Abstract
Erianin, a compound naturally occurring in Dendrobium, demonstrates a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antitumor properties as well as immunomodulatory actions. Existing studies have found that erianin has inhibitory effects on a variety of cancer cells, including lung cancer. However, the specific mechanism of action of erianin on lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not been fully revealed. This research endeavors to provide preliminary insights into the suppressive effects of eriolin on the progression of LUAD, with a focus on its antitumor mechanisms. The proliferation of LUAD cells in response to erianin was assessed utilizing Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), wound closure analysis, and colony-forming assays. The impact of erianin on cellular invasion and migration was assessed utilizing the transwell assay methodology. Tube formation assay was used to evaluate the effect of erianin on tumor angiogenesis. The effect of erianin on cell cycle and apoptosis of LUAD cells was determined by flow cytometry. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of miR-494-3p in LUAD cells after erianin treatment. In addition, western blotting was used to detect the effect of erianin on protein expression in LUAD cells in vivo and in vitro. Erianin demonstrated the ability to suppress the proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion and migration of LUAD cells in vitro, and arrested the S phase of the cell cycle. Erianin can downregulate the expression of miR-494-3p and exert its anti-cancer effect by affecting the MEGF9/MAPK/ERK/CyclinD1/VEGF-A/Survivin axis in LUAD cells. Our study preliminarily revealed that erianin may exert anti-tumor effects by downregulating the expression of miR-494-3p, thereby regulating the MEGF9/MAPK/ERK/CyclinD1/VEGF-A/Survivin cascade reaction. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-40427-4.