Time- and Concentration-dependent Profiles of Cell Viability and Pro-tumorigenic Gene Expression Following Interleukin-8 Stimulation in A549 Lung Cancer Cells
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Lung cancer is closely linked to inflammation, with interleukins such as interleukin-8 (IL-8) playing a key role in disease development and progression. While IL-8 has been implicated in tumor-promoting processes, its direct effects on lung cancer cell behavior remain incompletely characterized. Objective: To assess the impact of IL-8 on cell viability and mRNA expression of pro-tumorigenic markers in A549 cells. Materials and Methods: Cell viability was measured using MTT assay. The mRNA expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-7 ( MMP-7 ), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 ( CXCL1 ), and interleukin-1α ( IL-1α ) were examined by RT-qPCR. Results: Two-way analysis revealed significant main effects for both timepoint and concentration on cell viability. Post hoc testing showed that IL-8 stimulation (0.5 ng/mL) induced a significant increase in A549 cell viability at the 24-hour timepoint. In contrast, prolonged stimulation (0.5 ng/mL) at 48 hours resulted in a marked downward trend in cell viability, followed by a return to baseline levels at 72 hours, indicating a highly dynamic, time-dependent cellular profile. At the transcriptional level, an initial upward trend in MMP-7 gene expression at a low concentration was not statistically significant following variance stabilization. Similarly, no significant changes in CXCL1 or IL-1α expression profiles were observed across concentrations. Conclusion: IL-8 was found to exert selective, context-dependent effects on A549 lung cancer cells, driving early viability shifts and an upregulatory trend in MMP-7 expression. These findings underscore the nuanced role of IL-8 in the tumor microenvironment and warrant future functional assays to fully elucidate its underlying mechanisms in lung cancer.
Institution: University of Malaya
Language: English
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7222529319