β-elemene inhibits bladder cancer cell through the expression of cell membrane protein GM3

BACKGROUND Β-elemene is widely used to treat a variety of cancers, including bladder cancer (BLCA). However, the anti-cancer target, effective constituents and mechanism was unclear. AIM To investigate the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of β-elemene in BLCA. METHODS We first mined the GEPIA2 database to explore the association between the GM3 (ST3 Beta-Galactoside Alpha-2,3-Sialyltransferase 5, GM3, ST3GAL5 ) gene and BLCA. Second, we performed in vitro experiments using BLCA cells to verify the inhibitory effect and targets therapy of β-elemene on BLCA. RESULTS Our results revealed a significantly reduced expression of GM3 in BLCA tissues. Notably, BLCA patients with higher GM3 expression exhibited prolonged overall survival and disease-free survival. In vitro studies demonstrated that β-elemene significantly affected BLCA cell viability, leading to a marked upregulation of GM3 expression, increased apoptotic cell populations, and a notable reduction in cell migration and invasion. WB analysis showed that β-elemene enhanced GM3 protein expression while simultaneously decreasing phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (p-EGFR) levels. Additionally, overexpression or RNAi of GM3 in BLCA cells resulted in corresponding changes in epidermal growth factor receptor and p-EGFR expression levels. CONCLUSION This study provides preliminary evidence for further investigation into the molecular mechanisms of β-elemene in the treatment of BLCA.