Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of AZD9291 on the proliferation and migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Methods Nasopharyngeal carcinoma HNE1 and CNE2Z cells were treated with AZD9291 at the doses of 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 μmol/L and at the doses of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 μmol/L, respectively. Cell survival was measured using CCK8 assay, and proliferation inhibition of the cells after AZD9291 treatment was examined with colony- forming assay; the cell repair and migration abilities were determined using scratch assay and Transwell experiment. The expressions of EGFR-related signaling proteins and migration-related proteins were detected using Western blotting. Results The results of CCK8 assay and colony-forming assay showed that AZD9291 significantly inhibited the viability and proliferation of both HNE1 and CNE2Z cells (P<0.01). AZD9291 treatment also attenuated the migration ability of HNE1 and CNE2Z cells (P<0.01). Western blotting showed that, as the concentration of AZD9291 increased, the expression levels of the proteins involved in the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway were lowered progressively (P<0.01), resulting in inhibition of migration of HNE1 and CNE2Z cells (P<0.01). Conclusion AZD9291 suppresses proliferation and attenuates repair and migration capacities of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by inhibiting the EGFR/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, suggesting the potential value of AZD9291 in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Key words: nasopharyngeal carcinoma; epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor; AZD9291; migration; proliferation