Anti-metastatic properties of the leaves of Eriobotrya japonica

The leaves of Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. have been widely used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of many diseases including gastroenteric disorders, diabetes mellitus, chronic bronchitis and asthma. In the present study, the anti-metastatic action of the EtOAc fraction of the leaves of E. japonica (LEJ) was investigated. LEJ showed potent inhibitory effects on MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities and expressions via down-regulation of NF-κB translocation to the nucleus in B16F10 cells. In addition, the cell migration and invasion were down-regulated by LEJ. LEJ also significantly suppressed lung metastasis in vivo. Moreover, we isolated the compounds ursolic acid and 2α-hydroxyursolic acid from LEJ and both compounds also significantly suppressed MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities, indicating that they are the active components of LEJ. The present results demonstrate that LEJ may be used as valuable antimetastatic agent for the treatment of cancer metastasis.