Regulatory role of SLC30A6 in hepatocellular carcinoma and screening for traditional Chinese medicine small-molecule inhibitors
- VernacularTitle:肝细胞癌中SLC30A6的调控作用及中药小分子抑制剂筛选
- Author:
Yi-han LIU
1
;
Long CUI
;
Ying ZHANG
;
Zhan-ge LI
;
Li-na WANG
;
Rui QIE
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: SLC30A6; hepatocellular carcinoma; pro-liferation; migration; invasion; virtual screening; small molecule natural compounds
- From: Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(2):283-289
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Aim To explore the role of zinc transporter 6(SLC30A6)on the proliferation,migration and inva-sion capabilities of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)cell line Huh7,and to identify potential traditional Chi-nese medicine(TCM)small-molecule inhibitors targe-ting SLC30A6 from the China Natural Products Data-base(CNPD)using virtual screening techniques.Methods The expression levels,clinical characteris-ticsand prognostic value of SLC30A6 in HCC were pre-dicted based on TCGA and ICGC datasets.SLC30A6 was knocked down in Huh7 cells using lentiviral trans-fection.The effects on cell proliferation,migration,and invasion were assessed using CCK-8,EdU,wound heal-ing,and Transwell assays.The regulation of HCC cancer stem cell markers(CD44,CD133,CD90)by SLC30A6 was also examined.Based on the CNPD,a docking-based virtual screening strategy was employed,including high-throughput virtual screening,standard precision virtual screening,and high-precision virtual screening,to identify the potential drug candidates with high specificity and favorable drug-likeness.Results SLC30A6 expression was upregulated in HCC tissues.Higher SLC30A6 levels were associated with advanced pathological stages,histological grades,alpha-fetopro-tein(AFP)levels,vascular invasion,and poor progno-sis in HCC patients.SLC30A6 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation,migration,and invasion of Huh7 cells and reduced the levels of HCC cancer stem cell markers.Virtual screening identified six potential TCM small-molecule inhibitors.Conclusions SLC30A6 can regulate the proliferation,migrationand invasion of HCC cells.SLC30A6 may serve as a poten-tial prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.
