ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Annexin A1 (ANXA1), a calcium-dependent phospholipid binding protein, is known to be regulated by microRNA-196a (miR-196a) in esophageal adenocarcinoma, and its high expression in tumor tissue is correlated with the poor prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the role of ANXA1 in the serum of patients with ESCC remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to evaluate the levels of ANXA1 and real-time polymerase chain reaction to detect the expression of miR-196a in the serum of ESCC patients (healthy donors as controls) and evaluated the relationship between ANXA1 and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The results showed that the level of serum ANXA1 in ESCC patients was significantly lower than that in controls (P = 0.001) but increased after chemoradiotherapy (P = 0.001). There was no correlation between the baseline level of serum ANXA1 and the short-term efficacy of treatment (P = 0.26) as well as the 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.094). However, there existed a significant correlation between the increases of serum ANXA1 expression and the 1-year PFS (P = 0.04). A higher increase (>2-fold of baseline) in the serum ANXA1 levels was correlated with a poorer PFS (hazard ratio = 3.096, 95% confidence interval 1.239-7.861). There was an inverse correlation between the expressions of miR-196a and ANXA1 in serum (Pearson's correlation of -0.54, P = 0.021). CONCLUSION: Our data revealed that the expression of serum ANXA1 in ESCC patients increases after chemoradiotherapy and the increased fold change in serum ANXA1 confers independent negative prognostic impact in ESCC. The higher the increase in serum ANXA1 levels, the poorer the outcome.
Subject(s)
Annexin A1/genetics , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/drug therapy , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/genetics , Esophageal Neoplasms/drug therapy , Esophageal Neoplasms/genetics , MicroRNAs/blood , Adult , Aged , Annexin A1/blood , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/blood , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/radiotherapy , Cell Movement/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Cisplatin/administration & dosage , Cisplatin/adverse effects , Disease-Free Survival , Esophageal Neoplasms/blood , Esophageal Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects , Genetic Association Studies , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Humans , Male , MicroRNAs/genetics , Middle Aged , Paclitaxel/administration & dosage , Paclitaxel/adverse effects , PrognosisABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Lung cancer, one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in the world, is characterized by relatively high morbidity and mortality. Berbamine (BER) has been initially reported to exert anti-proliferative effects against a series of cancers. METHODS: In this study the in vitro cytotoxicity of BER was measured by MTT assay. In vivo anti-cancer efficacy of BER was assessed in A549 xenografts. RESULTS: Cytotoxicity tests showed dose-dependent cell growth inhibition effects of BER against A549 cells. Moreover, BER significantly reduced the growth of lung cancer in a dose-dependent manner in nude mice with prolonged survival time. CONCLUSION: Therefore, BER might be in herbal medicine for cancer therapy and further efforts are needed to explore therapeutic strategies.
