Liwei Jia^*, Dongying Lv^†, Shuang Zhang^*, Zhenyue Wang^*, Bo Zhou^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 503-508, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15344989701565

Abstract Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is an active ingredient in Astragalus membranaceus and is involved in various biological processes, such as regulating the immune system, and counteracting inflammation and malignancy. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of AS-IV on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay and flow cytometry were performed to investigate cell survival and cell death, and Western blotting was performed to assess protein expression. We found that AS-IV inhibited the migration and proliferation of NSCLC cells and caused a noticeable increase in cell death. Furthermore, the expression of Bax, a marker… More >

Xuejian Liu^*1, Xia Wu^*1, Yanming Wang^†, Yuhua Li^*, Xiangli Chen^*, Wenchuan Yang^*, Lihua Jiang^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 415-422, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15155538502359

Abstract Cluster of differentiation 47 (CD47) overexpression is common in various malignancies. This study investigated whether CD47 promotes human glioblastoma invasion and, if so, the underlying mechanisms involved. CD47 expression was found to be stronger in tissues of patients with glioblastoma and in various cancer cell lines than in normal controls. CD47 downregulation via siRNA suppressed invasion in vitro, whereas CD47 overexpression through plasmid transfection exerted the opposite effect. However, overexpression or knocking down of CD47 had no effect on cell proliferation. Moreover, CD47 expression was related to Akt phosphorylation at the cellular molecular level. Suppression of Akt with a specific… More >

Huasong Liu^*1, Jun Zhang^*1, Xiangyu Luo^*, Min Zeng^*, Liqiang Xu^*, Qunxian Zhang^*, Hua Liu^*, Jialong Guo^*, Lanlan Xu^†

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.1, pp. 65-73, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15656904013079

Abstract Emerging evidence has demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) mediate the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) via various pathophysiological pathways. This study explored the impact of the lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 on cisplatin resistance in ESCC and its possible mechanisms. Upregulation of FOXD2-AS was detected in patients with ESCC and ESCC cells that are resistant to cisplatin. In an in vitro assay, knockdown of FOXD2-AS1 noticeably inhibited cell invasion and growth, triggered cell death, and repressed the stimulation of the Akt/mTOR axis in cisplatin-resistant ESCC cells (TE-1/DDP). Conversely, the overexpression of FOXD2-AS1 remarkably increased cell invasion and growth, repressed cell… More >

Majed Al Fayi^*†, Ahmad Alamri^*, Prasanna Rajagopalan^*†

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.2, pp. 177-189, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15746768080428

Abstract Drug discovery research to fight lung cancer is incessantly challenged by drug resistance. In this study, we used drug-resistant lung cancer stem like cells (A549-CS) to compare the efficacy of standard drugs like cisplatin (DDP) and gemcitabine (GEM) with a novel arylidene derivative IOX-101. A549-CS was derived from regular A549 cells by growing in special media. Resistance proteins were detected using Western blotting. Cell proliferations were assessed by MTT assay. Cytokine release was enumerated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The effect of drugs on apoptosis and cell cycle was studied with flow cytometry protocols. Apoptosis-related proteins, caspases, and other signaling protein… More >

ZiJun Liao^*†, Qi Zheng^†, Ting Wei^‡, YanBing Zhang^†, JieQun Ma^†, Zheng Zhao^§, HaiFeng Sun^§, KeJun Nan^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.2, pp. 147-159, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15732109856009

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. miR-561 has been reported to be downregulated in gastric cancer and affects cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. However, the role and underlying molecular mechanism of miR-561 in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unknown and need to be further elucidated. In this study, we discovered that miR-561 expression was downregulated in human NSCLC tissues and cell lines. The overexpression of miR-561 inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation and cell cycle G1 /S transition and induced apoptosis. The inhibition of miR-561 facilitated cell proliferation and G1 /S transition and suppressed apoptosis. miR-561… More >

