AKT1 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: In order to investigate whether echinatin inhibits migration and invasion via AKT pathway, the plasmid expression constitutively active form of AKT, AKT (T308D/S473D), was transfected into KYSE30 and KYSE270 cells, the results showed that activation of AKT signaling significantly abrogated the inhibitory effects of echinatin on ESCC cell migration and invasion (Fig. 5d, e).