SNX-2112 is a potential molecular targeted therapeutic
drug against
esophageal cancer (EC). However, its exact mechanism of action remains to be explained. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of
SNX-2112 on excision repair cross- complementing 1 (ERCC1),
epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and p53, to elucidate the mechanism of action of
SNX-2112 on EC. Fresh
tumor sections were surgically obtained from 65 patients with EC, and the expression of ERCC1, EGFR, and p53 was determined by immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, the effect of
SNX-2112 (0.2 μM) on the proliferation of EC-9706 cells and the expression of ERCC1, EGFR, and p53 in these cells were analyzed by a cell proliferation assay and western blot, respectively. We observed a significant decrease and increase in ERCC1 (P = 0.001) and p53 (P = 0.043) expression, respectively, and no significant difference in EGFR (P = 0.59) expression, with the TNM stage of EC, which suggested that ERCC1 and p53 could be potential markers for the TNM stage of EC. We also observed a significant increase in ERCC1 expression, and decrease in p53 and EGFR expression, in EC-9706 cells treated with
SNX-2112 (P < 0.05), indicating the regulation of EC by
SNX-2112. Furthermore,
SNX-2112 treatment induced a significant decrease in the proliferation of EC-9706, which confirmed the function of
SNX- 2112. In summary,
SNX-2112 inhibits the proliferation of EC cells by regulating the expression of ERCC1, EGFR, and p53.