Effect of silencing STAT3 gene on growth of human pancreatic cancer cells in vivo

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of RNAi-mediated STAT3 gene silence on human pancreatic cancer cells growth in vivo. Methods STAT3 shRNA expression vector was stably transfected to SW1990 cells. STAT3 and p-STAT3 protein was examined using Western blot. The growth ability of SW1990 cells in vivo was determined in a subcutaneous tumor model of nude mice. Western blot was performed to detect the protein expression of Bcl-xL and cyclin D1. Results The protein expression of STAT3 and p-STAT3 decreased by 90% and 92% by stable transfection of STAT3 shRNA expressing vectors(P ＜0. 05). Inhibition of STAT3 with RNAi significantly inhibited the growth ability of SW1990 cells in vivo( P ＜ 0. 05 ). The tumor weight significantly decreased( P ＜ 0. 05 ). Moreover, the relative Bcl-xL and cyclinD1 protein expression in SW1990-RNAi cells reduced by 56% and 50% compared with that of the parental SW1990 cells, respectively (P ＜ 0. 05). Conclusions Inhibition of STAT3 with RNAi significantly inhibits the growth ability of pancreatic cancer cells through down-regulating Bcl-xL and cyclin D1. Key words: Pancreatic neoplasms;  RNA interference;  STAT3 transcription factor