Erkang Zhang

Mr. Erkang Zhang


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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23 April 2020 in Molecules
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
EZErkang Zhang
Erkang Zhang
LYLu Yao
Lu Yao
ZFZhuoyan Fan
Zhuoyan Fan
LCLei Cheng
Lei Cheng
SHShiwen Han
Shiwen Han
HCHuilian Che
Huilian Che
Apigenin is a natural flavone with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and antitumor abilities against several types of cancers. Previous studies have found that the antitumor effects of apigenin may be due to its similar chemical structure to 17β-estradiol (E2), a main kind of estrogen in women. However, the precise mechanism underlying the antitumor effects of apigenin in cervical cancer remains unknown. On the other hand, there is increasing evidence that describes a histamine role in cancer cell proliferation. In this study, we examined whether apigenin can attenuate the effects of histamine on tumors by regulating the expression level of estrogen receptors (ERs) to inhibit cervical cancer growth. Our in vitro data indicates that apigenin inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner in human cervical cancer cells (HeLa), while histamine shows the opposite effects. After that, the xenograft model was established to explore the antitumor effects of apigenin in vivo, the results show that apigenin inhibited cervical tumor growth by reversing the abnormal ER signal in tumor tissue which was caused by histamine. We also demonstrate that apigenin inhibited cell proliferation via suppressing the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Collectively, our results suggest that apigenin may inhibit tumor growth through the ER-mediated PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and that it can also attenuate the effects of histamine on tumors.