Abstract:Objective: To explore the role of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] in the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in endometrial cancer (EC). Methods: HEC-1B cells were cultured in vitro and treated with different concentrations (0, 25 nM, 50 nM, 100 nM, 200 nM, 500 nM) of 1,25(OH)2D3. Based on the results of the CCK-8 assay to assess cell viability, 100 nM 1,25(OH)2D3 was selected for subsequent experiments. The experimental groups were as follows: control group (Ctrl), TGF-β1 group, 1,25(OH)2D3 group, TGF-β1 + 1,25(OH)2D3 group, TGF-β1 + TGF-β1 inhibitor P144 diammonium group (TGF-β1 + P144). Cell morphological changes were observed under an optical microscope, and Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and TGF-β1. The migration ability of the cells was assessed by the scratch assay, and the invasion ability was assessed by the Transwell assay. Results: Compared with the Ctrl group, cells in the TGF-β1 group changed from typical cobblestone-like morphology to spindle-shaped mesenchymal cell morphology, with significantly reduced cell-cell adhesion and a more dispersed arrangement. Meanwhile, E-cadherin expression was significantly reduced (P<0.05), and the expression of N-cadherin, Vimentin, and TGF-β1, as well as migration distance and invasion cell count, were significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the Ctrl group, the 1,25(OH)2D3 group showed significantly higher E-cadherin expression (P<0.05), and significantly lower expression of N-cadherin, Vimentin, and TGF-β1, as well as migration distance and invasion cell count (P<0.05). Compared with the TGF-β1 group, both the TGF-β1 + 1,25(OH)2D3 group and the TGF-β1 + P144 group exhibited significantly higher E-cadherin expression (P<0.05), and significantly lower expression of N-cadherin, Vimentin, and TGF-β1, as well as migration distance and invasion cell count (P<0.05). Conclusion: 1,25(OH)2D3 can inhibit the migration and invasion of HEC-1B cells by regulating TGF-β1-induced EMT.
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