Enhancement of Chemosensitivity by Stathmin-1 Silencing in Gastric Cancer Cells In Situ and In Vivo

Reports show that the stathmin gene may have a close relationship with tumor chemotherapeutic sensitivity. However, the effect of stathmin-1 on the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer to docetaxel has not been clearly determined. siRNA targeting stathmin-1 was introduced. The cell growth inhibition, expression of associated proteins, cell cycle, and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT, Western blot, and flow cytometric assays, respectively. The influence of silencing stathmin-1 was detected in situ and in vivo. SGC7901/docetaxel cells are the drug-resistant cells. After silencing stathmin-1, the resistance index (RI) reduced to 3.41, the expressions of STMN-1, MDR1, and ERCC1 were downregulated, but caspase 3 was upregulated. Stathmin-1 siRNA could improve the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer cells to docetaxel, making the percentage of cells at the sub-G(1) stage increase and promote apoptosis. The growth of transplantation tumor was significantly suppressed. Therefore, stathmin-1 might be a potential target for enhancing the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer.