Journal Article

Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field Inhibits Cancer Growth Followed by Alteration in Expressions of NF-κB and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Molecules

Chen, Xinhua, Yin, Shengyong, Ren, Zhigang, Zhou, Lin, Cui, Guangying, Hu, Zhenhua, Zheng, Shusen, Jiang, Jianwen, Chen, Luyan, Xie, Haiyang

2013

Overview

Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide and total number of cases globally is increasing. Novel treatment strategies are therefore desperately required for radical treatment of cancers and long survival of patients. A new technology using high pulsed electric field has emerged from military application into biology and medicine by applying nsPEF as a means to inhibit cancer. However, molecular mechanisms of nsPEF on tumors or cancers are still unclear. In this paper, we found that nsPEF had extensive biological effects in cancers, and clarified its possible molecular mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. It could not only induce cell apoptosis via dependent-mitochondria intrinsic apoptosis pathway that was triggered by imbalance of anti- or pro-apoptosis Bcl-2 family proteins, but also inhibit cell proliferation through repressing NF-κB signaling pathway to reduce expressions of cyclin proteins. Moreover, nsPEF could also inactivate metastasis and invasion in cancer cells by suppressing Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway to down-regulating expressions of VEGF and MMPs family proteins. More importantly, nsPEF could function safely and effectively as an anti-cancer therapy through inducing tumor cell apoptosis, destroying tumor microenvironment, and depressing angiogenesis in tumor tissue in vivo. These findings may provide a creative and effective therapeutic strategy for cancers.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Angiogenesis / Animals / Apoptosis / Apoptosis - radiation effects / Bcl-2 protein / beta Catenin - metabolism / Biological effects / Cancer / Cancer therapies / Cell Death - radiation effects / Cell Line, Tumor / Cell Movement / Cell proliferation / Cell Proliferation - drug effects / Chemotherapy / Disease Models, Animal / Electric fields / Gene expression / Hospitals / Humans / Laboratories / Medical prognosis / Medicine / Metastases / Metastasis / Mice / Military applications / Mitochondria / Mitochondria - metabolism / Molecular modelling / Neoplasms - metabolism / Neoplasms - pathology / Neoplasms - therapy / Neovascularization, Pathologic - metabolism / Neovascularization, Pathologic - therapy / New technology / NF-kappa B - metabolism / NF-κB protein / Pancreatic cancer / Proteins / Public health / Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment / Radiation therapy / Repressing / Signal Transduction / Signaling / Stem cells / Surgery / Tumor Burden - radiation effects / Tumor Microenvironment - radiation effects / Tumors / Vascular endothelial growth factor / Wnt protein / Wnt Proteins - metabolism / β-Catenin