Myricetin Suppresses Ovarian Cancer by Activating the P38/Sapla Signaling Pathway and Suppressing Intracellular Oxidative Stress

Ovarian cancer is a common malignancy with a mortality and effective, efficient treatments are urgently needed. Myricetin (Myr) is a flavonoid with antioxidant and anticancer properties. Here, we assessed Myr's toxicity on the non-tumor cell line, IOSE-80 and the mechanism by which it suppresses proliferation, migration, and invasion of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells. The effects of Myr on SKOV3 cells were assessed using CCK-8, oxidative stress, wound healing, Transwell, Hoechst 33258 staining, and western blot assays. Our data show that although Myr was not toxic against IOSE-80 cells for a range of concentrations 0-40μM, it suppressed SKOV3 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and enhanced apoptosis. Mechanistically, it activated the p38/Sapla signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting oxidative stress and reducing the level of ROS in tumor cells. Our data show that Myr suppresses ovarian cancer cells and suggests Myr as a candidate agent against ovarian cancer.