Aldolase A level in malignant pleural effusion and its effects on proliferation,migration and invasion of human lung adenocarcinoma cells

AIM：
To investigate the levels of aldolase A (ALDOA), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in malignant pleural effusion (MPE) from patients with lung cancer and tuberculous pleural effusion (TBPE) from patients with tuberculous pleurisy, and to explore the effects of ALDOA on the proliferation, migration and invasion of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. METHODS：Pleural effusion samples including 65 cases of MPE and 35 cases of TBPE were collected, and the levels of ALDOA, CEA and LDH were detected by ELISA and chemiluminescence assay. After A549 cells were treated with different concentrations of ALDOA, the proliferation, migration and invasion of the cells were investigated by MTT assay, scratch test, Matrigel assay and Transwell invasion assay. RESULTS：The levels of ALDOA, CEA and LDH in MPE were (46.8±21.4) μg/L, (82.2±56.6) μg/L and (755.8±382.5) U/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in TBPE ［(23.9±17.2) μg/L, (12.6±9.7) μg/L and (388.4±163.9) U/L, respectively; P<0.01］. The concentration of ALDOA in MPE from adenocarcinoma patients ［(71.7±32.1) μg/L］ was significantly higher than that in MPE from squamous-cell carcinoma patients ［(21.3±14.6) μg/L, P<0.05］. The concentrations of ALDOA in MPE and TBPE were positively correlated with the concentrations of CEA and LDH (P<0.01 or P<0.05). ALDOA enhanced the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSION：The expression level of ALDOA in MPE is significantly higher than that in TBPE, especially in MPE from lung adenocarcinoma patients. There are highly positive correlations between ALDOA and CEA, ALDOA and LDH in pleural effusion. ALDOA concentration-dependently promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells.