HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A suppresses esophageal squamous cell carcinoma metastasis through HADC2 reduced MMP-2/9.

PURPOSE The histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) has been shown to act as an anti-tumor agent; however, the effect and mechanism of TSA on the invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unknown. METHODS To determine whether TSA suppresses the invasiveness of ESCC cell via HDAC2, the expression of HDAC2 in ESCC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues were compared using Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Cells were transfected with HDAC2 siRNAs and non-targeting control siRNA using Lipofectamine TM 2000. Cell invasion was investigated using a transwell assay. The protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 (MMP-2/9) were examined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS Expression of HDAC2 was significantly higher in ESCC than in adjacent non-tumor tissues. Additionally, the in vitro invasion assay found that both downregulation of HDAC2 expression and TSA treatment inhibited ESCC cell invasion by approximately 75%. Also, an MMP2/9-specific inhibitor sharply suppressed ESCC cell invasion. Furthermore, both downregulation of HDAC2 and treatment with TSA decreased MMP-2 and MMP-9 protein levels in ESCC cells. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of TSA on cancer invasion is mediated through the suppression of HDAC2 expression, and that the reduction of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression induced by HDAC2 may be involved in the anti-invasive effect of TSA.