Melatonin Inhibits TE-1 Esophageal Cancer Cells Metastasis by Suppressing the NF-κB Signaling Pathway and Decreasing MMP-9.

Melatonin is an amine hormone produced by mammals and the human pineal gland. Modern biomedical research has shown that melatonin has antitumor effects. However, the underlying mechanisms of these effects remain unclear. In this study, we explore the effect of melatonin on TE-1 esophageal cancer cells metastasis and study the roles of the NF-κB signaling pathway and MMP9 in this process. We found that melatonin significantly suppressed the migration and invasion of TE-1 esophageal cancer cells, inhibited the activation NF-κB signaling pathway, and decreased the expression of MMP9. When adding NF-κB inhibitor, the results show that the expression of MMP9 decreased while E-cadherin increased. Taken together, the results indicate that melatonin inhibits esophageal cancer cell metastasis by down-regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway and MMP9. Therefore, melatonin may be a new drug for the effective treatment of esophageal cancer.