Effects of RXRα on proliferation and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells through TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of retinoid X receptor α (RXRα) on the proliferation and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells through the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad signaling pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression of RXRα in pancreatic cancer tissues and para-carcinoma tissues was detected via immunohistochemistry. Human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells were cultured and treated with RXRα in vitro. The apoptosis rate of cells was detected via flow cytometry. Furthermore, changes in the protein expression level of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway were detected via Western blotting. RESULTS: The protein expression level of RXRα in pancreatic cancer tissues was significantly higher than that of para-carcinoma tissues. RXRα significantly promoted the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, RXRα could also activate the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: RXRα promotes the proliferation and inhibits the apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells through the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.