Carboxymethyllysine, an Advanced Glycation End-Product, Promotes the Invasion and Migration of Lung Cancer A549 Cells

Effects of carboxymethyllysine (CML), an advanced glycation end-product (AGE), at 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 μmol/l upon invasion and migration of A549 cells, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, were investigated. Results showed that CML at used test doses did not affect A549 cell growth. However, CML at 4-16 μmol/l enhanced both invasion and migration, and stimulated the release of reactive oxygen species, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in A549 cells. CML at 2-16 μmol/l increased protein expression of AGE receptor, p47 phox , intercellular adhesion molecule-1, fibronectin, kappa-B (NF- κB) p65 and p-p38 in A549 cells. CML only at 4-16 μmol/l increased matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in A549 cells. These findings indicated that CML might benefit NSCLC metastasis through promoting invasion and migration.