SiRNA-mediated knockdown of Nrf۲ gene induces apoptosis of AGS cells

Backgrounds: Gastric cancer (GC) is the second leading cause of death from cancer. One of theinvolved genes in gastric cancer is nuclear factor erythroid ۲–related factor ۲(Nrf۲).Upregulation of Nrf۲ leads to tumorigenesis of GC cells. In this study, the effect of Nrf۲knockdown using a specific siRNA was investigated on a GC cell line.Materials and Methods: First, AGS cells that have higher expression of Nrf۲ were selected forfurther investigations. Subsequently, the cells were cultured in a ۱۰% RPMI medium to reach۷۰% confluence. Then, the cells were transfected with Nrf۲ siRNA and the expression level ofthe Nrf۲ gene was measured by qRT-PCR in the treatment groups. Finally, the cell viability andapoptosis were evaluated by MTT and annexin V-FITC/PI staining respectively.Results: Our findings demonstrated that the siRNA-mediated Nrf۲ knockdown effectivelysuppressed the expression level of Nrf۲ which in turn reduced cell survival and increasedapoptosis of the AGS cellsConclusion: Overall, Nrf۲ overexpression might contribute to GC progression and itsknockdown might be considered as a potential therapeutic approach in gastric cancer treatment.

کلیدواژه ها:

GC ، Nrf۲ ، knockdown ، siRNA ، apoptosis