Objective : To investigate the effects of Ophiopogonin B (OPB) on the migration, invasion, and
epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cervical cancer cells by regulating the neurogenic gene homologous
protein (Notch)/zinc finger transcription factor (Snail) signaling pathway. Methods : The CCK8 method was
applied to detect the survival rate and half-inhibitory concentration(IC50) of human cervical cancer SiHa cells with
different concentrations of OPB. SiHa cells were separated into six groups : SiHa group (control), L-OPB group (5
μmol/L OPB), M-OPB group (10 μmol/L OPB), H-OPB group( 20 μmol/L OPB), Jagged 1 group( H-OPB+Notch1
signal activator Jagged 1), and DAPT group( H-OPB+Notch signal inhibitor DAPT). Each group was treated for 24
hours. CCK8 method was used to analyze cell proliferation, scratch test to analyze migration, transwell experiment
to analyze invasion, flow cytometry to analyze apoptosis, and immunoblotting to detect the expression of EMT and
Notch/Snail pathway proteins. The tumor volume and mass of the control group (saline administration) and the OPB
group (OPB administration) were compared by cervical cancer mouse model. Immunohistochemistry was applied
to analyze the expression of Notch and Snail in tumors. Results : Compared with the SiHa group, the cell viability,
clone count, migration distance percentage, and invasion number in the L-OPB group, M-OPB group, and H-OPB
group decreased sequentially, while the apoptosis rate increased sequentially. Compared with the H-OPB group,
the cell viability, clone count, migration distance
percentage, and invasion number in the Jagged 1 group
increased, while the apoptosis rate decreased ; the cellviability, clone count, migration distance percentage, and invasion number in the DAPT group decreased, while the
apoptosis rate increased. Compared with the SiHa group, the expression of E-cadherin in the L-OPB group, M-OPB
group, and H-OPB group increased sequentially, while the expression of vimentin, Notch, claudin-1, Snail, and
N-cadherin decreased sequentially. Compared with the H-OPB group, the expression of vimentin, Notch, claudin-1,
Snail, and N-cadherin in Jagged 1 group increased, while the expression of E-cadherin decreased ; the expression of
E-cadherin in DAPT group increased, while the expression of vimentin, Notch, claudin-1, Snail, and N-cadherin
decreased. Compared with the control group, the tumor volume, weight, and the positive expression rates of Notch
and Snail were reduced in the OPB group. Conclusion : OPB may inhibit the migration, invasion, and EMT of
cervical cancer cells, which may be related to the inactivation of the Notch/Snail pathway.