scholarly journals Liensinine and Nuciferine, Bioactive Components of Nelumbo nucifera, Inhibit the Growth of Breast Cancer Cells and Breast Cancer-Associated Bone Loss

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Ji Kang ◽  
Sun Kyoung Lee ◽  
Kwang-Kyun Park ◽  
Seung Hwa Son ◽  
Ki Rim Kim ◽  
...  

Once breast cancer cells grow aggressively and become lodged in the skeleton through migration and invasion, they interact with bone microenvironment and accelerate much more tumor growth and bone destruction. We investigated whether liensinine and nuciferine, major active components in Nelumbo nucifera (lotus), could prevent breast cancer cell-mediated bone destruction. Liensinine and nuciferine inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting proliferation via cell cycle arrest. Liensinine treatment led to the increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, activation of caspase-3, and subsequent cleavage of PARP. Liensinine also displayed significant inhibition on the migration and invasion of both MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells compared with nuciferine. In addition, liensinine and nuciferine inhibited the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand- (RANKL-) induced osteoclast differentiation in mouse bone marrow macrophage cells and mature osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Furthermore, oral administration of liensinine reduced the osteolysis in nude mice with intratibial injection of MDA-MB-231 cells. Collectively, liensinine and nuciferine may be promising candidates for preventing and treating breast cancer bone metastasis and the resulting osteolytic bone loss by targeting both cancer cells and osteoclasts. Liensinine has more potent anticancer and antibone resorptive activities than nuciferine.

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (01) ◽  
pp. 177-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengpeng Wang ◽  
Zhangfeng Zhong ◽  
Jianbo Wan ◽  
Wen Tan ◽  
Guosheng Wu ◽  
...  

Oridonin, a natural tetracycline diterpenoid isolated from Chinese herb Rabdosia rubescens, has been reported to be a potent cytotoxic agent against a wide variety of tumors. However, its effect on highly metastatic breast cancer cells has not been addressed. In this study, we investigated the effects of oridonin on growth, migration and invasion of highly-metastatic human breast cancer cells. Our results showed that oridonin induced potent growth inhibition on human breast cancer cells MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 in a time- and dose-dependent manner. According to the flow cytometric analysis, oridonin suppressed MCF-7 cell growth by cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and caused accumulation of MDA-MB-231 cells in the Sub-G1 phase. The induced apoptotic effect of oridonin was further confirmed by a morphologic characteristics assay and TUNEL assay. Oridonin triggered the reduction of Bcl-2/Bax ratio, caspase-8, NF-κB (p65), IKKα, IKKβ, phospho-mTOR, and increased expression level of cleaved PARP, Fas and PPARγ in a time-dependent manner. Immunofluorescent analysis showed that γH2AX-containing nuclear foci were significant in oridonin-treated MDA-MB-231 cells. Meanwhile, oridonin significantly suppressed MDA-MB-231 cell migration and invasion, decreased MMP-2/MMP-9 activation and inhibited the expression of Integrin β1 and FAK. In conclusion, oridonin inhibited the growth and induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells, which might be related to DNA damage and activation of intrinsic or extrinsic apoptotic pathways. Moreover, oridonin also inhibited tumor invasion and metastasis in vitro possibly via decreasing the expression of MMPs and regulating the Integrin β1/FAK pathway in MDA-MB-231 cells.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 1775-1784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuangxi Li ◽  
Yafei Wang ◽  
Chan Feng ◽  
Guoli Wu ◽  
Yu Ye ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Calycosin, a phytoestrogenic compound, has recently emerged as a promising antitumor drug. It has been shown that calycosin suppresses growth and induces apoptosis of breast cancer cells. However, the effect of calycosin on migration and invasion of breast cancer cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated. Methods: Human breast cancer cells MCF-7 and T47D were treated with, or without, different doses (0, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100 or 150 μM) of calycosin, and the viability of different groups was determined by MTT assay. Next, the inhibitory effect of higher doses (50, 100 or 150 μM) of calycosin on migration and invasion of the two cell lines was determined by wound healing and transwell assay. The relative expression levels of forkhead box P3 (Foxp3), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in MCF-7 and T47D cells were determined by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot. Results: Treatment with lower doses (6.25 or 12.5 μM) promoted proliferation of breast cancer cells, but with higher doses significantly reduced the viability of MCF-7 and T47D cells. Furthermore, higher doses of calycosin were found to inhibit migration and invasion of the two cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, treatment with a higher dose of calycosin significantly reduced the expression levels of Foxp3, followed by down-regulation of VEGF and MMP-9 in both MCF-7 and T47D breast cancer cells. Conclusion: Treatment with a higher dose of calycosin tends to reduce migration and invasion capacity of human breast cancer cells, by targeting Foxp3-mediated VEGF and MMP-9 expression.


2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 2002-2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga A. Sukocheva ◽  
Lijun Wang ◽  
Nathaniel Albanese ◽  
Stuart M. Pitson ◽  
Mathew A. Vadas ◽  
...  

Abstract Current understanding of cytoplasmic signaling pathways that mediate estrogen action in human breast cancer is incomplete. Here we report that treatment with 17β-estradiol (E2) activates a novel signaling pathway via activation of sphingosine kinase (SphK) in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. We found that E2 has dual actions to stimulate SphK activity, i.e. a rapid and transient activation mediated by putative membrane G protein-coupled estrogen receptors (ER) and a delayed but prolonged activation relying on the transcriptional activity of ER. The E2-induced SphK activity consequently activates downstream signal cascades including intracellular Ca2+ mobilization and Erk1/2 activation. Enforced expression of human SphK type 1 gene in MCF-7 cells resulted in increases in SphK activity and cell growth. Moreover, the E2-dependent mitogenesis were highly promoted by SphK overexpression as determined by colony growth in soft agar and solid focus formation. In contrast, expression of SphKG82D, a dominant-negative mutant SphK, profoundly inhibited the E2-mediated Ca2+ mobilization, Erk1/2 activity and neoplastic cell growth. Thus, our data suggest that SphK activation is an important cytoplasmic signaling to transduce estrogen-dependent mitogenic and carcinogenic action in human breast cancer cells.


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