Concomitant attenuation of HMGCR expression and activity enhances the growth inhibitory effect of atorvastatin on TGF-β-treated epithelial cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in primary tumor cells is a key prerequisite for metastasis initiation. Statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs, can delay metastasis formation in vivo and attenuate the growth and proliferation of tumor cells in vitro. The latter effect is stronger in tumor cells with a mesenchymal-like phenotype than in those with an epithelial one. However, the effect of statins on epithelial cancer cells treated with EMT-inducing growth factors such as transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) remains unclear. Here, we examined the effect of atorvastatin on two epithelial cancer cell lines following TGF-β treatment. Atorvastatin-induced growth inhibition was stronger in TGF-β-treated cells than in cells not thusly treated. Moreover, treatment of cells with atorvastatin pr

SUBMITTER: Warita K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8211663 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature