title: Arsenite promotes intestinal tumor cell proliferation and invasion by stimulating epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
abstract: Arsenite (AS) is a ubiquitous environmental element that is widely present in food, soil, and water. Environmental exposure to AS represents a major global health concern, because AS is a well-established human carcinogen. We hypothesize that low concentration of AS could enhance metastasis and proliferation of transformed cancer cells by promoting EMT. To test this hypothesis, we treated human colorectal cancer cells with low concentration of AS, and then measured the multiple readouts of cell viability, proliferation, migration, and adhesion in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our data indeed strongly support our hypothesis and shed novel light into this important pathophysiological process. These novel insights are not only of high interests to basic cancer research, but may also have direct implications in cancer prevention and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology; School of Basic Medical Sciences; Anhui Medical University; Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
authors.forename: Jia-Liang
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology; School of Basic Medical Sciences; Anhui Medical University; Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
authors.forename: Dan-Lei
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology; School of Basic Medical Sciences; Anhui Medical University; Hefei, Anhui, PR China; Department of Ultrasound; Zhongda Hospital; Southeast University; Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Qian
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology; School of Basic Medical Sciences; Anhui Medical University; Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
authors.forename: You-Zhi
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology; School of Basic Medical Sciences; Anhui Medical University; Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
authors.forename: Hao-Shu
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology; School of Basic Medical Sciences; Anhui Medical University; Hefei, Anhui, PR China; Department of Clinical Medicine; Anhui Medical University; Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
authors.forename: Xin-Yi
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology; School of Basic Medical Sciences; Anhui Medical University; Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
authors.forename: Lixin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology; School of Basic Medical Sciences; Anhui Medical University; Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
authors.forename: Si-Ying
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018053:Arsenites / Q000633:toxicity*; D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental / Q000633:toxicity*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000187:drug effects*; D019073:HT29 Cells; D064593:Heterografts; D006801:Humans; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D008819:Mice, Nude; D016513:Mice, SCID; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018053:Arsenites; D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental; C015001:arsenite
keywords: As2O3); arsenite (AS; colon cancer; epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT); tumor invasion and proliferation