Pro-apoptotic effect of cecropin AD on nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC） is one of the highly prevalent malignancies in Southeast Asia. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are commonly administrated to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but these therapies can not prevent the recurrence and metastasis of tumor cells. Furthermore, these therapies have severe side effects. Therefore, it is important to find a more effective therapy, e. g., a gene therapy for treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Cecropin AD （Cad） is a hybrid peptide that exhibits higher antibacterial activity than natural cecropin. It consists of 1-11 amino acid residues in the N-end of cecropin A and 12-37 amino acid residues in the c-end of cecropin D. The role of Cad in the malignant cells remains unclear. In this study, the Cad gene was cloned and transferred into NPC CNE2 cells and its pro-apoptotic effect were investigated.