Blockade of NF-κB nuclear translocation results in the inhibition of the invasiveness of human gastric cancer cells

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 inhibitor, SN50, on the invasiveness and mechanisms of SGC7901 human gastric carcinoma cell xenografts in nude mice. Nude mice were randomly divided into model control and SN50 treatment groups. On days 5, 10 and 15 following treatment, the tumor samples were observed and a selection of parameters were recorded, including the level of tumor growth inhibition, the pathological changes in the tumor specimens, the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases type-1 (TIMP-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the apoptosis indices in the tumor samples. The results demonstrated that treating the tumor with SN50 for 5, 10 and 15 days inhibited carcinoma growth in comparison with the control group. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining indicated that the level of inhibition increased progressively, in correlation with apoptosis. The expression of the MMP-9, PCNA and VEGF proteins was observed to be downregulated, while that of the TIMP-1 protein was shown to be upregulated, using immunohistochemical staining. In conclusion, the NF-κB p65 inhibitor, SN50, inhibited the invasiveness of the gastric cancer cells by downregulating the protein expression of MMP-9, PCNA and VEGF and upregulating the protein expression of TIMP-1. It was further suggested that SN50 may be a molecular target of anti-invasion therapy for gastric cancer, and that the inhibition of the NF-κB p65 signaling pathway may be considered as a potential strategy for treating gastric cancer.