Study of cosilencing HIF-1 alpha and IGF-1 in cancer cells

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment with the presence of various cancer-promoting factors has created a big obstacle in the way of various cancer treatment methods. Many factors are present in the tumor microenvironment, which on the one hand contribute to tumor growth and spread, and on the other hand, suppress antitumor immune responses. Therefore, one of the most important strategies for cancer treatment can be the inhibition of these cancer-promoting factors in the cancer microenvironment. HIF-1a and IGF-1 factors are among the most important players in this scenario in the tumor microenvironment, which, by being in a synergistic loop, cause tumor growth and suppress immune responses. Therefore, in this study, it was decided to target HIF-1a and IGF-1 factors simultaneously in cancer cells. Materials and methods: In this study, HIF-1a and IGF-1 factors were targeted using nanoparticles loaded with siRNA molecules in two mouse cancer cell lines including 4T1 and CT26. In order to investigate the effect of treatment on the expression of the desired genes, Real-time PCR method was used. Also, the effect of treatment on the survival of cancer cells was investigated by MTT method. Findings: The results of this project showed that the simultaneous suppression of the expression of HIF-1a and IGF-1 factors induces cell death in cancer cell lines, which is associated with the change in the expression of genes involved in cell survival.