Rotenone restrains the proliferation, motility and epithelial–mesenchymal transition of colon cancer cells as well as the tumourigenesis in nude mice by using PI3K/AKT pathwayClinically utilised antirheumatic agent auranofin can be a proteasomal deubiquitinase inhibitor and inhibits tumor expansion. OncotargetThe BrdU staining kit (Sigma) was use