文摘
Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in the world. It is very urgent to find new therapeutic targets and improve the treatment. Cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2), a regulator of inflammation signaling, has been found to be involved in tumorigenesis of various tumor types. However, its biological functions in pancreatic cancer cells are not fully understood. Here, we found that the expression of Cox2 was elevated in pancreatic cancer tissues compared with that in the paired normal tissues. The over-expression of Cox2 in pancreatic cancer cells promoted cell proliferation and migration, while the knockdown of the expression of Cox2 inhibited the tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, Cox2 regulated the expression of multiple genes involved in cell growth, migration, and cell apoptosis. Taken together, our study revealed the pivotal function of Cox2 in pancreatic cancer, and Cox2 might be an important therapeutic target for the treatment.