Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been observed to be elevated in solid tumors including colorectal cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of modulation of BDNF at the transcription level on the cellular function of colorectal cells and to increase our understanding of its biological role in human colon cancer. An investigation of a cohort of human colorectal tissues (tumor n=66; normal n=88) using quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that BDNF is aberrantly expressed in human colon cancer and a significantly raised level of BDNF is associated with its stage at diagnosis. The expression profile of BDNF in human colon cancer cell lines was evaluated using RT-PCR. A set of anti-BDNF ribozymes were used to transfect colon cancer cells in order to generate BDNF knockdown cells to evaluate the effect on growth and apoptosis. BDNF gene transcripts were successfully detected in the colon cancer cell lines, Caco-2 and HRT18. BDNF knockdown in Caco-2 and HRT18 cell lines resulted in decreased rates of growth and proliferation. Analysis of apoptosis showed that cell apoptosis was increased. It is concluded that BDNF, a neurotrophic growth factor aberrantly expressed in cancers such as colon cancer, has a profound impact on the cellular behavior of colon cancer cells and that BDNF is associated with a reduction in the apoptosis of colon cancer. BDNF is therefore a potential therapeutic target in colon cancer and its effect in human colon cancer requires further investigation.
Keywords: BDNF; apoptosis; colon cancer; proliferation.