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Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Using Nicotine in a Silica-Exposed Mouse Model to Promote Lung Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: March 3, 2023
α5-nAChR/STAT3/CD47 axis contributed to nicotine-related lung adenocarcinoma progression and immune escape
Guiyu Kang1,2, Yang Jiao3, Pan Pan1
1Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong 250013, China.
Objectives:
The CHRNΑ5 gene, which encodes the α5-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α5-nAChR), is related to lung cancer and nicotine addiction. Smoking is closely related to the immunosuppressive effect of macrophages. CD47, a phagocytosis checkpoint in macrophages, is a therapeutic target in various cancer types. Nevertheless, the relationship between α5-nAChR and CD47 in lung cancer is still unclear.
Methods And Results:
The present study showed that α5-nAChR-mediated CD47 expression via STAT3 signaling, consequently leading to tumor progression and immune suppression in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). α5-nAChR expression was correlated with STAT3 expression, CD47 expression, smoking status and poor prognosis of LUAD in vivo. In vitro, α5-nAChR expression mediated the phosphorylation of STAT3, and phosphorylated STAT3 bound to the CD47 promoter and mediated CD47 expression. Downregulation of α5-nAChR and/or CD47 significantly reduced cell proliferation, migration, invasion, stemness and IL-10 expression, but increased TNF-α expression and phagocytosis of macrophages in LUAD. Furthermore, α5-nAChR/CD47 signaling contributed to the growth of subcutaneous xenograft tumors and liver metastasis of tumors in mice.
Conclusion:
The α5-nAChR/STAT3/CD47 axis contributed to the progression and immune escape of lung cancer and may be a potential target for LUAD immunotherapy.
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