MicroRNA-146a Enhances Helicobacter pylori Induced Cell Apoptosis in Human Gastric Cancer Epithelial Cells

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection induces apoptosis in gastric epithelial cells, and this occurrencemay link to gastric carcinogenesis. However, the regulatory mechanism of H. pylori-induced apoptosis is notclear. MicroRNA-146a has been implicated as a key regulator of the immune system. This report describes ourdiscovery of molecular mechanisms of microRNA-146a regulation of apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells.We found that overexpression of microRNA-146a by transfecting microRNA-146a mimics could significantlyenhance apoptosis, and this up-regulation was triggered by COX-2 inhibition. Furthermore, we found thatmicroRNA-146a density was positively correlated with apoptosis rates in H. pylori-positive gastric cancertissues and intratumoral microRNA-146a density was negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis amongH. pylori-positive gastric cancer patients. Understanding the important roles of microRNA-146a in regulatingcell apoptosis in H. pylori infected human gastric cancer cells will contribute to the development of microRNAtargeted therapy in the future.