Background: Interleukin-37 b(IL-37 b), a vital negative regulator of the innate immune system, has been reported to be a tumor inhibitor in different type of cancers. However, little is known about the relationship be...Background: Interleukin-37 b(IL-37 b), a vital negative regulator of the innate immune system, has been reported to be a tumor inhibitor in different type of cancers. However, little is known about the relationship between IL-37 b and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). The present study aimed to investigate the potential roles of IL-37 b in HCC progression. Methods: Subjects( n = 237) were recruited, and serum IL-37 b was measured using ELISA. The tumorsuppressive capacity and underlying mechanisms of IL-37 b in HCC were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results: Compared to healthy controls, serum IL-37 b levels were elevated in chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients but decreased significantly in HBV-HCC patients, especially for those with portal venous tumor thrombus. Low level serum IL-37 b in HBV-HCC patients correlated with high HCC stage and poor overall survival and disease-free survival. In vitro and in vivo, recombinant human IL-37 b inhibited proliferation and metastasis in HCC cells. Furthermore, IL-37 b inhibited epithelial mesenchymal transition in HCC cells in vitro by downregulating IL-6, pSTAT3(Y705), N-cadherin, and vimentin expression and by upregulating E-cadherin expression. These effects were partially reversed by transfection of adenovirus encoding human IL-6. Conclusions: IL-37 b inhibits HCC growth, metastasis and epithelial mesenchymal transition by regulating IL-6/STAT3 signaling. Serum IL-37 b may be a biomarker for HBV-HCC and its staging.展开更多
基金supported by grants from the Scientific and Technological Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission(KJ1400220)the Basic Science and Frontier Technology Research Program of Chongqing Science and Technology Commission(cstc2017jcyjAX0224)
文摘Background: Interleukin-37 b(IL-37 b), a vital negative regulator of the innate immune system, has been reported to be a tumor inhibitor in different type of cancers. However, little is known about the relationship between IL-37 b and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). The present study aimed to investigate the potential roles of IL-37 b in HCC progression. Methods: Subjects( n = 237) were recruited, and serum IL-37 b was measured using ELISA. The tumorsuppressive capacity and underlying mechanisms of IL-37 b in HCC were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results: Compared to healthy controls, serum IL-37 b levels were elevated in chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients but decreased significantly in HBV-HCC patients, especially for those with portal venous tumor thrombus. Low level serum IL-37 b in HBV-HCC patients correlated with high HCC stage and poor overall survival and disease-free survival. In vitro and in vivo, recombinant human IL-37 b inhibited proliferation and metastasis in HCC cells. Furthermore, IL-37 b inhibited epithelial mesenchymal transition in HCC cells in vitro by downregulating IL-6, pSTAT3(Y705), N-cadherin, and vimentin expression and by upregulating E-cadherin expression. These effects were partially reversed by transfection of adenovirus encoding human IL-6. Conclusions: IL-37 b inhibits HCC growth, metastasis and epithelial mesenchymal transition by regulating IL-6/STAT3 signaling. Serum IL-37 b may be a biomarker for HBV-HCC and its staging.
