The preliminary anti-cancer activity of Naringenin (Nar) has been proven in several cancers. However, the therapeutic activity of Nar on gastric cancer SGC-7901 cell line is not yet well understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect and mechanisms of Nar on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of SGC-7901 cells. In this in vitro study, SGC-7901 cells were treated with Nar at serial concentrations. Our data showed that Nar efficiently inhibited SGC-7901 cell proliferation in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, as well as downregulated proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) levels in a concentration-dependent manner. Meanwhile, the cell migration and invasion also dramatically decreased after Nar incubation, and the expressions of MMP2 and MMP9 were significantly downregulated. In addition, a strong proapoptotic effect was observed in the SGC-7901 cells after Nar treatment. Apoptosis-related proteins Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were up-regulated, whereas Bcl-2 and Survivin were downregulated. After administration with Nar, we found that phosphorylation of AKT was inhibited, and this inhibitory action could be mildly enhanced by the combination treatment of Nar and AKT inhibitor LY294002. In conclusion, our study confirmed that Nar could inhibit SGC-7901cell proliferation, migration, and invasion as well as induces apoptosis, and Nar might provide a new potential therapeutic strategy for treating gastric cancer.

Th17 cells and CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells have been reported to share reciprocal developmental pathways but exhibit opposite effects, and the balance between them controls inflammation and autoimmune diseases. However, information regarding Th17/Treg cells in cancer-bearing hosts is still limited. In the present study, we investigated the distribution of Th17 cells in relation to Treg cells in gastric cancer patients, and evaluated how the imbalance in Th17/Treg cells in gastric cancer correlates with clinical and pathological parameters. We observed that the accumulation of Th17 and Treg cells in the tumor microenvironment was gradually increased according to disease progression, leading to an imbalance in Th17/Treg cells in gastric cancer patients. TGF-β and interleukin (IL)‑6 present in the gastric cancer microenvironment promoted the differentiation and expansion of Th17 cells, and increased numbers of Th17 cells promoted tumor progression through promotion of inflammation by secretion of IL-17. Treg cells promoted tumor progression by helping cancer cells escape from host immunosurveillance by secreting TGF-β, and a high level of TGF-β in the tumor microenvironment promoted differentiation and expansion of Treg cells. In conclusion, the imbalance in Th17/Treg cells was involved in the development and progression of gastric cancer. A better understanding of the nature, regulation, and function of Th17 and Treg cells in tumor immunity may aid in the development of novel and effective immunotherapy for gastric cancer.

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This study aimed to determine the correlation between HIF-1α and miR-27a expression and to evaluate the effect of inhibition of HIF-1α expression on miR-27a expression and drug resistance in gastric cancer (GC). In the present study, real time-PCR and Western blot were performed to detect the expression of HIF-1α in GC tissues and cell lines. Then, OCUM-2MD3/L-OHP cells were transfected with HIF-1α-siRNA, a miR-27a mimic or pcDNA-HIF-1α, and cell survival was determined via the MTT assay. The expression of HIF-1α, miR-27a, and MDR-related genes was measured via real time-PCR and Western blot. ChIP and dual luciferase activity assays were performed to assess the transcriptional regulation of HIF-1α and miR-27a. The results revealed that transfection with HIF-1α-siRNA markedly decreased the levels of miR-27a, resulting in dramatically enhanced inhibition of the proliferation rate of OCUM-2MD3/L-OHP cells. Compared to non-transfected cells, the survival rate was significantly reduced in the cells transfected with HIF-1α-siRNA after treatment with L-OHP. The cell survival rate was significantly increased in OCUM-2MD3/L-OHP cells transfected with the miR-27a mimic, whereas HIF-1α overexpression did not result in any clear change in cell survival. The results of the dual luciferase activity assay demonstrated that HIF-1α enhances the transcriptional activity of the miR27a promoter in cells transfected with a reporter plasmid containing the upstream promoter region of miR27a together with pcDNA-HIF-1α. ChIP analysis suggested that HIF-1α directly binds to the promoter region of miR27a. Inhibition of HIF-1α or miR27a expression decreased MDR1/P-gp, LRP, and Bcl-2 expression in OCUM-2MD3/L-OHP cells. Thus, we found that HIF-1α is closely associated with MDR in GC and that HIF-1α may suppress MDR1/P-gp, LRP and Bcl-2 expression by inhibiting miR-27a expression.

Background: Robotic-assisted gastrectomy has been used for treating gastric cancer since 2002. This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the efficacy of Da Vinci robotic distal subtotal gastrectomy (RDG) or laparoscopic distal subtotal gastrectomy (LDG) in patients with gastric cancer. Methods: We conducted searches in domestic and foreign databases, and collected literature in Chinese and English on the efficacy of RDG and LDG for gastric cancer that have been published since the inception of the database. RevMan 5.4.1 was used for meta-analysis and drawing and Stata14.0 was used for publication bias analysis. Results: A total of 3293 patients in 15 studies were included, including 1193 patients in the RDG group and 2100 patients in the LDG groups respectively. The meta-analysis showed that intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower and the number of resected lymph nodes was higher in the RDG group compared to that in the LDG group. In addition, the times to first postoperative food intake and postoperative hospital stay were shortened, and there was a longer length of distal resection margin and prolonged duration of operation. No significant differences were found between the 2 groups with respect to the first postoperative anal exhaust time, length of proximal resection margin, total postoperative complication rate, postoperative anastomotic leakage rate, incidence of postoperative gastric emptying disorder, pancreatic fistula rate, recurrence rate, and mortality rate. Conclusion: RDG is a safe and feasible treatment option for gastric cancer, and it is non-inferior or even superior to LDG with respect to therapeutic efficacy and radical treatment.