The findings reported here demonstrate that SN38 (the active metabolite of CPT-11) induces the tyrosine phosphorylation of EGFR within 5 min, followed by the induction of transcripts and/or proteins of the heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor, amphiregulin, transforming growth factor-alpha, and interlukin-8 (IL-8) in AGS gastric cancer cells.
This report is designed to overview the molecular biology, especially the gene expression and histochemical manifestation of gastrin and other growth factors such as transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the GC before and after eradication of H. pylori.
The present study was designed to determine the gene expression of major known growth factors such as transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and gastrin in the gastric cancer tissue, the surrounding mucosa and, for comparison, in the normal gastric mucosa.
Our results overall suggest that 8-Cl-cAMP might be a useful tool for antitumor therapy of gastric cancers and that cell growth inhibition by 8-Cl-cAMP might account for the decrease of TGF-alpha expression by tumor cells.