Targeting CD133 reverses drug-resistance via the AKT/NF-κB/MDR1 pathway in colorectal cancer

Background Recent studies have shown that multidrug resistance may be induced by the high stemness of cancer cells. Following prolonged chemotherapy, MDR protein 1 (MDR1) and CD133 increase in CRC, but the relationship between them is unclear. Methods The relationship between MDR and CSC properties in CRC was determined via CCK-8 assay, apoptosis assay, DOX uptake and retention, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. The correlations between their expression levels were evaluated using Spearman’s rank statistical test and the Mann-Whitney test. Furthermore, the effect of CD133 on the repression of the AKT/NF-κB/MDR1 signalling pathway was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results We found that CD133 increased with the emergence of drug-resistance phenotypes, and the high expression of MDR1/P-gp was consistently accompanied by positive expression of CD133 as demonstrated by the analysis of patient samples. Up- or downregulation of CD133 could regulate MDR via AKT/NF-κB/MDR1 signalling in CRC. A rescue experiment showed that the AKT/NF-κB signalling pathway is the main mechanism by which CD133 regulates MDR1/P-gp expression in CRC. Conclusions Taken together, our results suggest that targeting CD133 reverses drug resistance via the AKT/NF-κB/MDR1 pathway and that this pathway might serve as a potential therapeutic target to reverse MDR in CRC.