title: Clarithromycin suppresses invasiveness of human lung adenocarcinoma cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been speculated that clarithromycin (CAM), a 14-membered ring macrolide, possesses antitumor effects besides antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the effects of CAM on the growth and invasiveness of A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although CAM did not affect the growth of A549 cells, the Matrigel invasion assay showed that the potential of invasion was diminished by CAM treatment. When analyzed by flow cytometry, CAM suppressed alpha(2)- and beta(1)-integrin expression. Furthermore, thymidine phosphorylase (TP) expression was diminished by CAM treatment in a dose-dependent manner. A specific TP inhibitor also suppressed beta(1)-integrin expression in flow cytometric analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that CAM may suppress invasive activity of A549 cells in part by diminishing the expression of TP, alpha(2)- and beta(1)-integrin, which may be a downstream signal of the TP pathway, and that CAM could be useful in the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Pulmonology, and Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sata
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Yoshikane
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokairin
authors.forename: Jun-ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Machiya
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hirama
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arao
authors.forename: Sumito
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takabatake
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kubota
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D017291:Clarithromycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D039421:Integrin alpha2 / Q000378:metabolism; D019012:Integrin beta1 / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D039421:Integrin alpha2; D019012:Integrin beta1; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase; D017291:Clarithromycin