Abstract

Background: Chloride channels (ClC) are involved in normal physiological processes and pathology of various diseases. Although it is recognized that suppression of ClC inhibits cell proliferation in different types of cells, the potential function of ClC in cell migration in ovarian cancer is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of the ClC inhibitor, 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoate (NPPB), on cell migration in the human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3 as well as the related signaling pathway involved in this action.
Methods: In this study, cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. Transwell migration method was used to study the effect of NPPB on serum-induced SKOV-3 cell migration. Also, Western blot was performed to detect the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and AKT1 after treatment with NPPB.
Results: Both NPPB and LY249002 significantly inhibited serum-induced SKOV-3 cell migration without alteration of cell viability. NPPB’s inhibition of phosphorylation of AKT1 was time-dependent (p <0.05). There was no significant effect on the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 after treatment with NPPB.
Conclusions: ClC plays an important role in ovarian cancer cell migration. NPPB inhibited-SKOV-3 cell migration could be via inactivation of AKT1.

DOI: Clin. Lab. 2011;57:543-550