The application discloses application of a
petroleum ether extract of a root of a roadside green
plant in preparation of a
drug for treating
colorectal cancer by regulating a PI3K / AKT / MDM2 / p53 pathway. In the application, the
petroleum ether extract of the root of the roadside green
plant for treating
colorectal cancer is obtained by
petroleum ether reflux extraction of the root of the roadside green
plant. Pharmacological experiments show that the
petroleum ether extract of the root of the roadside green plant treats
colorectal cancer by regulating the PI3K / AKT / MDM2 / p53
signal pathway through down-regulating p-PI3K / PI3K and p-AKT / AKT ratio, up-regulating p-MDM2 and down-regulating p53 level; the extract has an anti-malignant proliferation effect, induces G1 phase arrest by targeting CDK2, up-regulating p21, down-regulating
Cyclin E1-CDK2 and
Cyclin D1-CDK4; the extract induces HCT-116
cell apoptosis through a mitochondrial pathway by up-regulating Bax / Bcl-2, reducing ΔΨm, releasing Cyt C, activating
Caspase-9 / 3 and cleaving PARP; the extract inhibits migration and invasion of HCT-116 cells by targeting MMP9, down-regulating MMP-2, MMP-9 and N-
cadherin expression and up-regulating E-
cadherin expression. In addition, the extract inhibits growth of a transplanted tumor in a
nude mouse transplanted tumor model by inducing
apoptosis of transplanted
tumor cells.