ArticleJournal of nanobiotechnology2026
Lymph node metastasis-related circHELQ promotes progression and acts as a nanotherapeutic target in colorectal cancer.
Article in Journal of nanobiotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionStudies have highlighted the important roles of circRNAs in various cancers. However, their specific functions in the lymph node metastasis (LNM) of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain largely unclear.
methodsThe Arraystar human circRNA microarray was used to identify circular RNAs (circRNAs) associated with LNM in colorectal cancer (CRC). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to measure circHELQ expression in CRC cell lines and tissue specimens. A series of in vitro and in vivo functional assays were subsequently conducted to investigate the role of circHELQ in LNM and CRC progression. Additionally, fluorescence in situ hybridization, dual-luciferase reporter assays, RNA pull-down, and Western blot experiments were carried out to elucidate the underlying regulatory mechanisms of circHELQ in CRC.
resultsOur results demonstrated that circHELQ expression was significantly upregulated in CRC and that its expression level was closely correlated with LNM. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments revealed that circHELQ promotes CRC progression and metastasis-including proliferation, migration, invasion, lymphatic vessel formation, and LNM-both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circHELQ acts as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that sponges miR-4793-3p, thereby alleviating its suppression of VEGFC. This circHELQ/miR-4793-3p/VEGFC axis drives LNM in CRC by upregulating VEGFC expression. Furthermore, we developed a cancer cell membrane-based siRNA delivery system (cMDS) targeting circHELQ, and these nanoparticles effectively suppressed CRC proliferation and LNM.
conclusionsCircHELQ drives CRC progression and LNM and is a candidate prognostic biomarker. Furthermore, its molecular function renders it a viable target for nanoparticle-based therapeutic strategies against CRC.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.