الفهرس 
Effect of taurine on expression of MicroRNA-122 and metabolizing enzymes of glycolytic pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2
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Abstract
Liver cancer is rising, and the long-term prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains extremely poor. With its high prevalence and being one of the most lethal cancers, there is an urgent need to investigate possible alternative therapeutic strategies to control HCC. Taurine (Tau) has shown potent anti-tumor activities in human cancer cells such as colon, HCC, and breast cancer by targeting multiple pathways. MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is highly expressed in normal liver tissue, which regulates a wide variety of biological processes, including cellular metabolism but is low in HCC. Restoration of miR-122 has also been shown to inhibit HCC proliferation, metastasis, and increase chemosensitivity. Thus, this study was designed to assess the in vitro effect of Tau on the expression pattern of the miR-122-5p that targets some limiting glycolytic enzymes and affects the overall glycolytic pathway in HepG2 cells. Our results revealed that significant inhibition in the proliferation of HepG2 was encountered after treatment with Tau in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the expression of apoptotic genes p53, Bax, and Caspase-3 exhibited a significant upregulation, while Bcl-2 showed a significant downregulation. These alterations in the expression levels were also confirmed on the protein level. A significant increase in Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) and Catalase activities was observed in the Tau-treated HepG2 cells.The expression level of miR-122-5p was also assessed by qRT-PCR and the results showed a positive correlation between Tau and a significant elevation in the expression of miR-122-5p and affecting the metabolic activity of HCC cells. Concomitantly, a significant inhibition in ALDOA protein and the hallmark glycolytic enzymes Aldolase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was observed (P< 0.001) as compared to untreated HepG2 cells