Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a tumor located in the nasopharynx with highly invasive and metastatic properties. Metastasis is a primary cause of mortality in patients with NPC. The terpenoid polyphenol pinosylvin is a known functional compound of the Pinus species that exhibits anti-inflammatory effects; however, the effect of pinosylvin on human NPC cell migration and invasion is unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the functional role of pinosylvin in NPC cells (NPC-039, NPC-BM and RPMI 2650). Gap closure and Transwell assay indicated that pinosylvin at increasing concentrations inhibited migration and invasion of NPC-039 and NPC-BM cells. In addition to inhibiting the enzyme activity of MMP-2, pinosylvin also decreased the protein expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Pinosylvin decreased the expression of vimentin and N-cadherin and significantly increased the expression of zonula occludens-1 and E-cadherin in NPC cells. Additionally, pinosylvin suppressed the invasion and migration ability of NPC-039 and NPC-BM cells by mediating the p38, ERK1/2 and JNK1/2 pathways. The present results revealed that pinosylvin inhibited migration and invasion in NPC cells.
