Abstract:

Objective This study explored the effect of NK4 expression combined with oxaliplatin on apoptosis and invasion by human colorectal cancer cells（HCT116）.　Methods An expression plasmid encoding the NK4 gene was built and transfected into HCT116 cells by Effectene transfection.The influence of NK4 associated with oxaliplatin on apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry，and the influence on invasion was analyzed by the transwell chamber method.Interaction of NK4 and oxaliplatin was evaluated using the Q value method of Zhengjun Jin.Western blotting was used to detect changes in levels of p-Akt with different drug stimulation.　Results The NK4 expression plasmid was successfully built and transfected into HCT116 cells，and expression of the target gene was significantly higher than in the negative control group and blank group（P<0.01）.Compared with the negative control group，NK4 expression combined with oxaliplatin significantly promoted apoptosis （16.55% vs 46.86%，P<0.05） and significantly inhibited cell invasion （0.9% vs 77.4%，P<0.05）.The Q value method indicated that the combined treatment had a synergistic effect on apoptosis and invasion （0.85≤Q<1.15）.Expression of the apoptosis-and invasion-related protein p-Akt was significantly down-regulated in the combination group，which showed synergistic inhibition（P<0.01）.　Conclusions NK4 expression combined with oxaliplatin can synergistically induce apoptosis and inhibit invasion by HCT116 cells via the Akt signaling pathway.

Key words: Colorectal neoplasmas, NK4 gene, Oxaliplatin, Apoptosis, Invasion