Effects of hexavalent chromium exposure on the malignant biological behavior of colorectal cancer cells and the expression levels of miR-149 and PDCD4

Abstract

Abstract: Objective Based on the changes in miR-149 and PDCD4 expression levels,this study aims to explore the mechanism of the effects of hexavalent chromium[chromium（VI）,Cr （VI）] exposure on the proliferation,invasion,migration,apoptosis,and cell cycle of colorectal cancer cells. Methods Human colorectal cancer cells SW480 were divided into control group and low,medium and high dose Cr（VI） exposure groups,with Cr（VI） concentrations of 0.25,0.50 and 1.00 mol/L,respectively. After 48 hours of cultivation,6 multiple wells were set up in each group. After cultivation,the CCK-8 kit was used to measure the cell proliferation levels,methyl violet staining was used to measure the number of cell monoclonal formation,the Transwell method and wound healing test were used to evaluate the cell invasion and migration ability,flow cytometry was used to measure cell cycle G2/M phase levels,RT-PCR method and Western blotting were used to measure the expression levels of microRNA-149（miR-149） and programmed cell death factor 4（PDCD4） in cells. Results After exposure to different doses of Cr（VI）,SW480 colorectal cancer cells showed significantly higher proliferation rate,number of monoclonal formations,number of membrane penetrations,migration distance,and miR-149 levels compared to the control group,while apoptosis rate,cell cycle G2/M phase,PDCD4mRNA,and protein levels were significantly lower than those of the control group,and the differences were statistically significant（all P<0.01）. With the increase of Cr（VI） exposure dose,the proliferation rate,number of monoclonal formations,number of membrane penetrations,migration distance,and miR-149 level gradually increased,and the apoptosis rate,cell cycle G2/M phase,PDCD4mRNA,and protein levels gradually decreased,with an obvious dose-effect relationship,and the difference were statistically significant（all P<0.01）. Conclusion Cr（VI） can promote the proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer cell SW480,inhibit cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest,and increases the malignant biological behavior of colorectal cancer cell SW480. The mechanism is related to Cr（VI） exposure increasing the expression level of miR-149 in colorectal cancer cell SW480 and inhibiting PDCD4 expression.

Key words: Hexavalent chromium, Colorectal cancer, Malignant biological behavior of cells, miR-149, PDCD4

CLC Number:

R114

XIA Dongmei, ZHANG Biao, TAN Binxin, LIU Daimei, Ni Yanxia. Effects of hexavalent chromium exposure on the malignant biological behavior of colorectal cancer cells and the expression levels of miR-149 and PDCD4. [J]OCCUPATION AND HEALTH, 2025, 41(12): 1619-1624.

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