Concurrent treatment with simvastatin and NF-κB inhibitor in human castration-resistant prostate cancer cells exerts synergistic anti-cancer effects via control of the NF-κB/LIN28/let-7 miRNA signaling pathway

PLoS One. 2017 Sep 14;12(9):e0184644. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184644. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

We examined the anti-cancer effects and molecular mechanism of simvastatin in human castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells, particularly focused on LIN28B and its target molecule, let-7 microRNA (miRNA) among the various target genes of NF-κB. A human CRPC cell line (PC3) was used in the current study. Gene expression patterns were evaluated using real time-PCR and western blot analysis. CCK-8 assay was used for assessing cell viability and proliferation, and a clonogenic assay was adopted to evaluate clonal proliferative capabilities. Induction of apoptotic cell death was analyzed via flow cytometry. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) were used for manipulating the expression of genes of interest. PC3 showed relatively higher expression levels of LIN28B and lower expression levels of let-7 miRNAs. Simvastatin treatment significantly inhibited cell viability and clonal proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Importantly, the downregulated let-7 miRNA family was restored after simvastatin treatment. We further observed that human CRPC cells transfected with LIN28B-siRNA or shRNA also showed upregulated let-7 miRNAs. Finally, dual treatment with simvastatin and an NF-κB inhibitor (CAPE) synergistically induced apoptotic cell death, along with reduction of LIN28B expression, and restoration of let-7 miRNAs levels. Our data illustrate that simvastatin remarkably inhibits the growth of human CRPC cells by suppressing NF-κB and LIN28B and subsequently upregulating let-7 miRNAs. Moreover, concurrent treatment with simvastatin and an NF-κB inhibitor synergistically suppressed the growth of human CRPC cells, suggesting a novel therapeutic approach for human CRPC treatment.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / pharmacology
  • Caffeic Acids / pharmacology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Synergism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Male
  • MicroRNAs / genetics*
  • NF-kappa B / genetics*
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Phenylethyl Alcohol / analogs & derivatives*
  • Phenylethyl Alcohol / pharmacology
  • Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant / drug therapy
  • Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant / genetics*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant / metabolism
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Simvastatin / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Caffeic Acids
  • Lin28A protein, human
  • MicroRNAs
  • NF-kappa B
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • mirnlet7 microRNA, human
  • Simvastatin
  • caffeic acid phenethyl ester
  • Phenylethyl Alcohol

Grants and funding

This study was funded by a research grant from the Seoul National University Hospital Research Fund (No. 0320140010) and Astrazeneca Korea (No. 0620132330). This work was also supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education (No. 2016R1D1A1A02936950). The funders had no role in study design, experiments, data collection and analysis, preparation of the manuscript, or the decision to publish.