Propofol suppresses proliferation and migration of papillary thyroid cancer cells by down-regulation of lncRNA ANRIL.

BACKGROUND: Propofol is a popular anesthetic agent, with potent anti-tumor activity against many cancers. The objective of this study was to explore the potential effect of propofol on papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in vitro.

METHODS: Human PTC cell lines TPC-1 and IHH-4 were treated by propofol. ANRIL expression vector (pc-ANRIL) was transfected into TPC-1 cells to overexpress the expression of ANRIL. CCK-8, BrdU assay, transwell assay, flow cytometry and Western blot were performed to evaluate cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis. The expression changes of ANRIL were detected by RT-qPCR.

RESULTS: Propofol with a concentration of 6 μg/mL significantly reduced TPC-1 and IHH-4 cells proliferation and migration, and significantly induced apoptosis. However, 6 μg/mL of propofol had no significant impacts on the proliferation and apoptosis of normal human thyroid follicular epithelial Nthy-ori 3-1 cells. Meanwhile, the expression of ANRIL in TPC-1 cells was down-regulated by propofol. The anti-tumor activity of propofol was attenuated when ANRIL was overexpressed. Additionally, propofol blocked Wnt/β-catenin and NF-κB pathways in an ANRIL-dependent fashion.

CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested the in vitro anti-tumor potential of propofol in PTC. One possible mechanism involved in the anti-tumor activity was preliminary revealed: propofol down-regulated the expression of ANRIL, and thus blocking Wnt/β-catenin and NF-κB pathways.