Abstract
Rosmarinic acid is a major phenylpropanoid isolated from Prunella vulgaris L., which is a composition of herbal tea for centuries in China. However, the anti‐invasion activity on Ls174‐T human colon carcinoma cells has not been studied. In this study, we investigated the anti‐metastasis functions according to wound healing assay, adhesion assay, and Transwell assay and found that rosmarinic acid could inhibit migration, adhesion, and invasion dose‐dependently. Rosmarinic acid also could decrease the level of reactive oxygen species by enhancing the level of reduced glutathione hormone. In addition, rosmarinic acid repressed the activity and expression of matrix metalloproteinase‐2,9. According to Western blot and quantitative real‐time PCR assay, rosmarinic acid may inhibit metastasis from colorectal carcinoma mainly via the pathway of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase. In animal experiment, intraperitoneal administration of 2 mg of rosmarinic acid reduced weight of tumors and the number of lung nodules significantly compared with those of control group. Therefore, these results demonstrated that rosmarinic acid can effectively inhibit tumor metastasis in vitro and in vivo. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 370–379, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.