Establishment of a 5-fluorouracil-resistant human gastric cancer cell line and exploration of its biological characteristics

Abstract Background: Chemoresistance is a major problem in gastric cancer (GC) management with an unknown underlying mechanism. In this study, we aimed to establish a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant GC cell line and explore the biological characteristics related to its chemoresistance.Materials and Results: The chemotherapeutic agent-resistant GC cell line (AGS-R) was established by continuous exposure of AGS cells to 5-FU. These cells showed morphologic changes and increased level of thymidylate synthase (TS) mRNA compared with the parental cells. AGS-R also showed down-regulation of β-catenin activity with decreased migration and invasion. The expression of CD44 was increased in AGS-R cells and this was reversed with the inhibition of Notch1.Conclusions: 5-FU resistant gastric cancer cell line was well established and these cells showed increased stemness which was reversed with Notch1 inhibition.