PRDX6 knockout restrains the malignant progression of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) has a poor prognosis. The bifunctional protein peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6), which has both calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, participates in the development of multiple tumors. However, the function and clinical significance of PRDX6 in ICC remain unclear. In this study, we characterized PRDX6 in both human ICC and thioacetamide (TAA)-induced rat ICC. We found PRDX6 was significantly increased in ICC tissues, compared with the peritumoral tissues, and PRDX6 expression level was positively correlated with the malignant phenotype in ICC patients. Furthermore, PRDX6 genetic knockout significantly inhibited the tumor progression in rats. By using RNA sequencing analysis, we found 127 upregulated genes and 321 downregulated genes after PRDX6 knockout. In addition, we noticed a significant repression in the Wnt7a/b cascade, which has been shown to play an important role in the occurrence of ICC. We confirmed that gene expressions in the Wnt7a/b cascade were inhibited in ICC tissues after PRDX6 knockout by using qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry analysis. Collectively, our findings suggest that PRDX6 may promote ICC by regulating the Wnt7a/b pathway, which could be a novel therapeutic target for ICC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12032-022-01822-9.