Trefoil Factor 3 Inhibits Thyroid Cancer Cell Progression Related to IL-6/JAK/STAT3 Signaling Pathway

OBJECTIVES: Abnormal expression of trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) in breast, stomach, and colon tumors may be related to the occurrence of tumors, suggesting its role in angiogenesis. In this study, the aim was to explore the role of TFF3 in thyroid cancer. METHODS: TFF3 expression analysis was performed via GEPIA and RT-PCR. To explore the effects of TFF3 on thyroid cancer cell motility, cell function assays were performed. Furthermore, GSEA pathway analysis and western blot were used to explore the mechanism by which TFF3 represses the progression of thyroid cancer cells. RESULTS: Here, we showed that low expression level of TFF3 in thyroid cancer is related to thyroid cancer nodal metastasis. The patients with low TFF3 expression showed worse disease-free survival than those with high level of TFF3. Underexpressed TFF3 increased cell motility and inhibited cell apoptosis. We found that the levels of IL-6, p-JAK2/JAK2, and pSTAT3/STAT3 were inhibited in the pcDNA-TFF3 group compared to the pcDNA-NC group and these factors were upregulated in the si-TFF3 group compared to the si-NC group in BCPAP and TPC-1 cells. CONCLUSION: TFF3 inhibits thyroid cancer cell progression related to IL-6/JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway.