The chronic inflammatory response and folate malnutrition may increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Our previous study showed that folate deprivation modulated the proinflammatory factor of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and Hedgehog (Hh) signaling molecules that were related with colorectal cancer cell invasion. The regulatory mechanism is not clear. The aims of this study were to investigate how the nutritional folate status might modulate NF-κB and the Hh signaling pathway in a human colorectal carcinoma cell line (HCT116). The data revealed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment significantly promoted IκBα protein degradation of folate-deficient HCT116 cells (p < 0.05). When HCT116 cells were treated with interleukin (IL)-1β for 30 min, IL-1β expression of phospho-Akt, phospho-IκBα, and Gli respectively increased by 1.5-, 4.3-, and 1.3-fold, and total IκBα decreased by 70% (p < 0.0001). Folate supplementation reduced IL-1β-induced protein levels of phospho-Akt by 33% and Gli by 14%, and increased total IκBα by 1.3-fold and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α secretion (p < 0.05). Taken together, a folate deficiency or folate supplementation may modulate NF-κB signaling activation to regulate TNF-α secretion through PI3K/Akt and Hh signaling.
The chronic inflammatory response and folate malnutrition may increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Our previous study showed that folate deprivation modulated the proinflammatory factor of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and Hedgehog (Hh) signaling molecules that were related with colorectal cancer cell invasion. The regulatory mechanism is not clear. The aims of this study were to investigate how the nutritional folate status might modulate NF-κB and the Hh signaling pathway in a human colorectal carcinoma cell line (HCT116). The data revealed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment significantly promoted IκBα protein degradation of folate-deficient HCT116 cells (p < 0.05). When HCT116 cells were treated with interleukin (IL)-1β for 30 min, IL-1β expression of phospho-Akt, phospho-IκBα, and Gli respectively increased by 1.5-, 4.3-, and 1.3-fold, and total IκBα decreased by 70% (p < 0.0001). Folate supplementation reduced IL-1β-induced protein levels of phospho-Akt by 33% and Gli by 14%, and increased total IκBα by 1.3-fold and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α secretion (p < 0.05). Taken together, a folate deficiency or folate supplementation may modulate NF-κB signaling activation to regulate TNF-α secretion through PI3K/Akt and Hh signaling.