Abstract
Purpose
Chemoresistance is a primary factor for treatment failure and tumor recurrence in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The oncoprotein survivin is commonly upregulated in human malignancies and is associated with poor prognosis, but its effect on carcinogenesis and chemoresistance in NSCLC is not yet evident, and to explore an effective inhibitor targeting survivin expression is urgently needed.
Methods
The protumor characteristics of survivin and antitumor activities of bergenin in NSCLC cells were examined by MTS, colony formation assays, immunoblot, immunohistochemistry, and in vivo xenograft development.
Results
Survivin was upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues, while its depletion inhibited NSCLC tumorigenesis. The current study focused on bergenin, identifying its effective antitumor effect on NSCLC cells both in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that bergenin could inhibit cell proliferation and induce the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis via downregulating survivin. Mechanistically, bergenin reduced the phosphorylation of survivin via inhibiting the Akt/Wee1/CDK1 signaling pathway, thus resulting in enhanced interaction between survivin and E3 ligase Fbxl7 to promote survivin ubiquitination and degradation. Furthermore, bergenin promoted chemoresistance in NSCLC cells re-sensitized to pemetrexed treatment.
Conclusions
Survivin overexpression is required for maintaining multiple malignant phenotypes of NSCLC cells. Bergenin exerts a potent antitumor effect on NSCLC via targeting survivin, rendering it a promising agent for the treatment of NSCLC.
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Data availability
The datasets used and analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding authors on request.
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Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81972837 and 82003203), the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (Nos. 2021JJ31011 and 2021JJ41058) and the Hunan Province Natural Science Foundation Youth Fund Project, China (No. 2021JJ40943).
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by [Xiaoying Li], [Qi Liang], [Li Zhou], [Gaoyan Deng], [Yeqing Xiao], [Yu Gan], [Shuangze Han], [Jinzhuang Liao], [Ruirui Wang], [Xiang Qing] and [Wei Li]. Writing, review, and/or revision of the manuscript was written by [Xiaoying Li], [Qi Liang], [Li Zhou], [Xiang Qing] and [Wei Li]. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The animal experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (Changsha, China). Informed consent was obtained from all patients.
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Li, X., Liang, Q., Zhou, L. et al. Survivin degradation by bergenin overcomes pemetrexed resistance. Cell Oncol. 46, 1837–1853 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13402-023-00850-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13402-023-00850-5