OBJECTIVETo study the effects of lysyl oxidase (LOX) on the migration and adhesion of the human gastric cancer cell line HGC-27 cells in vitro.

METHODSThe human gastric cancer cell line HGC-27 cells were cultured in vitro, and treated with different concentration of β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN). The ability of migration was assessed by wound-healing assay. The ability of adhesion was detected by homogenous and heterogeneous adhesion experiments.

RESULTSCompared that with 0 mmol/L BAPN, the ability of migration of the cells after treatment with 0.2 mmol/L BAPN was descended at 8, 24, 32 and 48 h; the number of cells with homogeneous adhesion was increased from (6.97 ± 0.07) × 10(3)/ml to (7.78 ± 0.11) × 10(3)/ml; and the number of cells with heterogeneous adhesion was decreased from (8.98 ± 0.15) × 10(3)/ml to (8.35 ± 0.10) × 10(3)/ml, both < 0.05. Compared with that of cells treated with 0 mmol/L and 0.2 mmol/L BAPN, the migration ability of cells after treatment with 0.3 mmol/L BAPN was descended at 8, 24, 32 and 48 h; the number of cells with homogeneous adhesion was raised to (8.02 ± 0.11) × 10(3)/ml and the number of cells with heterogeneous adhesion was down to (7.93 ± 0.07) × 10(3)/ml (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONLOX may promote the metastasis of cancer cells by enhancing invasion, increasing heterogeneous adhesion and decreasing homogeneous adhesion.