[Effect of basic fibroblast growth factor antibody combined with irinotecan on proliferation and apoptosis of small cell lung cancer H223 cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To study the synergistic inhibitory effects of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) monoclonal antibody (bFGF mAb) and irinotecan on the proliferation of small cell lung cancer H223 cells. METHODS: CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry were used to assess the effects of bFGF mAb combined with irinotecan on the proliferation and apoptosis of H223 cells, respectively. Western blotting was performed to analyze the effect of bFGF-mAb combined with irinotecan on AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the cells. RESULTS: Both bFGF mAb and irinotecan alone inhibited H223 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The inhibitory rate was significantly higher in H223 cells treated with bFGF mAb + irinotecan (54.30%) than in cell treated with bFGF mAb (18.73%) or irinotecan (21.96%) alone (P<0.05). Both bFGF mAb and irinotecan induced H223 cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05), and the combined treatment resulted in a significantly higher early apoptosis rates (6.5%) than treatment with bFGF mAb (2.7%) or irinotecan (4.3%) alone (P<0.05). bFGF mAb and irinotecan, either alone or in combination, significantly inhibited the levels of p-AKT protein and p-ERK1/2 protein without obviously affecting AKT and ERK1/2 protein levels. CONCLUSION: bFGF mAb and irinotecan produce synergistic inhibitory effects on small cell lung cancer H223 cells by suppressing proliferation and promoting apoptosis of the cells, and can effectively block the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways associated with bFGF.

DLC-1 expression levels in breast cancer assessed by qRT- PCR are negatively associated with malignancy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the expression of DLC-l in breast carcinoma and any association with tumor metastasis. METHODS: 51 surgical specimens of human breast carcinoma, divided into high invasive and low invasive groups according to their clinicopathological features, 30 cases of adjacent normal tissue and 28 benign breast lesions were examined by qRT-PCR for expression of DLC-1. RESULTS: Expression level of DLC-1 in adjacent normal tissue and benign breast lesion specimens was higher than that in breast carcinoma (P<0.0001); the values in the high invasive group with synchronous metastases were also lower than in the low invasive group (P=0.0275). The correlation between DLC-1 expression level and tumor progression and metastasis of breast cancer was negative. CONCLUSION: As an anti-oncogene, DLC-1 could play an important part in breast carcinoma occurrence, progression, invasiveness and metastasis. Detecting the changes of the expression of DLC-1 in the breast carcinoma may contribute to earlier auxiliary diagnosis of invasiveness, metastasis and recrudescence.

Clinical significance of axin and ß-catenin protein expression in primary hepatocellular carcinomas.

The aim of the present research was to investigate clinicopathologic correlations of immunohistochemically- demonstrated axin (axis inhibition) and ß-catenin expression in primary hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), in comparison with paraneoplastic, cirrhotic and normal liver tissues. Variation in Axin expression across groups were significant (P < 0.01), correlating with alpha fetoprotein (AFP), HBsAg, cancer plugs in the portal vein, and clinical stage of HCCs(P < 0.05); however, there were no links with sex, age, and tumour size (P > 0.05). Differences in cell membrane ß-catenin expression were also statistically significant (P < 0.01), again correlated with AFP, HBsAg, cancer plugs in the portal vein, and clinical stage in HCCs (P < 0.05) but not with sex, age, and tumour size (P > 0.05). Axin expression levels in tissues with reduced membrane ß-catenin were low (P < 0.05), also being low with nuclear ß-catenin expression (P < 0.05). Axin and ß-catenin may play an important role in the genesis and progression of HCC via the Wnt signal transmission pathway. Simultaneous determination of axin, ß-catenin, AFP, and HBsAg may be useful for early diagnosis, and metastatic and clinical staging of HCCs.