Resveratrol reverses cigarette smoke-induced urocystic epithelial–mesenchymal transition via suppression of STAT3 phosphorylation in SV-HUC-1-immortalized human urothelial cells

Purpose: Bladder cancer is a malignant tumor of the urinary tract, and cigarette smoke (CS) is closely related to tumorigenesis. Resveratrol, a plant-derived bioactive nutrient, possesses multiple anticancer effects. However, the mechanism of CS-induced tumorigenesis is still not clear. The role of resveratrol in CS-meditated bladder cancer development has not been reported. Methods: MTT assay showed the toxicity of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on the cell viability of SV-HUC-1 cells. Western blotting detected the expression levels of related proteins. Transwell migration or invasion assay evaluated the capacity of cell migration or invasion after treatment. Wound-healing assay revealed the effect of cell migratory capacity. The cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry. Results: Our study demonstrated that CSE-triggered epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in SV-HUC-1-immortalized human urothelial cells via the STAT3/TWIST1 pathway. Furthermore, the results showed resveratrol effectively inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation, thus reversed EMT triggered by CSE. Meanwhile, the cell proliferation was also suppressed. Conclusion: In conclusion, inhibition of the STAT3 in CSE-induced EMT on bladder cancer may be a promising cancer treatment target for suppression by resveratrol.