Objective: The pathogenic mechanism underlying the effects of acidic pepsin in laryngeal cancer remains unclear. This study investigated whether acidic pepsin influences Glut-1 expression and glycolytic activity in laryngeal carcinoma cells and whether it plays a role in the growth and migration of these cells through glycolysis.
Study design: In vitro study.
Setting: A university-affiliated hospital.
Methods: Laryngeal carcinoma TU 212 and TU 686 cells were treated with acidic pepsin and 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG), then transfected with Glut-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA). Glucose uptake was detected by a radioimmunoassay counter, lactate secretion was detected by a lactic acid kit, and Glut-1 expression was detected by western blotting. Cell viability, migration and invasion, and clonal formation were assessed using the Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell chamber, and clonal formation assays, respectively.
Results: Acidic pepsin significantly increased Glut-1 expression in laryngeal carcinoma cells compared with the control group (P < .01). It also significantly enhanced 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (Cin/Cout) uptake, lactate secretion, cell viability, migration, invasion, and clonal formation in laryngeal carcinoma cells compared with the control group (P < .01). The glycolytic inhibitor 2-DG and Glut-1 siRNA significantly reversed the effects of acidic pepsin on laryngeal carcinoma cells (P < .01).
Conclusion: Acidic pepsin enhances the growth and migration of laryngeal carcinoma cells by upregulating Glut-1, thus promoting glycolysis.
Keywords: Glut‐1; glycolysis; growth; laryngeal carcinoma; migration; pepsin.
© 2024 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.