OBJECTIVE: Dihydroartemisinin is a traditional anti-malarial drug, a derivative of the artemisinin, it has anti-tumor activity of a variety of tumor cells. This study investigated the effect of growth inhibition of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells line CNE-2 induced by dihydroartemisinin and its possible mechanism. METHOD: The effect of DHA on the cell proliferation of CNE-2 was detected by CCK-8 assay with different concentrations and time. The effects of DHA on the cell apoptosis of CNE-2 were detected by Annexin V-FITC assay through flow cytometry and caspase-3 activity assay. RESULT: CCK-8 experimental results show that CNE-2 cell proliferation was suppressed with DHA treatment, as compared with the control group. DHA could induce marked apoptosis in CNE-2 by apoptosis assay, as compared with the control group, The percentages of apoptotic cells increased along with the increase of DHA concentrations in CNE-2; The activity of caspase-3 was increased following DHA treatment in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION DHA could effectively inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells line CNE-2, the possible mechanism DHA induce apoptosis of CNE-2 cells by upregulating the expression of caspase-3.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Artemisinins ; pharmacology ; Carcinoma ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression profile and the clinical significance of CDK3 in the tissues of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHOD: Immunohistochemistry was utilized to detect the expression of CDK3 in 94 cases of NPC and 40 cases of nasopharyngeal inflammation. RESULT: CDK3 was highly expressed in NPC cell lines. Immunohistochemistry showed that CDK3 was mostly expressed in the cytoplasm. The positive expression rate of NPC was 67% and that of nasopharyngeal inflammation was only 12. 5%. The difference between these two groups was highly statistically significant. The CDK3 expression in NPC was related to the TNM clinical staging of NPC (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION The expression levels of CDK3 were obviously higher in NPC tissues. The CDK3 expression in NPC was related to the TNM clinical staging of NPC. It suggests that CDK3 expression may play an important role in the occurrence and development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Adult ; Carcinoma ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 3 ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Staging

OBJECTIVE: To compare the proteome difference of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines 5-8F and 6-10B, and to screen these proteins associated with NPC metastasis. METHODS: Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to separate the total proteins from NPC cell lines 5-8F and 6-10B with different metastatic potentials and same genetic background, respectively. PDQuest software was applied to analyze 2-DE images, and the differentially expressed protein spots between 5-8F and 6-10B were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The expression levels of partial identified proteins in the 2 cell lines were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: 2-DE maps of total proteins from 5-8F and 6-10B were established. A total of 65 differential protein spots in the 2 cell lines were found, and 15 non-redundant differential expression proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS. Western blot showed that Annexin A1 and 14-3-3 protein sigma were differential expression proteins in 5-8F and 6-10B, which was consistent with the Results from the comparative proteomic analysis. CONCLUSION Fifteen non-redundant differential expression proteins are useful for studying the metastatic mechanism of NPC.
Carcinoma ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Humans ; Mass Spectrometry ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Proteome ; metabolism ; Proteomics

Autoantigens ; metabolism ; Glycoproteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; immunology ; Lactoferrin ; metabolism ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; immunology ; metabolism ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; immunology ; metabolism ; Phosphoproteins ; metabolism ; Proteins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Expression and correlation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHOD: In this study, expression levels of COX-2, VEGF were examined in 58 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 38 patients with inflammation in nasopharyngeal mucosa by immunohistochemistry method. RESULT: The expression of COX-2, VEGF were higher in nasopharyngeal carcinoma than those in nasopharyngeal mucosa (P < 0.05), and they had some correlation with the invasion and lymphatic metastasis and with the clinical stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (P < 0.05). The expression of COX-2 was positively correlated with that of VEGF (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The coexpression of COX-2 and VEGF may play animportant role in the carcinogenesis and development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and they may prom (see text) lymph node metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Carcinoma ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mucous Membrane ; metabolism ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Nasopharyngitis ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and significance of miRNA-324-3p and its target gene WNT2B in tissue specimens of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) specimens. METHOD: qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miRNA-324-3p and WNT2B mRNA, and Western blot was applied to assay the expression of WNT2B protein in 39 cases of NPC specimens and 21 cases of non-carcinoma epithelium. The relationship between their expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics and their correlation with clinical pathological parameters was analyzed. RESULT: The expression of miRNA-324-3p was significantly down-regulated decreased but WNT2B mRNA/protein increased obviously in NPC specimens (P < 0.01). A negative correlation between miRNA-324-3p and WNT2B was spotted (P < 0.05). The expression levels of these markers were closely correlated with T stage, clinic stage and cervical lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The loss of miRNA-324-3p and ectopic WNT2B might co-induce the initiation and progression of NPC.
Carcinoma ; Glycoproteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; MicroRNAs ; metabolism ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Wnt Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Humans ; Carcinogenesis/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Genes, cdc ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma/genetics* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/genetics* ; RNA Helicases/metabolism*

