Abstract
Background: As the primary regulator of tumor activities, the tumor microenvironment contains several factors contributing to tumor progression and metastasis. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and β-catenin are two key factors in the tumor microenvironment, which are effective in tumor progression in primary studies. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of IL-6 and β-catenin blockade on tumor growth and progression in vitro.
Methods: In this study, small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology was used to target IL-6 and β-catenin using two murine cell lines, 4T1 (breast cancer) and CT26 (colon cancer). The target gene expression was analyzed by applying quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays. The MTT assay was used to measure how a treatment could affect the cells’ survival ability. All data were analyzed by GraphPad Prism 9, and P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.
Results: Both cell lines demonstrated downregulation in the expression patterns of genes involved in apoptosis, metastasis, proliferation, and angiogenesis. Both cell lines showed significantly decreased IL-6 secretion following IL-6 targeting. Moreover, simultaneous targeting of IL-6 and β-catenin factors significantly reduced the survival of cancer cells.
Conclusion: These results revealed that targeting β-catenin and IL-6 simultaneously may be a useful treatment strategy for colon and breast cancers. Further investigations are required to determine the effectiveness of these interventions and adjust their safety.