ObjectiveTo investigate the regulatory role of DAB2IP in proliferation effect of colon cancer cells by salinomycin. MethodsCell counting kit 8 (CCK8) assay was used to detect median inhibitory concentration (IC50) of salinomycin on HT29 and SW480 cells. Colon cancer cells with stable knock-down of DAB2IP (HT29-shDAB2IP) and control cells (HT29-shcon) were constructed by lentivirus plasmid. And colon cancer cells with stable over-expression of DAB2IP (SW480-DAB2IP) and control cells (SW480-con) were constructed using pCI plasmid. The proliferation effect of salinomycin on stable knock-down or over-expression of DAB2IP by CCK8 assay in the colon cancer cell was identified. The colon cancer stem cells makers CD44, CD24, and CD133 were investigated using real-time PCR. ResultsThe salinomycin had obvious inhibitory effects on the proliferations of HT29 and SW480 cells, the IC50 value was 20.0 μmol/L and 10.0 μmol/L, respectively. The stable knock-down of DAB2IP could significantly enhance the inhibitory effect of salinomycin on the proliferation in HT29 cells (P<0.05) and stable over-expression of DAB2IP could significantly decrease the inhibitory effect of salinomycin on the proliferation in SW480 cells (P<0.05). Further the result of real-time PCR detection showed that the expressions of cancer stem cells markers CD44, D24, and CD133 were significantly increased after stable knock-down of DAB2IP in the HT29 cells (P<0.05), while the expressions were significantly decreased after stable over-expression of DAB2IP in the SW480 cells (P<0.05). ConclusionsFrom initial results of this study, salinomycin could suppress proliferation of colon cancer cells. DAB2IP might weaken proliferative inhibitory effect of salinomycin by inhibiting expressions of cancer cells stem in colon cancer cells.