Dataset Information

Melatonin enhances sensitivity to fluorouracil in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma through inhibition of Erk and Akt pathway.

ABSTRACT: Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the sixth most common cause of cancer-associated death in the world and novel therapeutic alternatives are urgently warranted. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumour activity and underlying mechanisms of melatonin, an indoleamine compound secreted by the pineal gland as well as naturally occurring plant products, in ESCC cells and revealed that melatonin inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion and induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis of ESCC cells in vitro and suppressed tumour growth in the subcutaneous mice model in vivo. Furthermore, after treatment with melatonin, the expressions of pMEK, pErk, pGSK3β and pAkt were significantly suppressed. In contrast, treatment of the conventional chemotherapeutic drug fluorouracil (5-Fu) resulted in activation of Erk and Akt, which could be reversed by co-treatment with melatonin. Importantly, melatonin effectively enhanced cytotoxicity of 5-Fu to ESCC in vitro and in vivo. Together, these results suggested that inhibition of Erk and Akt pathway by melatonin have an important role in sensitization of ESCC cells to 5-Fu. Combined 5-Fu and melatonin treatment may be appreciated as a useful approach for ESCC therapy that warrants further investigation.

SUBMITTER: Lu YX

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5133993 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Melatonin enhances sensitivity to fluorouracil in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma through inhibition of Erk and Akt pathway.

Lu Yun-Xin YX Chen Dong-Liang DL Wang De-Shen DS Chen Le-Zong LZ Mo Hai-Yu HY Sheng Hui H Bai Long L Wu Qi-Nian QN Yu Hong-En HE Xie Dan D Yun Jing-Ping JP Zeng Zhao-Lei ZL Wang Feng F Ju Huai-Qiang HQ Xu Rui-Hua RH

Cell death & disease 20161027 10

Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the sixth most common cause of cancer-associated death in the world and novel therapeutic alternatives are urgently warranted. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumour activity and underlying mechanisms of melatonin, an indoleamine compound secreted by the pineal gland as well as naturally occurring plant products, in ESCC cells and revealed that melatonin inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion and induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis ...[more]

PMID: 27787516

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Project description:Sanguisorba officinalis L., a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) called DiYu (DY) in China, has a strong tradition of utilization as a scorching, blood-cooling, and hemostatic medication, and was used for cancer prevention and treatment due to its potential immune-enhancing and hematological toxicity-reducing effects. Previous studies have reported significant effects of DY on cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC), which is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. The first-line cure 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plays decisive commerce in the sedative of CRC as a clinically available chemotherapeutic agent. One of the primary causes of cancer treatment failure is the acquisition of chemotherapy drug resistance. In order to successfully combat the emergence of chemoresistance, it is essential to identify herbs or traditional Chinese medicine that have adjuvant therapeutic effects on CRC. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether DY could improve the sensitivity, conquer the chemoresistance of 5-FU-resistant CRC cells, and investigate its intrinsic mechanism.Materials and methodsMTT, Hoechst 33258 staining, and flow cytometry assays were used to determine the anticancer activity of DY alone or in combination with 5-FU against 5-FU-resistant CRC cells (RKO-R and HCT15-R) and wound healing assays were conducted to detect cell migration. Transcriptomic techniques were carried out to explore the effect and mechanism of DY on drug-resistant CRC cells. Western Blot and RT q-PCR assays were performed to validate the mechanism by which DY overcomes drug-resistant CRC cells.ResultsThese results indicated that DY alone or in combination with 5-FU significantly inhibited the proliferation and the migration of resistant CRC cells, and potentiated the susceptibility of 5-FU to drug-resistant CRC cells. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the mechanisms of drug resistance in CRC cells and DY against drug-resistant CRC cells highly overlapped, involved in the modulation of biological processes such as cell migration, positive regulation of protein binding and cytoskeleton, and MAPK (Ras-ERK-MEK), PI3K/Akt, and other signaling pathways. Moreover, DY can mediate the expression of p-R-Ras, p-ERK1/2, p-MEK1/2, p-PI3K, p-AKT, HIF-1A and VEGFA proteins. In addition, DY significantly suppressed the expression of AKT3, NEDD9, BMI-1, and CXCL1 genes in resistant CRC cells.ConclusionIn conclusion, DY could inhibit the proliferation and migration of 5-FU-resistant cells and strengthen the sensitivity of 5-FU to CRC-resistant cells. Furthermore, DY may prevail over chemoresistance through the Ras/MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways. These findings imply that DY may be a potential drug for clinical treatment or adjuvant treatment of drug-resistant CRC.

Dataset Information

Melatonin enhances sensitivity to fluorouracil in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma through inhibition of Erk and Akt pathway.

Publications

Melatonin enhances sensitivity to fluorouracil in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma through inhibition of Erk and Akt pathway.

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