J Korean Surg Soc.  2002 Feb;62(2):95-102.

The Effect of COX-2 Inhibitor on the Growth and Metastasis of Gastric Cancer Xenograft

• Oh JS
• Sim WJ
• Cha SJ
• Chi KC
• Park SJ
• Lim HM
• Park SI
• Lee TJ
• Park ES

Abstract

PURPOSE: Tumor invasion and metastasis are known to be extremely important factors in the prognosis of cancer patients. Although recent studies have demonstrated that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in various cancers including gastric cancer, the mechanisms underlying the contribution of COX-2 to tumorigenesis and tumor promotion remain unclear.
METHODS
In order to determine the role of COX-2 in tumor growth and metastasis, we investigated COX-2 expression, apoptosis and the expression of E-cadherin, CD44v6, MMP-2 and TIMP-2 in gastric cancer xenografts treated with meloxicam (a selective COX-2 inhibitor).
RESULTS
Cells from the MKN45 gastric cancer cell line that overexpress COX-2 were inoculated subcutaneously into athymic mice. Oral administration with meloxicam reduced the tumor volume (P<0.01), induced apoptosis of cancer cells (P<0.01), suppressed the proliferation rates (P<0.01), increased the expression of E-cadhrin (P<0.05) and reduced the expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-2.
CONCLUSION
The above data showed that COX-2 inhibitors can inhibit tumor growth and suppress metastatic potential by expression of adhesion molecules and suppression of metalloproteinases, suggesting that this inhibitor can be used as an additive anti-cancer drug in cases of stomach cancer with radical resection, although further evaluation is required.

Keyword

COX-2; Gastric cancer; Tumor growth; Metastasis

MeSH Terms

Administration, Oral
Animals
Apoptosis
Cadherins
Carcinogenesis
Cell Line
Cyclooxygenase 2
Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors
Heterografts*
Humans
Metalloproteases
Mice
Mice, Nude
Neoplasm Metastasis*
Prognosis
Stomach Neoplasms*
Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2
Tumor Burden
Cadherins
Cyclooxygenase 2
Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors
Metalloproteases
Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2