YXQ-EQ Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Signaling Pathways Important for Metastasis in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Cells

Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry

Xin Yan¹ 

关键词: NSCLC;    Apoptosis;    Migration;    Invasion;    EMT;    EGF;    TGF-β;    YXQ-EQ;   

DOI  :  10.1159/000493223

学科分类：分子生物学，细胞生物学和基因

来源: S Karger AG

【 摘 要 】

Background/Aims Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies in the world. The 5-year survival rate for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is only approximately 15%, with metastasis as the primary cause of death. This study was aimed to investigate cytotoxic effect of external qi of Yan Xin Qigong (YXQ-EQ) toward human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells as well as its effect on signaling pathways promoting migration, invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in A549 cells. Methods Cytotoxic effect of YXQ-EQ was evaluated using MTS [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt] and cologenic assays. Apoptosis of treated cells was determined by Annexin V/propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry analysis, while cell migration and invasion were determined using transwell assays and EMT was assessed by morphological changes in cells. Protein expression and phosphorylation were examined by immunoblot analyses. Results YXQ-EQ induced apoptosis in A549 cells, resulting in a pronounced reduction in viability and clonogenic formation. This was associated with inhibition of phosphorylation of AKT and ERK1/2 and reduced expression of anti-apoptotic proteins BCL-xL, XIAP and survivin. Furthermore, YXQ-EQ inhibited EGF/EGFR signaling and EGF mediated migration and invasion of A549 cells. While TGF-β1 induced phosphorylation of SMAD2/3 and EMT in A549 cells, YXQ-EQ suppressed TGF-β/SMAD signaling and induced cell death in these cells in the presence of TGF-β1. Conclusion Our findings suggest that YXQ-EQ could exert anti-lung cancer effects via inhibiting signaling pathways that are important for NSCLC cell survival and NSCLC metastasis.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND