Abstract. Inflammation is regarded as one of the major hallmarks of tumors, and has a very close relationship with gastric cancer. Interleukin-33 (IL-33), a new member of the IL-1 family, plays an important role in both inflammatory disease and tumors. The present study was designed to explore the effects of IL-33 on the proliferation, drug sensitivity, and the invasiveness of gastric cancer cells in vitro. IL-33 at concentrations lower than 100 pg/ml did not alter the inhibitory rate of gastric cancer cells. Moreover, IL-33 at these low concentrations protected against platinum-induced apoptosis in various gastric cancer cell lines, yet not in normal gastric epithelial cells. We also found that IL-33 increased the activation of the JNK pathway, and enhanced the expression of ST2. Furthermore, SP600125, a selective inhibitor of the JNK pathway, significantly blocked the protective effects of IL-33 in gastric cancer cells. In addition, Matrigel invasion assay showed that IL-33 markedly promoted gastric cancer cell invasion. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that IL-33 protected against platinum-induced apoptosis and promoted cell invasion via activation of the JNK pathway in gastric cancer cells. In light of the prevalence of platinumbased chemotherapeutics in the treatment of gastric cancer, our results suggest that the level of IL-33 should be monitored during the treatment of gastric cancer, particularly when using platinum-based chemotherapeutics. IntroductionGastric cancer is one of the most common types of cancers. Over 1.6 million individuals succumb to gastric cancer each year in China. The Chinese incidence of gastric cancer accounts for more than 40% of the worldwide occurrences. Moreover, the progression-free survival and overall survival rates of gastric cancer patients in China are much lower than those in Europe and the US. Therefore, research concerning the characteristics and pathogenesis of gastric cancer in Chinese patients is urgently needed.Gastric cancer can be influenced by a wide range of genetic and environmental factors. A clear association has been reported between gastric cancer and chronic inflammation (1-3). Pro-inflammatory factors, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), may not only play roles in inflammation-associated carcinogenesis (4), but may also influence the chemotherapeutic sensitivity during gastric cancer treatment (5,6). IL-33 (previously known as NF-HEV), an 18-kDa protein, is a new member of the IL-1 family (7). Traditionally, the IL-1 family is well known for their effects on host defense, immune regulation and inflammation (7). However, recent research suggests that the IL-1 family is also involved in cancer development. For example IL-18, another member of the IL-1 family, acts as a pleiotropic cytokine in many types of cancer cells, and influences the invasion of gastric cancer cells under hypoxia (8). A high level of IL-18 in serum has been intensively associated with a wide variety of tumors, such as hepatocellular (9) a...

Vacuole membrane protein 1 (VMP1) was recently found to be involved in the process of tumor metastasis and is also considered to play a vital role in balancing apoptosis and autophagy. In the present study, the expression of VMP1 in colorectal cancer and matched adjacent non‑cancerous tissues was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for studying the role of VMP1 in the process of colorectal cancer. Kaplan‑Meier analysis and the log-rank test were used to calculate the correlation of classic clinicopathological characteristics related to survival and the expression of VMP1. In vitro, a VMP1 stable gene silencing cell model was constructed using a lentiviral vector. The invasive ability and proliferation of colorectal cancer cells were evaluated by Transwell and MTT assays, respectively, and the underlying signaling pathway was explored by western blotting. Additionally, drug susceptibility to cisplatin, oxaliplatin and 5-FU was tested before and after VMP1 knockout. Finally, an animal model was constructed to explore the role of VMP1 in the physiopathologic process of colorectal cancer. Our results indicated that VMP1 showed increased expression in the adjacent non-cancer tissues compared with that in the colorectal cancer tissues. For different stages of colorectal cancer, expression of VMP1 had a negative correlation with the malignancy of the cancer. In clinical research, we also found that the median survival of patients with low VMP1 expression was much shorter than the survival of patients with high expression. In vitro, after infection with the lentivirus, cells with VMP1 knockout gained significant aggressive properties in regards to invasion and proliferation, and the mechanisms may be related to the activation of the PI3K/Akt/ZO-1/E-cadherin pathway. We also found that shVMP1 cells were more sensitive to 5-FU, but not cisplatin and oxaliplatin. Finally, we found a higher number of formed nodules in nude mice after intraperitoneal injection with shVMP1 cells in the in vivo study.

Curcumin is a potential plant-derived drug for the treatment of breast cancer. Poor solubility and bioavailability are the main factors that limit its clinical application. Various structural modification strategies have been developed to improve the anti-breast cancer activity of curcumin. This review focuses on the difference of modification sites and heterocyclic/non-heterocyclic modifications to systematically summarize curcumin derivatives with better anti-breast cancer activity.

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