To investigate the effects of etomidate on the expression of mammalian sirolimus like target protein (mTOR)/silencing information regulatory factor 1 (SIRT1) gene to inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration of bladder cancer BIU-87 cells.

The BIU-87 cells were divided into normal group, positive control group and experimental -L, -M, -H groups. The normal group was given normal culture; the positive control group was treated with MEM medium containing paclitaxel at a final concentration of 15 mg·mL^-1; the experimental -L, -M, -H groups were treated with MEM medium containing etomidate at final concentrations of 112.50, 225.00 and 450.00 mg·L^-1, respectively. After 24 hours of intervention, the migration ability of cells was detected using the cell scratching method, the invasion ability of cells was detected using the Transwell method, the levels of glucose and lactate in cells were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression levels of mTOR, SIRT1 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) proteins were detected using Western blotting.

The number of invasive cells in the experimental -M, -H groups, positive control group and normal group was 248.56±5.67, 117.37±16.72, 76.54±8.23 and 376.40±53.41; the migration distances were (22.30±2.89), (13.67±5.46), (8.63±2.07) and (38.24±5.24) μm; the glucose levels were (38.97±2.43), (29.75±3.58), (21.52±4.20) and (64.26±7.26) μmol·L^-1; the lactate levels were (37.36±3.29), (20.32±5.67), (14.76±2.37) and (51.52±3.10) μmol·L^-1; the phosphorylated mTOR/mTOR ratios were 0.26±0.05, 0.20±0.04, 0.15±0.03 and 0.47±0.07; the relative expression levels of SIRT1 protein were 0.23±0.01, 0.18±0.02, 0.09±0.02 and 0.72±0.13; the relative expression levels of MMP-9 protein were 0.19±0.05, 0.14±0.01, 0.10±0.01 and 0.28±0.04, respectively. Compared with positive control group and normal group, the differences of above indexes in experimental -M, -H groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05).

Etomidate can effectively inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration of BIU-87 cells by suppressing the expression of mTOR/SIRT1.