IMR Press / FBL / Volume 28 / Issue 11 / DOI: 10.31083/j.fbl2811320
Open Access Original Research
Aspirin Inhibits Brain Metastasis of Lung Cancer via Upregulation of Tight Junction Protein Expression in Microvascular Endothelial Cells
Show Less
1 Department of Basic Medicine, Qilu Medical University, 255300 Zibo, Shandong, China
2 School of Basic Medical Sciences, North China University of Science and Technology, 063210 Tangshan, Hebei, China
*Correspondence: qinlj20012003@163.com (Lijuan Qin)
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2023, 28(11), 320; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.fbl2811320
Submitted: 6 September 2022 | Revised: 16 June 2023 | Accepted: 8 August 2023 | Published: 29 November 2023
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: The brain is one of the most vulnerable metastasis sites in lung cancer; approximately 40–50% of lung cancer patients develop brain metastasis during the disease course, contributing to the poor prognosis and high mortality of lung cancer patients. Therefore, it is important to clarify the molecular mechanism underlying brain metastasis of lung cancer for improving the overall survival of lung cancer patients. The present study aimed to investigate the potential role of blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in the development of brain metastasis of lung cancer and explore the effect of aspirin in an in-vitro BBB model. Methods: An in-vitro BBB model was established. The expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70), zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), and occludin in rat brain microvascular endothelial cells was detected using Western blot at different time points following the administration of aspirin. Results: HSP70, ZO-1, and occludin expressions did not show significant changes before aspirin administration, but increased noticeably after aspirin administration. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) could significantly attenuate the increased expression of these proteins induced by aspirin. Additionally, TNF-α also significantly reversed the aspirin-induced decrease of BBB permeability. Conclusions: Aspirin may inhibit brain metastasis of lung cancer in a time-dependent manner via upregulating tight junction proteins to reduce BBB permeability, and this effect can be reversed by TNF-α.

Keywords
aspirin
lung cancer
tight junction protein
blood-brain barrier
brain metastasis
Funding
81101912/Natural Science Foundation of China
ZD20160082/Science and Technology Project for Colleges and Universities in Hebei Province
20170901/Scientific Research Foundation of Hebei Health Department
Figures
Fig. 1.
Share
Back to top