Adiponectin Suppresses Metastasis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma through Blocking the Activation of NF-κB and STAT3 Signaling

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 23; no. 21; p. 12729
• Main Authors: Zhang, Zongmeng, Du, Jinlin, Xu, Qihua, Xing, Chaofeng, Li, Yuyu, Zhou, Sujin, Zhao, Zhenggang, Mu, Yunping, Zhao, Zijian Allan, Cao, Sumei, Li, Fanghong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 22-10-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Adiponectin; Adiponectin - metabolism; Alzheimer's disease; Carcinoma; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement; Cell proliferation; Cytokines; Endometrial cancer; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Inflammation; Interleukin 6; Leptin; Medical prognosis; Mesenchyme; Metastases; Metastasis; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma - genetics; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - pathology; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplasm Metastasis; NF-kappa B - metabolism; NF-κB; NF-κB protein; Patients; Pharmacology; Phosphorylation; Receptors, Adiponectin - metabolism; STAT3; Stat3 protein; STAT3 Transcription Factor - metabolism; Survival; Throat cancer; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Tumors; Wound healing; NF-κB; adiponectin; nasopharyngeal carcinoma; metastasis; STAT3
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms232112729

Adiponectin is an adipocytokine with anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Our previous study has shown that blood adiponectin levels were inversely correlated to the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and that adiponectin could directly suppress the proliferation of NPC cells. However, the effect of adiponectin on NPC metastasis remains unknown. Here, we revealed in clinical studies that serum adiponectin level was inversely correlated with tumor stage, recurrence, and metastasis in NPC patients, and that low serum adiponectin level also correlates with poor metastasis-free survival. Coculture with recombinant adiponectin suppressed the migration and invasion of NPC cells as well as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, recombinant adiponectin dampened the activation of NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways induced by adipocyte-derived proinflammatory factors such as leptin, IL-6, and TNF-α. Pharmacological activation of adiponectin receptor through its specific agonist, AdipoRon, largely stalled the metastasis of NPC cells. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that adiponectin could not only regulate metabolism and inhibit cancer growth, but also suppress the metastasis of NPC. Pharmacological activation of adiponectin receptor may be a promising therapeutic strategy to stall NPC metastasis and extend patients' survival.