ABSTRACT
Objective: In order to investigate the effects of activating and blocking Stat3 signaling pathway on invasion ability of human pancreatic cancer cells and explore its action mechanism.Methods:Human pancreatic cancer Capan-2 cells were treated with IL-6. SW1990 human pancreatic cancer cells were treated with AG490. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay. Western blotting and immunocytochemistry were performed to detect expression of phosphorylated Stat3 (p-Stat3) protein. Real-time fluorogentic quantitative PCR (RFQ-PCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of VEGF and MMP-2 mRNA, respectively. The invasion abilities of SW1990 and Capan-2 cells were determined by cell invasion assay in vitro. Results:IL-6 stimulated the proliferation of Capan-2 cells (P<0.05), elevated the expression of p-Stat3, increased the mRNA and protein expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) (P<0.05), and enhanced the invasion ability of Capan-2 cells. AG490 inhibited the proliferation of SW1990 cells (P<0.05), down-regulated the expression of p-Stat3, markedly decreased the mRNA and protein expression of VEGF and MMP-2 (P<0.05), and weakened the invasion ability of SW1990 cells. Conclusion:Stat 3 signaling pathway plays an important role in the invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Stat 3 signaling transduction pathway may provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