OBJECTIVES: Nasopharyngeal cracinoma is a kind of head and neck malignant tumor with high incidence and high mortality. Due to the characteristics of local recurrence, distant metastasis, and drug resistance, the survival rate of patients after treatment is not high. Paclitaxel (PTX) is used as a chemotherapy drug in treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells are easy to develop resistance to PTX. Inhibition of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) can overcome common signal redundancy and resistance in many cancers. This study aims to investigate the anti-tumor effect of ginkgolic acids C15꞉1 (C15:1) combined with PTX on nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-2Z cells and the mechanisms. METHODS: This experiment was divided into a control group (without drug), a C15:1 group (10, 30, 50, 70 μmol/L), a PTX group (5, 10, 20, 40 nmol/L), and a combination group. CNE-2Z cells were treated with the corresponding drugs in each group. The proliferation of CNE-2Z cells was evaluated by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT). Wound-healing assay and transwell chamber assay were used to determine the migration of CNE-2Z cells. Transwell chamber was applied to the impact of CNE-2Z cell invasion. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining was used to observe the effect on apoptosis of CNE-2Z cells. The changes of proteins involved in cell invasion, migration, and apoptosis after the combination of C15꞉1 and PTX treatment were analyzed by Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the C15꞉1 group and the PTX group could inhibit the proliferation of CNE-2Z cells (all P<0.05). The cell survival rates of the C15꞉1 50 μmol/L combined with 5, 10, 20, or 40 nmol/L PTX group were lower than those of the single PTX group (all P<0.05), the combination index (CI) value was less than 1, suggesting that the combined treatment group had a synergistic effect. Compared with the 50 μmol/L C15꞉1 group and the 10 nmol/L PTX group, the combination group significantly inhibited the invasion and migration of CNE-2Z cells (all P<0.05). The results of Western blotting demonstrated that the combination group could significantly down-regulate Hsp90 client protein matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. The results of double staining showed that compared with the 50 μmol/L C15꞉1 group and the 10 nmol/L PTX group, the apoptosis ratio of CNE-2Z cells in the combination group was higher (both P<0.05). The results of Western blotting suggested that the combination group could decrease the Hsp90 client proteins [Akt and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)] and increase the Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax). CONCLUSIONS The combination of C15꞉1 and PTX has a synergistic effect which can inhibit cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, and induce cell apoptosis. This effect may be related to the inhibition of Hsp90 activity by C15꞉1.
Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Paclitaxel/therapeutic use* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Apoptosis ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Line, Tumor

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance and relationship between the expression of FOXC1 and clinicopathological features, and to explore its correlation with E-cadherin. METHOD: Immunohistochemical SP method was used to detected the expression of FOXC1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and nasopharyngitis tissues. RESULT: (1) Immunoreaction to FOXC1 was mainly located in nucleus of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. The positive expression rate of FOXC1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues was 85.3% (81/95), which was significantly higher than that in nasopharyngitis tissues (59.4%) (P < 0.05). (2) The expression of FOXC1 was not related to patients' age and gender, clinical stage of cancer and lymph node metastasis (P > 0.05). (3) There was a correlation between the expression of FOXC1 and down-regulated expression of E-cadherin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION FOXC1 may play an important role in generation and progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, there may be a correlation between the expression of FOXC1 and down-regulated expression of E-cadherin, also FOXC1 may play an important role in the process of EMT in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by regulating E-cadherin.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antigens, CD ; Cadherins ; metabolism ; Carcinoma ; Female ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Nasopharyngitis ; metabolism ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of HPA, CK2beta and HIF-1alpha gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues, and the correlation between their expression with the clinical characteristics of NPC and the relativity of HPA, CK2beta and HIF-1alpha gene in NPC tissues. METHOD: HPA, CK2beta and HIF-1alpha were detected with Super-Vision immunohistochemical method using antibody in 49 NPC specimens and 30 specimens with chronic nasopharyngitis tissue (CNT). RESULT: The expression of HPA, CK2beta and HIF-1alpha in NPC tissue were significantly higher than those in CNT tissue (P<0.05, separately). The expression of HPA, CK2beta and HIF-1alpha were significantly related to the TNM stage and whether recurrence or metastasis occur after treatment (P<0.05, separate ly), but there was no obvious correlation between its expression and the sex of NPC patient (P>0.05). The expression of HIF-1alpha was significantly related to the age of NPC patient (P<0.05), while HPA, CK2beta were not. The expression of HPA, CK2beta and HIF-1alpha in NPC tissue was positively correlated with each other (P<0.05, separately). CONCLUSION HPA, CK2beta and HIF-1alpha play synergetic role in development of NPC, which plays an important role in invasiveness,recurrence and metastasis of NPC. There could be a positive cooperation among HPA, CK2beta and HIF-1alpha in the carcinogenesis and development of NPC.
Carcinoma ; Casein Kinase II ; metabolism ; Female ; Heparin Lyase ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Staging