RNA helicase DHX9 may be a therapeutic target in lung cancer and inhibited by enoxacin

RNA helicase DHX9 is a member of human RNA enzymes. Previous studies have reported that DHX9 is highly expressed in various types of malignant tumor. However, its role in the progression of lung cancer remains to be fully clarified. The present study aims to investigate the oncogenic role of DHX9 in serum, tissues and lung cancer cell lines in vitro. We used RNA interference to downregulate DHX9 expression in A549 cells using a small interfering RNA lentiviral vector. Subsequently, enoxacin was used to inhibit cell proliferation, and this effect was detected using MTT. The results showed that DHX9 was overexpressed in the serum and tissues of lung cancer, especially in small cell lung cancer. Though enoxacin suppressed the proliferation of NSCLC cells, the inhibition effect was diminished when DHX9 was knocked down. In conclusion, the present study provided evidence suggesting that DHX9 was overexpressed in lung cancer and may contribute to the growth of lung cancer, and enoxacin may inhibit the proliferation based on DHX9. Thus DHX9 may be used as a diagnostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NSCLC.