The role of visfatin and resistin in an in vitro model of obesity-induced invasive liver cancer.

Obesity is associated with the development of liver disease and its progression to hepatocellular carcinoma. This link may be attributed to adipocytokines such as visfatin and resistin which have been shown to promote liver cancer incidence and progression. Studies have yet to determine the role of visfatin and resistin in liver cancer, specifically in the context of obesity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of neutralizing visfatin and resistin in obese (OB) or normal weight (NW) sera to determine the contribution of these proteins in obesity-induced invasive liver cancer. Sera from OB or NW males was used to determine the efficacy of neutralizing visfatin and resistin to reduce the obesity-induced liver cancer phenotype. HepG2 and SNU-449 cells were exposed to OB and NW sera ± antibodies for visfatin or resistin. The neutralizing antibodies differentially suppressed invasion, reactive oxygen species production, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 secretion. These changes corresponded with a decrease in phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases and protein kinase B in HepG2 cells, but differences were not observed in CAP1 or β-catenin. In conclusion, visfatin and resistin have differential roles in obesity-associated liver cancer and may be potential targets to reverse the impact of obesity on liver cancer progression.