Abstract

Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies in men, and there is a need to explore novel biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is expressed not only in antigen-presenting cells but also types of human malignancies, contributing to disease progression, although its clinical significance or functional role in prostate cancer remains unclear. Therefore, we immunolocalized TLR4 in 117 prostate cancer tissues to address its clinicopathological significance. Additionally, we performed in vitro assays to examine the effects of TLR4 on proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, DU-145 and PC-3). TLR4 immunoreactivity was predominantly detected in the cytoplasm of prostate cancer cells, and it was positively associated with proliferation and invasion abilities, as well as Gleason score. Subsequent in vitro experiments revealed that the inhibition of TLR4 by Sparstolonin B (SsnB) significantly suppressed the proliferation and migration of LNCaP, DU-145 and PC-3 cells. Therefore, we concluded that TLR4 was a potent prognostic factor associated with proliferation and invasion, and it might serve as a therapeutic target in prostate cancer.