Aprepitant Promotes Caspase-Dependent Apoptotic Cell Death and G2/M Arrest through PI3K/Akt/NF-κB Axis in Cancer Stem-Like Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Spheres

Figure 7

Aprepitant mitigates the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway, as well as the expression of antiapoptotic NF-κB target genes in ESCC cell spheres. (a) Western blotting found that the protein concentration of PI3K, Akt, and NF-κB 65 in the aprepitant (30 μM) group was substantially reduced in comparison with the control group ( and ). (b) Moreover, the administration of aprepitant (30 μM) showed a markedly reduced relative mRNA expression of NF-κB antiapoptotic target genes, including survivin and Bcl-2. The levels of expression of all the target genes were normalized by GAPDH mRNA levels ( and ). () indicates a statistically significant difference compared to controls, while the (^#) sign indicates a statistically significant change compared to other treatment groups including SP 500 nM and SP 1000 nM.

(a)

(b)