title: Growth-inhibitory activity of melatonin on murine foregastric carcinoma cells in vitro and the underlying molecular mechanism.
abstract: Melatonin (MLT) is an indolic hormone produced mainly by the pineal gland. Recent human and animal studies have shown that MLT exerts obvious oncostatic activity both in vitro and in vivo. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antiproliferative effect of MLT on the murine foregastric carcinoma (MFC) cell and to determine the underlying molecular mechanism. Cell viability was determined using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and the results revealed that MLT exhibited a dose- and time-dependent inhibitory effect on MFC cell growth. Our studies also demonstrated upregulation of p21 and Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2 at both the mRNA and the protein levels in response to MLT treatment of MFC cells. These changes in the expression of these molecules were consistent with the results of the CCK-8. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression of membranous MLT receptors was also upregulated. Taken together, these results confirm the oncostatic effect of MLT in MFC cells and the expression of membranous MLT receptors is a potential approach to tumor cells in gastric cancer therapeutic treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Neurobiology Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ri-Xiong
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Rui-Xiang
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 / Q000378:metabolism; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051379:Mice; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D044122:Receptor, Melatonin, MT1 / Q000378:metabolism; D044123:Receptor, Melatonin, MT2 / Q000378:metabolism; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; C493956:CDKN1A protein, human; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D044122:Receptor, Melatonin, MT1; D044123:Receptor, Melatonin, MT2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D008550:Melatonin