Exploring the celecoxib-cervical cancer relationship using in vitro, network pharmacology, and Mendelian randomization approaches.

OBJECTIVE

To clarify the potential anticancer role of celecoxib and its immune-related mechanisms.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: We confirmed the antitumor effects of celecoxib using Cell Counting Kit-8, wound-healing, colony-formation, and transwell assays. Network pharmacology and enrichment analyses were performed to identify pathways linking celecoxib to cervical cancer. Based on these results, two-sample and two-step Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using blood expression quantitative trait loci instruments were conducted to evaluate the causal effect of NEU1 inhibition-the key celecoxib target-on cervical cancer risk and to assess immune cell mediation.

RESULTS

Celecoxib significantly inhibited cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration, colony formation, and invasion. Network pharmacology and enrichment analyses consistently highlighted T-cell-related immune pathways. MR revealed that genetically proxied NEU1 inhibition reduced cervical cancer risk (OR = 0.736, 95% CI: 0.566-0.958), with CD25 on CD45RA+ CD4+ non-regulatory T cells mediating 28.458% of the total effect.

CONCLUSION

By integrating genetic causal inference, in vitro experiments, and network pharmacology, our study systematically reveals that celecoxib may exert therapeutic effects by targeting against cervical cancer by targeting NEU1 and modulating CD25 on CD45RA+ CD4+ non-regulatory T cell-related immune pathways. This finding highlights both the novelty and the translational potential of this approach.