Berberine (BBR) is an isoquinoline alkaloid which can be found in several varieties of plants like Hydrastis canadensis, Berberis aquifolium etc. BBR is one of the components of a famous Chinese herb, Rhizoma coptidis (Huang Lian) which has been used locally as a strong gastrointestinal remedy for thousands of years. Its inhibitory effects on metastasis have been shown by many studies in last decade and also has been characterized as antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory agent. In this study, we have investigated the anti-metastatic effect of berberine on esophageal cancer cell line KYSE-30 and correlate this effect with the decreased expression of some selected chemokine receptors. KYSE-30 cells as esophageal cancer cell line, was treated with varied concentrations (10, 20, 30 and 40 µM) of berberine. Cytotoxic effect of berberine was investigated by using MTT assay and expression of chemokine receptors (CXCR4, CCR7 and CXCR2) was analyzed by Real-time PCR. Wound healing assay was performed to observe cell migration. Real-time PCR analysis indicated the decreased expression of chemokine receptors involved inmetastasis of esophageal cancer cells. MTT assay showed that IC50 of berberine was 60µM concentration and less than 60µM of its concentration allowed more than 50% cells to be viable. Decreased cell migration was observed in wound healing assay when KYSE-30 cells were treated with variable concentrations of berberine. In this study, we concluded that berberine may be a good anti-metastatic agent defeating cancer. More studies are required to investigate its effect on many metastatic pathways.

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