The endoplasmic reticulum stress response is associated with insulin resistance-mediated drug resistance in HepG2 cells

Neoplasma
L LiF Wang

Abstract

Insulin resistance has a close relationship with tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and cancer prognosis. Importantly, the liver is the main target tissue of insulin, and the resistance to chemotherapeutic agents has been reported in hepatocarcinoma. However, little is known about the relationship between drug resistance and insulin resistance in hepatocarcinoma. Therefore, we treated HepG2 cells (a human hepatoma cell line) with high concentrations of insulin to establish a cell-based model of insulin resistance (HepG2/IR cells) to define the relationship between insulin resistance and the resistance to chemotherapy. We identified that HepG2/IR cells exhibited stable insulin resistance, with decreased glucose consumption, reduced glycogen synthesis, and decreased expression of the insulin receptor gene. HepG2/IR cells also exhibited endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dilatation and degranulation. Molecular markers of endoplasmic reticulum stress, including glucose-regulated protein78 (GRP78) and phosphorylated protein kinase R-like ER kinase (p-PERK), increased significantly, which was accompanied by increased reactive oxygen metabolism and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, HepG2/IR cells were resistant to the ch...Continue Reading

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