[Knockdown of hexokinase 2 (HK2) inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation and reduces their resistance to fluorouracil].

Objective To investigate the effect of knocking down hexokinase 2 (HK2) on the proliferation and drug resistance of breast cancer cells and its mechanism. Methods The MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were transfected with the short hairpin RNA (shRNA) plasmid. The mRNA and protein levels of HK2 were detected by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting, respectively; MTT assay was used to detect the effect of HK2 on the proliferation and 5-fluorouraci (5-FU) resistance of breast cancer cells; Lactate assay and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) were used to detect the effect of HK2 on the glycolysis of breast cancer cells. Results The breast cancer cell line with stable & low expression of HK2 was obtained, and the mRNA and protein levels of HK2 were significantly reduced. Knockdown of HK2 significantly inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells and enhanced the killing effect of 5-FU on them. Down regulation of HK2 significantly inhibited the lactate secretion and lowered the glycolysis baseline in breast cancer cells. Conclusion Knockdown of HK2 inhibits the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and reduce their resistance to 5-FU.