Activation of the AKT/FOXO3a Signaling Pathway during Breast Cancer Inhibition In Vivo and In Vitro by Amauroderma rude (Agaricomycetes)

We previously reported that Amauroderma rude polysaccharides (AR) displayed strong immunomodulatory tumor-suppressive effects in mice. The current study was designed to explore the potential mechanism by which AR polysaccharides inhibit tumor growth. We found that AR could effectively induce cell death in 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. AR could also inhibit tumor cell migration and invasion, significantly promote apoptosis in 4T1 cells, and significantly increase CDK4, CDK6, cylinD1, and P27 mRNA expression in mice. Additionally, AR was able to significantly increase FOXO3a expression and decrease p-AKT expression both in vitro and in vivo, indicating that the AKT/FOXO3a signaling pathway had been activated during the inhibitory process.