JTC-801 Suppresses Melanoma Cells Growth through the PI3K‑Akt‑mTOR Signaling Pathways.

Melanoma is considered as one of the most potentially fatal and aggressive malignancies. Due to the limited efficacy or drug resistance of the current targeted therapies of melanoma, developing new therapeutic drugs against new targets to effectively control tumor growth is greatly needed. In this study, the effect of JTC-801, a selective small-molecule antagonist of nociceptin receptor and analgesic agent, on a melanoma cell line, M14, has been studied. We demonstrate herein that JTC-801 could efficiently suppress the proliferation, migration and invasion capacity of the M14 melanoma cells, and induced a strong apoptosis. Importantly, our results provide the underlying molecular mechanism of these effects. JTC-801 cells regulate M14 cells by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt‑mTOR pathway. These results suggest that JTC-801 should be further studied in preclinical modes to establish whether it represents a potential small anticancer candidate drug against melanoma.