Abstract:  Objective To investigate the effect of Matrine on radiation resistance and miR-433-3p expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods To construct the overexpression of miR-433-3p and RAD21 and knock down the radiation resistance of Eca-109R cells. The Eca-109 and Eca-109R cells before and after transfection were treated with different radiation doses(0 Gy, 2 Gy, 4 Gy, 6 Gy and 8 Gy) and different concentrations(0.5 mg/mL, 1.0 mg/mL, 2.0 mg/mL, 3.0 mg/mL, 4.0 mg/mL and 5.0 mg/mL) of Matrine;  the expression of miR-433-3p and RAD21 were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot, and the cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to evaluate the interaction between miR-433-3p and RAD21 in Eca-109 cells. Results Different concentrations of Matrine inhibited the cell viability of radiation resistant Eca-109R cells and reestablished the radiosensitivity(P＜0.05). The miR-433-3p was lowly expressed in Eca-109R cells(P<0.05), the knockdown of miR-433-3p enhanced the cell viability of Eca-109R cells, while the Matrine could relieve the promotion of miR-433-3p knockdown on Eca-109R cell viability effect(F=5.213, P＜0.05). RAD21 was highly expressed in Eca-109R cells(P<0.05). Overexpression of RAD21 could enhance the cell viability of Eca-109R cells and reverse the inhibitory effect of miR-433-3p on Eca-109R cell activity(F=4.554, P＜0.05). Dual luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that miR-433-3p specifically interacted with the 3′UTR region of RAD21. Conclusion Matrine can inhibit the expression of RAD21 by inducing the high expression of miR-433-3p and reestablish the radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Key words:  , Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, Radiation resistance, Matrine, miR-433-3p, RAD21