Background
The evidence obtained from experimental studies suggests the tumor-suppressive effects of vitamin D by controlling the differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis in cancerous cells. ...Furthermore, the deregulation of genes involved in vitamin D metabolism has been reported in several types of cancer.
Methods
In the present study, we investigated the expression level of vitamin D metabolic pathway genes, including
VDR
,
CYP3A4
,
RXRα
, and
GC
, in colorectal cancer (CRC) samples compared with the adjacent tissues by using quantitative RT-PCR.
Results
The results indicated significant downregulation of
CYP3A4
and
VDR
genes in CRC tissues compared with the adjacent control tissues (
p
< 0.01).
RXRA
and
GC
expression levels did not show any significant alteration among the studied samples. Moreover, a positive correlation was observed between the expression level of
CYP3A4
and
VDR
genes (
p
< 0.0001). ROC curve analysis also revealed the potential diagnostic power of
CYP3A4
and
VDR
genes in CRC samples.
Conclusion
Reduction in the expression of both
CYP3A4
and
VDR
plays an important role in CRC due to the possible impairment in vitamin D metabolism. Further studies concerning the relationship between the expression of these genes and colorectal cancer pathogenesis and treatment are recommended.
