The expression levels of NF-kappa B and IKK beta in epithelial ovarian cancer and their correlation with drug resistance-related genes MDR1, TOPOII, and ERCC1

To explore the expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B kinase (IKK beta) in epithelial ovarian cancer and the correlation analysis with multi-drug resistance-related genes 1 (MDR1), topoisomerase II (TOPOII) and nucleotide excision repair cross complementary group 1 (ERCC1). Methods: Immunohistochemical methods were used to detect the expression levels of NF-.B and IKK beta in epithelial ovarian cancer group (50 cases), ovarian benign tumor group (30 cases), and normal ovary group (10 cases). The expression levels of NF-kappa B, IKK beta, MDR1, TOPOII and ERCC1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein were analyzed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot. Student's ttest and one-way ANOVA were used for comparison of numerical data. Pearson's chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were carried out for analysis of non-numerical data. Results: The levels of NF-kappa B, IKK beta, MDR1 and ERCC1 mRNA and protein were increased (P<0.05), and the expression levels of TOPOII were decreased (P<0.05) in the epithelial ovarian cancer group compared to the normal ovary and benign ovarian tumor groups. The expression of NF-kappa B and IKK beta in epithelial ovarian cancer was significantly increased in patients with higher tumor stage, lower differentiation and presence of lymph node metastasis and positively correlated with MDR1 expression. NF kappa B and IKK beta were negatively correlated with the expression of TOPOII and antagonized each other with TOPOII. Conclusions: The expression of NF-kappa B and IKK beta was positively correlated with the expression of MDR1, and negatively correlated with the expression of TOPOII. The correlation of NF-kappa B, IKK beta and resistance related genes, including MDR1, TOPOII, ERCC1, can predict the resistance of chemotherapy individuals to chemotherapy.