Fig. 4

ICA regulated the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signaling pathway. A–C Mode of ICA binding with AMPK, mTOR, and ULK1. The chemical structure in orange indicates ICA, and the purple structure indicates the binding site of ICA, AMPK, mTOR, and ULK1. D, E The effect of ICA on the expression of AMPK, ULK1, and mTOR and their phosphorylation in MDA-MB-468 cells; F, G in 4T1 cells. Bars represent the means ± SD of at least three independent experiments; ns, not significant; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001 compared with the control group (0 µM). ICA icariin, AMPK adenosine 5ʹ-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase, mTOR mammalian target of rapamycin, ULK1 Unc-51-like kinase 1