Niclosamide suppresses migration and invasion of human osteosarcoma cells by repressing TGFBI expression via the ERK signaling pathway

Osteosarcoma is a highly common malignant bone tumor. Its highly metastatic properties are the leading cause of mortality for cancer. Niclosamide, a salicylanilide derivative, is an oral anti-helminthic drug of known anticancer potential. However, the effect of niclosamide on osteosarcoma cell migration, invasion and the mechanisms underlying have not been fully clarified. Therefore, this study investigated niclosamide’s underlying pathways and antimetastatic effects on osteosar-coma. In this study, U2OS and HOS osteosarcoma cell lines were treated with niclosamide and then subjected to assays for determining cell migration ability. The results indicated that niclosamide, at concentrations of up to 200 nM, inhibited the migration and invasion of human osteosarcoma U2OS and HOS cells and repressed the transforming growth factor beta-induced protein (TGFBI) expression of U2OS cells, without cytotoxicity. After TGFBI knockdown occurred, cellular migration and invasion behaviors of U2OS cells were significantly reduced. Moreover, niclosamide significantly decreased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in U2OS cells and the combination treatment of the MEK inhibitor (U0126) and niclosamide resulted in the intensive inhibition of the TGFBI expression and the migratory ability in U2OS cells. Therefore, TGFBI derived from osteosarcoma cells via the ERK pathway contributed to cellular migration and invasion and niclosamide inhibited these processes. These findings indicate that niclosamide may be a powerful preventive agent against the development and metastasis of osteosarcoma.