Abstract: Objective To investigate the induction effect of Fusobacterium nucleatum(Fn)on hypoxia inducible factor-1(HIF-1α)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC), and to explore the influence of the above three indexes on the survival and prognosis of ESCC patients. Methods ESCC cells(KYSE30 and KYSE150)were divided into control and Fn infection groups. The expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF, the response efficacy of paclitaxel(PTX)and cisplatin(CDDP), and the in vitro proliferation ability of cells were detected with Western blotting, CCK8 and plate cloning, respectively. The Fn infection and expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF in 309 ESCC tissues were determined with RNA scope and immunohistochemistry. The difference in survival between Fn+HIF-1α+VEGF high-risk and low-risk groups were compared with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results Compared with the control group, the Fn infection group had increased expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF, the 50% inhibitory concentration of PTX and CDDP, and the proliferation capacity(P<0.05). The Fn infection rate, HIF-1α and positive rate of VEGF in ESCC tissues were 43.04%, 65.37% and 60.52%, respectively, with significant consistency(P<0.05). Compared with Fn+HIF-1α+VEGF low-risk group, the high-risk group had significantly shortened 5-year survival(P<0.05). Conclusion Fn infection can induce the high expression of HIF-1α and VEGF, reduce the sensitivity of ESCC cells to chemotherapy drugs, promote their malignant proliferation, and lead to poor prognosis of ESCC patients.

Key words: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Hypoxia inducible factor-1, Vascular endothelial growth factor, Prognosis