Upregulation of cyclin D1 can act as an independent prognostic marker for longer survival time in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Immunohistochemical Expression and Clinical Significance of WWP1 Protein in Nasopharyngeal Cancer

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignant tumor of the head and neck. Its pathogenesis is complicated and needs further investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of WWP1 in NPC. Bioinformatics approaches were used to evaluate the expression and functions of WWP1 in NPC. WWP1 protein expression was then detected by immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray in an NPC cohort and its association with clinical features and prognosis was determined. In addition, WWP1 expression was knocked down in NPC cells using RNA interference, and their colony formation and invasion abilities were assessed. A total of 25 genes closely related to WWP1, which may be enriched in different pathways, were filtered out. WWP1 expression was significantly higher in NPC cells than in normal controls. High WWP1 expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis, tumor recurrence, clinical stage and poor prognosis. Knockdown of WWP1 resulted in attenuated proliferation and invasion of NPC cells. The results suggest that WWP1 may serve as a novel biomarker and prognostic factor for NPC and a potential therapeutic target worthy of further investigation.

Astaxanthin suppresses the malignant behaviors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by blocking PI3K/AKT and NF-κB pathways via miR-29a-3p

BACKGROUND

As a natural extraction, astaxanthin is gaining increasing attention because of its safety and anti-tumor properties. It has been reported to participate in the progression of various types of cancer such as gastric cancer and ovarian cancer. Nevertheless, the role of astaxanthin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has not been investigated.

OBJECT

The study aimed to explore the anticancer mechanism of astaxanthin in regulating NPC cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, migration, and invasion.

METHODS

Human NPC cells (C666-1) were treated with different concentrations of astaxanthin (0, 1, 10, 20 mg/mL) followed by detection of cell viability. Then, C666-1 cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, invasion, and migration in response to 10 mg/mL astaxanthin, LY294002 (PI3K/AKT inhibitor) or parthenolide (PTL; NF-κB inhibitor) treatment were measured using cell counting kit-8 assay, colony forming assay, flow cytometry analyses, Transwell assay, and wound healing assay, respectively. Western blotting was performed to quantify protein levels of factors involved in PI3K/AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways, cell cycle phase markers (Cyclin D1, p21) and apoptotic markers (Bcl-2 and Bax).

RESULTS

C666-1 cell proliferation, invasion, and migration were significantly suppressed by astaxanthin while cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase were effectively enhanced in the context of 10 mg/mL astaxanthin. Protein levels of p-AKT, p-P65 and p-IκB levels were suppressed by astaxanthin treatment. After LY294002 or PTL treatment, the suppressive impact of astaxanthin on C666-1 cell process was strengthened, accompanied by the more obvious decrease in cell activity and cell colony number, more enhanced cell apoptosis and G1 phase arrest, and further inhibited cell migration and invasion. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of astaxanthin on Cyclin D1 and Bcl-2 protein levels as well as the promoting impact of astaxanthin on p21 and Bax were also amplified in combination with LY294002 or PTL treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Astaxanthin significantly suppresses NPC cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest, migration, invasion while promoting cell apoptosis by inactivating PI3K/AKT and NF-κB pathways. The study first reveals the anticancer role of astaxanthin in NPC, providing a potential candidate for NPC treatment.

Pentagalloylglucose suppresses the growth and migration of human nasopharyngeal cancer cells via the GSK3β/β-catenin pathway in vitro and in vivo

BACKGROUND

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of malignant squamous cell tumour originating from the nasopharynx epithelium. Pentagalloylglucose (PGG) is a natural polyphenolic compound that exerts anticancer effects in many types of tumours. However, the role and underlying mechanism of PGG in NPC cells have not been fully defined.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the anticancer activity of PGG as well as the potential mechanism in NPC cells.

METHODS

The effects of PGG on the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle distribution of CNE1 and CNE2 cells were assessed by MTT and flow cytometry assays. Cell migration was evaluated using wound healing and transwell assays. The expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (LC3B) was observed by immunofluorescence staining. Western blotting was used to explore the levels of related proteins and signalling pathway components. Furthermore, the effects of PGG on NPC cell growth were analysed in a xenograft mouse model in vivo using cisplatin as a positive control.

RESULTS

PGG dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of CNE1 and CNE2 cells. PGG regulated the cell cycle by altering p53, cyclin D1, CDK2, and cyclin E1 protein levels. PGG induced apoptosis and autophagy in NPC cells and elevated the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the protein levels of LC3B. Moreover, PGG decreased NPC cell migration by increasing E-cadherin and decreasing N-cadherin, vimentin and CD44 protein levels. Mechanistically, PGG treatment downregulated p-mTOR and β-catenin expression but upregulated p-p38 MAPK and p-GSK3β expression. In addition, PGG significantly inhibited NPC cell tumour growth and lung metastasis in vivo.

CONCLUSION

PGG may suppress cell proliferation, induce apoptosis and autophagy, and decrease the metastatic capacity of NPC cells through the p38 MAPK/mTOR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. The present study provides evidence for PGG as a potential therapy for NPC.

WNT8B as an Independent Prognostic Marker for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Members of the Wnt signaling pathway have been shown to play a role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) progression.

AIM

The purpose of this study was to investigate WNT8B protein expression in NPC patients using tissue microarray (TMA) analysis and to evaluate its correlation with patient survival and clinical parameters.

METHODS

A total of 82 NPC cases, together with six normal nasopharyngeal tissue samples, were targeted to construct the TMA blocks. The WNT8B protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and its correlation to the clinicopathological features was investigated.

RESULTS

Sixty-two of 82 (75.6%) cases exhibited high WNT8B protein expression while 20/82 (24.4%) cases appeared to have low WNT8B expression. The univariate analysis revealed that systemic metastasis was associated with patient 5-year survival. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that WNT8B expression and systemic metastasis were significantly associated with the survival of NPC patients. Furthermore, there was no correlation found between the WNT8B protein expression and other clinicopathological parameters.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the expression of WNT8B is associated with NPC patients' survival and could serve as an independent prognostic factor for NPC patients.

Upregulation of cyclin D1 can act as an independent prognostic marker for longer survival time in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background

Cyclin D1 is an essential part of oncogenic transformation. We previously proved that cyclin D1 was upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and promoted the NPC cell proliferation. But the association between cyclin D1 and the clinical outcome of NPC has not yet been determined. The study explores the possible relevance between the cyclin D1 expression and clinical parameters and its predictive value of prognosis in NPC patients.

Methods

We analyzed the clinical data from 379 NPC patients and 112 non‐NPC patients in our previous study, which made further statistics. Receiver operating curve (ROC) was applied to select the optimal cutoff points. By analyzing the clinical data from 101 NPC patients using Chi‐squared test, we estimated the relationship between the cyclin D1 expression level and clinicopathological parameters. We also used Kaplan‐Meier method and log‐rank test assess and compared the disease‐free survival (DFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate. The Cox proportional hazards model was adopted to perform the univariate and multivariate analyses.

Result

Receiver operating curve analysis reported that cyclin D1 was used to differentiate between NPC patients and non‐NPC patients (P < .001, sensitivity: 53.6%, specificity: 85.7%, AUC = 0.752). Cyclin D1 was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = .015). A survival analysis of the 101 NPC patients indicated that the positive expression of cyclin D1 was predictive of a good prognosis (DFS: P = .010, OS: P = .019). Multivariate analysis showed that cyclin D1 could be used independently to predict NPC patients' prognosis (DFS: P = .038).

Conclusion

The overexpression of cyclin D1 is a good prognostic marker for NPC.