Effects of fibromodulin protein expression on NFkB and TGFβ signaling pathways in liver cancer cells

Introduction: The incidence rate of liver cancer is continuously increasing. Currently, gene therapy is applied to improve various medical issues such as cancer treatment approaches. Correspondingly, fibromodulin involves in many biological and physiological processes through interaction with growth factors and signaling pathway receptors. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of fibromodulin gene expression on NF-kB and TGF-β signaling pathways in liver cancer cells in order to investigate the molecular pathway genes involved in this cancer. Materials and Methods: Huh-7 human liver cancer cells were cultured and the effect of fibromodulin on cell growth and proliferation was assessed using MTT assay. Then, fibromodulin gene was transfected into cells using lipofectamine and the expression of SMAD2 / 3 and TGF-β genes were investigated by Real-Time PCR method. Results: The effect of fibromodulin on TGF-β and SMAD 2/3 expression genes was evaluated in liver cancer cell line. Fibromodulin down-regulated the TGF-β and NF-kB pathways in transfected cells, compared to the control. Also, MTT results demonstrated that treatment with fibromodulin increased growth and proliferation of Huh-7 cell line in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, fibromodulin significantly decreased the expression levels of TGF/β and NF/kB pathway genes in liver cancer cell line. Furthermore, growth and proliferation of liver cancer cells were increased after treatment with fibromodulin. It seems that fibromodulin gene has anticancer effects on liver cancer cells.