Propranolol and landiolol inhibit cell proliferation enhanced by noradrenaline in human lung adenocarcinoma cells

Abstract

Previous clinical data have shown that perioperative β-blocker administration can improve lung cancer prognosis, possibly by blocking autonomic nervous system responses. This study aimed to investigate the anticancer mechanisms of the β-blockers propranolol and landiolol for human lung adenocarcinoma cells treated with noradrenaline. A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells were exposed to each of the following alone or in combination for 2 h: medium only for naïve control; noradrenaline at a dose of 10 μmol/L; propranolol at 10 nmol/L; and landiolol at 1000 nmol/L. Cell proliferation was examined using a cell counting kit-8 assay and immunofluorescent staining of Ki67. qRT-PCR array was performed for Harvey rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (HRAS), transforming growth factor-beta receptor II (TGFBR2), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Noradrenaline (N) showed enhanced cell proliferation compared to control, with higher Ki67 expression on immunostaining, higher HRAS and VEGFA expressions, and lower TGFBR2 expression in qRT-PCR, whereas N-propranolol and N-landiolol showed no significant changes. The present data indicated that perioperative administration of β-blockers might improve the post- operative prognosis of lung cancer via blockage of the adrenergic response.