[Survivin gene silencing inhibits the proliferation of human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells and enhances their sensitivity to celecoxib].

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated survivin knock-down on the proliferation of human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells and their sensitivity to celecoxib. METHODS:The siRNA against survivin was constructed and transfected into MGC-803 cells via Lipofectamine(TM) 2000. The expression of survivin in the transfected cells was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot, and flow cytometry was used to detect the cell cycle changes. The sensitivity of the cells to celecoxib after transfection was examined using MTT assay and clonogenic assay. RESULTS:The protein and mRNA levels of survivin in MGC-803 cells were decreased significantly after siRNA transfection, which also caused cell cycle arrest in G(0)/G(1) phase. The sensitivity of MGC-803 cells to celecoxib was significantly increased after siRNA transfection. CONCLUSION:siRNA-mediated survivin silencing causes growth suppression of MGC-803 cells and enhances their sensitivity to celecoxib in vitro.