Cell cycle dysregulation is associated with 5-fluorouracil resistance in gastric cancer cells

Abstract

Background/Aim: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is an anticancer drug commonly used to treat gastric cancer; however, continuous 5-FU chemotherapy causes drug resistance. Materials and Methods: We established five sublines of 5-FU-resistant AGS gastric cancer cells to investigate changes that may have occurred in the development of 5-FU resistance. Drug resistance to other chemotherapeutic reagents, proliferation, cell-cycle changes, and wound healing ability were assessed for each subline. Results: Retarded cell growth, G0/G1 phase arrest, upregulation of p57, and down-regulation of cyclin D1 were commonly observed in all five sublines. Resistance to paclitaxel and cisplatin was also observed in most of the sublines. Conclusion: Our data support the notion that G0/G1 arrest due to changes in p57 and cyclin D1 expression may confer drug resistance, while EMT seems non-essential to 5- FU resistance in AGS gastric carcinoma cells.