Establishment and characterization of the gemcitabine-resistant human gallbladder cancer cell line NOZ GemR.

BACKGROUND: Patients with gallbladder cancer (GBC) generally receive gemcitabine as the standard treatment; however, its efficacy is often limited owing to the development of resistance. METHODS: To identify the mechanisms underlying gemcitabine resistance in GBC, a gemcitabine-resistant GBC cell line (NOZ GemR) was established by exposing the parental NOZ cell line to increasing concentrations of gemcitabine. Morphological changes, growth rates, and migratory and invasive capabilities were evaluated. Protein expression was detected using western blotting. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that the IC(50) of NOZ and NOZ GemR was 0.011 and 4.464 μM, respectively, and that the resistance index ratio was 405.8. In comparison, NOZ GemR cells grew slower and had significantly lower migration and invasion abilities than NOZ cells. There were altered levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation markers in NOZ GemR cells, as well as increased levels of the Akt/mTOR pathway protein. CONCLUSION: The NOZ GemR cell line could be used as an effective in vitro model to improve our understanding of gemcitabine resistance in GBC.