Targeted silencing of CXCL1 by siRNA inhibits tumor growth and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy and a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Our previous study shows that chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) was upregulated and CXCR1 was downregulated in tumor tissues as compared to peritumor tissues by chemotaxis assay. As the status of CXCL subgroups and their receptors affect progression of HCC, we evaluated potential mechanisms of CXCL1 associated with anticancer effects in HCC based on our previous study. The effects of targeting CXCL1 by RNA interference (RNAi) on the proliferation and apoptosis of CBRH-7919 cells were observed in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, whether CXCL1 knockdown significantly reduce the activity of STAT3, NF-kappa B and HIF-1 or not were also estimated. RNAi of CXCL1 in the CBRH-7919 cells decreased the growth of tumors in nude mice by inhibited cells proliferation and induced apoptosis. In conclusion, these findings suggest that CXCL1 plays critical roles in the growth and apoptosis of HCC. RNAi of CXCL1 inhibits the growth and apoptosis of tumor cells, which indicates that CXCL1 may be a potential molecular target for use in HCC therapy.