Abstract
Qigesan (QGS) has been used to effectively treat esophageal cancer (EC) for decades in China, but the mechanism by which it suppresses EC metastasis remains unknown. In this study, we examined the effects of QGS on EC cell mobility. Using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence, expression of Gas6 and Axl, which promote tumor cell migration and invasion, was examined in carcinoma tissues and adjacent normal tissues from EC patients. Levels of Gas6, Axl, and the Gas6/Axl complex were also examined in ECA109 and TE13 EC cells treated with QGS. In addition, immunofluorescent staining and quantitative protein analysis were used to examine E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Snail levels in ECA109 and TE13 EC cells after QSG administration, and cell mobility was assessed. The results demonstrated that levels of Gas6 and Axl expression are higher in EC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, QGS decreased Gas6/Axl levels, increased E-cadherin expression, decreased Snail and N-cadherin expression, and inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in EC cells. QGS thus suppresses EMT in EC by inhibiting Gas6/Axl binding.
Highlights
According to the 2018 global cancer statistics report, esophageal carcinoma (EC) is the seventh and sixth leading cause of worldwide cancer-related morbidity and mortality, respectively [1]
Studies have shown that Gas6 and Axl are highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and breast cancer
Immunohistochemistry showed that Gas6 was highly www.aging-us.com expressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) carcinoma tissues, but minimally expressed in adjacent normal tissues (Figure 1B), which is consistent with findings in other tumor tissues
Summary
According to the 2018 global cancer statistics report, esophageal carcinoma (EC) is the seventh and sixth leading cause of worldwide cancer-related morbidity and mortality, respectively [1]. According to the Global Cancer Survival Trend Statistics Report 2010-14 (CONCORD-3), the 5-year survival rate of EC patients in China is lower than in neighboring Japan and South Korea [6]. Despite continuous advances in surgery and radiochemotherapy, tumor metastasis and recurrence, which are the primary causes of death in ESCC patients, remain relatively common [7,8,9]. The mechanisms underlying ESCC cell migration and invasion, the main causes of recurrence and metastasis, remain unclear, and additional studies are needed to examine the mechanisms underlying ESCC mobility
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