Dataset Information

Metformin Resensitizes Sorafenib-Resistant HCC Cells Through AMPK-Dependent Autophagy Activation.

ABSTRACT: Despite the activation of autophagy may enable residual cancer cells to survive and allow tumor relapse, excessive activation of autophagy may eventually lead to cell death. However, the details of the association of autophagy with primary resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain less clear. In this study, cohort analysis revealed that HCC patients receiving sorafenib with HBV had higher mortality risk. We found that high epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and activity may be linked to HBV-induced sorafenib resistance. We further found that the resistance of EGFR-overexpressed liver cancer cells to sorafenib is associated with low activity of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta (CEBPD) as well as insufficient autophagic activation. In response to metformin, the AMPK/cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) pathway contributes to CEBPD activation, which promotes autophagic cell death. Moreover, treatment with metformin can increase sorafenib sensitivity through AMPK activation in EGFR-overexpressed liver cancer cells. This study suggests that AMPK/CEBPD-activated autophagy could be a potent strategy for improving the efficacy of sorafenib in HCC patients.

SUBMITTER: Lai HY

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7931828 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Metformin Resensitizes Sorafenib-Resistant HCC Cells Through AMPK-Dependent Autophagy Activation.

Lai Hong-Yue HY Tsai Hsin-Hwa HH Yen Chia-Jui CJ Hung Liang-Yi LY Yang Ching-Chieh CC Ho Chung-Han CH Liang Hsin-Yin HY Chen Feng-Wei FW Li Chien-Feng CF Wang Ju-Ming JM

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology 20210121

Despite the activation of autophagy may enable residual cancer cells to survive and allow tumor relapse, excessive activation of autophagy may eventually lead to cell death. However, the details of the association of autophagy with primary resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain less clear. In this study, cohort analysis revealed that HCC patients receiving sorafenib with HBV had higher mortality risk. We found that high epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and activity ...[more]

PMID: 33681180

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Project description:Sorafenib, an oral multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been the first-line therapy for the treatment of patients with advanced HCC, providing a survival benefit of only three months in approximately 30% of patients. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a rare tumour subpopulation with self-renewal and differentiation capabilities, and have been implicated in tumour growth, recurrence and drug resistance. The process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to the generation and maintenance of the CSC population, resulting in immune evasion and therapy resistance in several cancers, including HCC. The aim of this study is to target the chemoresistant CSC population in HCC by assessing the effectiveness of a combination treatment approach with Sorafenib, an EMT inhibitor and an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). A stem-cell-conditioned serum-free medium was utilised to enrich the CSC population from the human HCC cell lines Hep3B, PLC/PRF/5 and HepG2. The anchorage independent spheres were characterised for CSC features. The human HCC-derived spheres were assessed for EMT status and expression of immune checkpoint molecules. The effect of combination treatment with SB431542, an EMT inhibitor, and siRNA-mediated knockdown of programmed cell death protein ligand-1 (PD-L1) or CD73 along with Sorafenib on human HCC-derived CSCs was examined with cell viability and apoptosis assays. The three-dimensional spheres enriched from human HCC cell lines demonstrated CSC-like features. The human HCC-derived CSCs also exhibited the EMT phenotype along with the upregulation of immune checkpoint molecules. The combined treatment with SB431542 and siRNA-mediated PD-L1 or CD73 knockdown effectively enhanced the cytotoxicity of Sorafenib against the CSC population compared to Sorafenib alone, as evidenced by the reduced size and proliferation of spheres. Furthermore, the combination treatment of Sorafenib with SB431542 and PD-L1 or CD73 siRNA resulted in an increased proportion of an apoptotic population, as evidenced by flow cytometry analysis. In conclusion, the combined targeting of EMT and immune checkpoint molecules with Sorafenib can effectively target the CSC tumour subpopulation.

Dataset Information

Metformin Resensitizes Sorafenib-Resistant HCC Cells Through AMPK-Dependent Autophagy Activation.

Publications

Metformin Resensitizes Sorafenib-Resistant HCC Cells Through AMPK-Dependent Autophagy Activation.

Similar Datasets

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