Hydatid Cyst Antigen B: Inducer of Inflammatory and Apoptotic Responses in Colon Cancer Cell Lines (Sw480 and Sw948) Publisher Pubmed



Faizi F ; Shojaeian A ; Parandin F ; Zafari S ; Bijani N ; Motavallihaghi S
Source: Molecular Biology Reports Published:2026

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health challenge with a high mortality rate, necessitating the identification of novel therapeutic approaches. The purified Antigen B (AgB) from hydatid cyst fluid is an immunoactive component with known abilities to modulate host immune responses. Given the increasing role of inflammatory pathways in regulating tumor progression or inhibition, this study aimed to investigate the effect of AgB on cell viability and the expression of inflammasome-related genes (including NLRP3, IL-1β, IL-8, and Caspase-1) in human colon cancer cell lines, SW480 and SW948. Methods: In this experimental study, AgB was collected and purified from ovine hydatid cysts. The SW480 and SW948 cell lines were treated with different concentrations of AgB (10–100 µg/mL) for 24 h. Cell viability was evaluated using the MTT assay. Subsequently, the expression of NLRP3, IL-1β, IL-8, and Caspase-1 genes, as key components of the inflammasome axis, was examined using the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) technique. Results: The MTT assay results showed that AgB had a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on both cell lines, leading to a significant decrease in cell viability. The IC50 value for AgB was determined to be 150 µg/mL in both cell lines. The qRT-PCR analysis indicated a significant increase in the expression of NLRP3, IL-1β, and Caspase-1 genes in both SW480 and SW948 cell lines treated with AgB compared to the control group (P < 0.05). However, the increase in IL-8 gene expression was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that AgB modulates the expression of key genes in the inflammasome pathway in colon cancer cells. Conclusion: The data from this study demonstrate that AgB can affect inflammasome-dependent pathways in colorectal cancer cell lines. These results provide a new perspective for utilizing AgB as an immunomodulatory compound in preclinical cancer studies and highlight its potential in the development of novel therapeutic strategies against colon cancer. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2026.