Abstract: ObjectiveTo investigate inhibitive effect of juglone on metastasis of human ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells.MethodsHuman ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells were cultured with juglone in vitro.3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide(MTT)was used to investigate cell proliferation.The ability of adhesion and invasion were detected with fibronectin assay and Transwell assay.The expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2)and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MM-9) proteins were determined with Western blot.ResultsJuglone could significantly inhibit the growth of SKOV3 cells in dose-dependent manner,with the cell proliferation inhibitory rates of 16.8±3.4%,39.6±9.7%,63.3±13.6%,and 84.5±17.3% at the dosages of 12.5,25.0,50.0,and 100.0 μmol/L,respectively.Compared with the control group,the adhesion rate and invasion of SKOV3 cells were 49.2 ±6.5% and 0.627±0.064,37.3±2.9% and 0.419±0.018,and 24.7±3.7% and 0.165±0.014) for 25,50,100μmol/L juglone groups(P<0.05 or P<0.01).The expressions of MMP-2 and MM-9 proteins in juglone groups were decreased with a dose-dependent trend(P<0.05 or P<0.01).ConclusionJuglone could significantly inhibit the adhesion and invasion of SKOV3 cells and the effect may be related to the inhibited expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in SKOV3 cells.