J Cancer 2022; 13(3):951-964. doi:10.7150/jca.52778 This issue Cite

Research Paper

Targeted inhibition of ACLY expression to reverse the resistance of sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hong Sun1, Fengchao Wang1, Yongqiang Huang1, Jin Wang1, Lunjun Zhang1, Yong Shen2, Chao Lin3, Pu Guo1✉

1. Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
3. The Institute for Advanced Materials and Nano Biomedicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

Citation:
Sun H, Wang F, Huang Y, Wang J, Zhang L, Shen Y, Lin C, Guo P. Targeted inhibition of ACLY expression to reverse the resistance of sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cancer 2022; 13(3):951-964. doi:10.7150/jca.52778. https://www.jcancer.org/v13p0951.htm
Other styles

File import instruction

Abstract

Graphic abstract

Resistance to sorafenib has been documented in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. We investigated: (i) the correlation between adenosine triphosphate citrate lyase (ACLY) expression and sorafenib resistance in HCC; and (ii) if targeted inhibition could reverse sorafenib resistance. Samples of HCC tissue were obtained from patients and ACLY expression was measured. PET/CT was employed to measure maximum standard unit value (SUVmax) in HCC patients before and after sorafenib treatment. Using HepG2 cells, we created a sorafenib-resistant cell line. Glucose metabolism and lipid synthesis in HCC cells were tested using 14C-glucose. Disulfide-crosslinked polyethylenimine (SS-PEI)-mediated plasmid transfection was carried out, followed by creation of an HCC model in mice. SUVmax of HCC lesions was closely related to ACLY expression. Patients with high ACLY expression were not sensitive to sorafenib therapy. Lipid metabolism was more active in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells. ACLY expression was higher in sorafenib-resistant cells and HCC-cell sensitivity to sorafenib increased after ACLY-knockout. The latter reversed sorafenib resistance in HCC cells more significantly under hypoxic conditions. SS-PEI/proline-modified short hairpin-(psh)RNA-ACLY plus sorafenib inhibited the growth of drug-resistant cells significantly. These data suggest that ACLY downregulation can reverse sorafenib resistance, and that SS-PEI can be used to mediate shRNA-ACLY transfection in HCC treatment.

Keywords: sorafenib resistance, hepatocellular carcinoma, ACLY, lipids, synthesis, SS-PEI


Citation styles

APA
Sun, H., Wang, F., Huang, Y., Wang, J., Zhang, L., Shen, Y., Lin, C., Guo, P. (2022). Targeted inhibition of ACLY expression to reverse the resistance of sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma. Journal of Cancer, 13(3), 951-964. https://doi.org/10.7150/jca.52778.

ACS
Sun, H.; Wang, F.; Huang, Y.; Wang, J.; Zhang, L.; Shen, Y.; Lin, C.; Guo, P. Targeted inhibition of ACLY expression to reverse the resistance of sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma. J. Cancer 2022, 13 (3), 951-964. DOI: 10.7150/jca.52778.

NLM
Sun H, Wang F, Huang Y, Wang J, Zhang L, Shen Y, Lin C, Guo P. Targeted inhibition of ACLY expression to reverse the resistance of sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cancer 2022; 13(3):951-964. doi:10.7150/jca.52778. https://www.jcancer.org/v13p0951.htm

CSE
Sun H, Wang F, Huang Y, Wang J, Zhang L, Shen Y, Lin C, Guo P. 2022. Targeted inhibition of ACLY expression to reverse the resistance of sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cancer. 13(3):951-964.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). See http://ivyspring.com/terms for full terms and conditions.
Popup Image