Yangmei Zhang^*1, Xichang Zhou^†1, Long Cheng^†, Xiang Wang^*, Qinglin Zhang^‡, Youwei Zhang^*, Sanyuan Sun^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 213-223, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15668125347026

Abstract PRKAA1 (protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit 1) is a catalytic subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which plays a key role in regulating cellular energy metabolism through phosphorylation, and genetic variations in the PRKAA1 have been found to be associated with gastric cancer risk. However, the effect and underlying molecular mechanism of PRKAA1 on gastric cancer tumorigenesis, especially the proliferation and apoptosis, are not fully understood. Our data showed that PRKAA1 is highly expressed in BGC- 823 and MKN45 cells and is expressed low in SGC-7901 and MGC-803 cells in comparison with the other gastric cancer cells. PRKAA1 downregulation by… More >

Wei Wei^*1, Xiao-Dong Ma^†1, Guan-Min Jiang^‡, Bin Shi^§, Wen Zhong^¶, Chun-Lei Sun^§, Liang Zhao^*, Yan-Jiao Hou^*, Hao Wang^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.4, pp. 423-438, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15877284857868

Abstract Although oxaliplatin serves as one of the first-line drugs prescribed for treating colorectal cancer (CRC), the therapeutic effect is disappointing due to drug resistance. So far, the molecular mechanisms mediating oxaliplatin resistance remain unclear. In this study, we found the chemoresistance in oxaliplatin-resistant HCT116 cells (HCT116/OXA) was mediated by the upregulation of ERCC1 expression. In addition, the acquisition of resistance induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) as well as the Slug overexpression. On the contrary, Slug silencing reversed the EMT phenotype, decreased ERCC1 expression, and ameliorated drug resistance. Further mechanistical studies revealed the enhanced Slug expression resulted from the activation of AKT/… More >

Kairui Liu^*, Xiaolin Wu^*, Xian Zang^†, Zejian Huang^*, Zeyu Lin^‡, Wenliang Tan^*, Xiang Wu^*, Wenrou Hu^*, Baoqi Li^*, Lei Zhang^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.5, pp. 559-560, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X16032056440102

Abstract Overexpression of the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 4 (TRAF4) has been detected in many cancer types and is considered to foster tumor progression. However, the role of TRAF4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. In this study, we found that TRAF4 was highly expressed in HCC cell lines and HCC tissues compared with normal liver cell lines and adjacent noncancerous tissues. TRAF4 overexpression in HCC tissues was correlated with tumor quantity and vascular invasion. In vitro studies showed that TRAF4 was associated with HCC cell migration and invasion. An in vivo study verified that TRAF4 overexpression facilitated metastasis in… More >

Wei Song^*, Jia-Zhuan Mei^†, Mingzhi Zhang^‡

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.9, pp. 971-972, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504022X16414984936791

Abstract Accumulating evidence has indicated that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) PlncRNA-1 plays an important regulatory role in cancers. However, the expression and biological functions of PlncRNA-1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) are still unclear. In the present study, we determined the expression of PlncRNA-1 in CRC and explored the function of PlncRNA-1 on CRC cell progression. The results showed that PlncRNA-1 was significantly increased in CRC tissues and cell lines; high PlncRNA-1 expression was associated with depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage of CRC patients. Kaplan–Meier curve analysis showed that patients with high PlncRNA-1 expression had a poor overall… More >

Chang Li^*, Xiaoping Li^†, Shuohui Gao^*, Chang Li^‡, Lianjun Ma^§

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.7-8, pp. 819-822, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504021X16240202940003

Abstract Gastric cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer and the second highest leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It has already been established that miR-133a is involved in gastric cancer. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which miR-133a inhibits the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. We analyzed the proliferative capacity of human gastric cancer cells SNU-1 using an MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry. The expression levels of ERBB2, p-ERK1/2, and p-AKT in SNU-1 cells were determined using Western blot analysis. To confirm that ERBB2 is a direct target of miR-133a, a… More >