**Author details**

metastasis. Thus, doxycycline selectively targets malignant tumors and reduces their meta‐

Apigenin is a naturally occurring compound with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. We have investigated the effects of apigenin on migration and metastasis in experimental HCC cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Apigenin dose-dependently inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PLC and Bel-7402 human HCC cells. It also suppresses tumor growth in PLC cell xenografts without altering body weight, thereby prolonging survival. Apigenin reduces Snai1 and NF-κB expression, reversed increases in EMT marker levels, increases cellular adhesion, regulates actin polymerization and cell migration, and inhibits invasion and migration of HCC cells. Therefore, apigenin may inhibit EMT by inhibiting the NF-κB/Snail pathway in human HCC. **Table 1** shows some EMT inhibitors found

**Molecules Tumor types Pathway References**

Bisdemethoxycurcumin Lung cancer TGF-β Xu et al. [117] Ski Lung cancer TGF-β Yang et al. [118] GRP78 Colon cancer TGF-β Zhang et al. [119] Thymoquinone Breast cancer TGF-β Rajput et al. [120]

NDRG2 Colon cancer TGF-β Shen et al. [122]

ING5 Breast cancer PI3K Zhao et al. [124] α-Mangostin Pancreatic cancer PI3K Xu et al. [125] NVP-BEZ235 Ovarian cancer PI3K Lin et al. [126] IL-32θ Colon cancer STAT3 Bak et al. [127] Luteolin Pancreatic cancer STAT3 Huang et al. [128] FTY720 Cholangiocarcinoma STAT3 Lu et al. [129] NDRG2 Breast cancer STAT3 Kim et al. [130]

BMP-7 Cholangiocarcinoma TGF-β Duangkumpha et al. [121]

Cyclin G2 Ovarian cancer Wnt/β-catenin Bernaudo et al. [113] FOXO3a Prostate cancer Wnt/β-catenin Liu et al. [114]

Wnt/β-catenin Warrier et al. [115]

Zhang et al. [116]

catenin

Bladder cancer and breast cancer PI3K Iskender et al. [123]

static potential with less cytotoxicity in lung cancer patients.

sFRP4 Head and neck squamous cell

carcinoma

sophocarpine Hepatocellular carcinoma AKT/GSK-3β/β-

in the last 3 years.

230 Tumor Metastasis

Myrtucommulone-A and

**Table 1.** Some EMT inhibitors.

thymoquinone

Tao Sun\* , Yuan Qin and Wei-long Zhong

\*Address all correspondence to: sunrockmia@hotmail.com

State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University , Tianjin, People's Republic of China
