Gastrin acting on the cholecystokinin2 receptor induces cyclooxygenase-2 expression through JAK2/STAT3/PI3K/Akt pathway in human gastric cancer cells

► Antagonist or siRNA against CCK2R blocked G17-induced activation of STAT3 and Akt in gastric cancer cell lines. ► G17-increased COX-2 expression and cell proliferation were blocked by CCK2R antago-31 nist and inhibitors of JAK2 and PI3K. ► Knockdown of STAT3 expression attenuated G17-induced PI3K/Akt activation, COX-2 expression, and cell proliferation.