly through down-regulating miR-761. MiR-761 interacted with the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) mRNA. CircMYH9 up-regulated HDGF expression partly through sponging miR-761 in CRC cells. MiR-761 silencing counteracted the anti-tumor activity of Baicalin partly through up-regulating HDGF in CRC cells. Baicalin suppresses xenograft tumor growth in vivo, and this suppressive effect was partly reversed by the overexpression of circMYH9. In conclusion, Baicalin exhibited an anti-tumor activity in CRC cells partly through down-regulating circMYH9 and HDGF and up-regulating miR-761.