Celecoxib inhibits interleukin-6/interleukin-6 receptor-induced JAK2/STAT3 phosphorylation in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Growing evidence shows an association between chronic liver inflammation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. STAT3, which is associated with inflammation and cellular transformation, is constitutively activated in human HCC tissues but not in normal human liver tissues. Although interleukin-6 (IL-6) is elevated in the serum of patients with HCC, it is not fully understood whether STAT3 constitutive activation is positively correlated with autocrine IL-6 secreted by HCC cells. Here, we reported that in HCC cells, the elevated levels of both IL-6 and IL-6 receptor (IL-6R, gp80), not IL-6 alone, correlated with STAT3 activation. We also explored whether the anticancer effects of celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug, may be due to the inhibition of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway in HCC cells. Our results showed that celecoxib decreased STAT3 phosphorylation by reducing Janus-activated kinase (JAK2) phosphorylation and caused apoptosis in HCC cells. Celecoxib could also block exogenous IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. Moreover, we observed more significant inhibition of cell viability when celecoxib was combined with doxorubicin or sorafenib. We conclude that the elevated levels of IL-6/IL-6R may be correlated with STAT3 activation in HCC cells. Celecoxib may be a candidate for HCC therapy through blocking IL-6/STAT3 pathway and can be combined with other anticancer drugs to reduce drug resistance caused by IL-6/STAT3 signals.