Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our study aims to evaluate the anti-growth effects of recombinant immunotoxin (IT) anti-c-Met/PE38KDEL on gastric cancer cells, and its mechnisms.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Gastric cancer cells were treated with increasing doses of IT and c-Met protein was quantified by Western blotting. Cell proliferation was determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay (CCK). [<sup>3</sup>H]-leucine incorporation assay was used to evaluate IT inhibition of protein synthesis. Cell apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry. Caspase activities were measured using colorimetric protease assays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cell growth and protein synthesis of the gastric cancer cell lines were suppressed by IT in a dose- and time-dependent manner. IT also induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. The apoptosis rates of gastric cancer cell lines MKN-45 and SGC7901 were 19.19% and 27.37%, respectively when treated with 50 ng/ml of IT. There were significant increase ofcaspase-3 activity at 24 hr of IT treatment (100 ng/ml) (P < 0.01) in these gastric cancer cell lines.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>IT anti-c-Met/PE38KDEL has anti-growth effects on the gastric cancer cell lines <it>in vitro</it>, and it provides an experimental basis for c-Met-targeted therapy towards <it>in vivo </it>testing.</p>
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