Rolipram suppresses migration and invasion of human choriocarcinoma cells by inhibiting phosphodiesterase 4‐mediated epithelial‐mesenchymal transition

Abstract Rolipram is a selective phosphodiesterase‐4 (PDE4) inhibitor. The effect of rolipram on the metastasis of choriocarcinoma is barely known. Here, we evaluated the role of rolipram in the migration and invasion of human choriocarcinoma cells in vitro. Human choriocarcinoma cells lines JEG3 and JAR were used in this study. The expression profile of PDE4 subfamily members in choriocarcinoma cells was evaluated using real‐time PCR. The migration and invasion properties of choriocarcinoma cells before and after inhibition of PDE4 by rolipram or RNAi‐directed knockdown were evaluated in vitro. Expression levels of MMP9, TIMP1, E‐cadherin, vimentin, TGFβ1, SMAD1, and SMAD4 of choriocarcinoma cells were compared before and after rolipram treatment, RNAi‐directed knockdown of PDE4D, and overexpression of PDE4D. We found PDE4D was the most commonly expressed isoform of PDE4 both in JEG3 and JAR cells. Rolipram and knockdown of PDE4D were efficient to inhibit the migration and invasion of choriocarcinoma cells in vitro, accompanied by decreased expression of MMP9 and TIMP1. Furthermore, rolipram and knockdown of PDE4D promoted the expression of E‐cadherin but reduced the expression of vimentin in choriocarcinoma cells, and overexpression of PDE4D decreased the expression of E‐cadherin but promoted the expression of vimentin. Rolipram suppressed migration and invasion of human choriocarcinoma cells in vitro, possibly by inhibiting epithelial‐mesenchymal transition through PDE4 inhibition.