Fenofibrate suppressed proliferation and migration of human neuroblastoma cells via oxidative stress dependent of TXNIP upregulation

•We found that fenofibrate suppressed proliferation and migration of NB cells.•We found that fenofibrate remarkably increased intracellular ROS, upregulated TXNIP expression, and promoted cell apoptosis.•Inhibition of TXNIP expression attenuated anti-tumor effects of fenofibrate, while inhibition of PPAR-α had no influences.•Our results indicated the anti-tumor role of fenofibrate on NB cells was dependent on the upregulation of TXNIP.

There are no appropriate drugs for metastatic neuroblastoma (NB), which is the most common extra-cranial solid tumor for childhood. Thioredoxin binding protein (TXNIP), the endogenous inhibitor of ROS elimination, has been identified as a tumor suppressor in various solid tumors. It reported that fenofibrate exerts anti-tumor effects in several human cancer cell lines. However, its detail mechanisms remain unclear. The present study assessed the effects of fenofibrate on NB cells and investigated TXNIP role in its anti-tumor mechanisms. We used MTT assay to detect cells proliferation, starch wound test to investigate cells migration, H2DCF-DA to detect intracellular ROS, siRNA to interfere TXNIP and peroxisome proliferator-androgen receptor-alpha (PPAR-α) expression, western blot to determine protein levels, flow cytometry to analyze apoptosis. Fenofibrate suppressed proliferation and migration of NB cells, remarkably increased intracellular ROS, upregulated TXNIP expression, promoted cell apoptosis. Furthermore, inhibition of TXNIP expression attenuated anti-tumor effects of fenofibrate, while inhibition of PPAR-α had no influences. Our results indicated the anti-tumor role of fenofibrate on NB cells by exacerbating oxidative stress and inducing apoptosis was dependent on the upregulation of TXNIP.