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Effect of cucurbitacin on malignant biological behavior of breast cancer cells, and its possible underlying mechanism


Yun Ren
Guangyan Huang
Guangyan Huang
Qiang Xue
Qinjing Lv
Yayun Wu
Qianfei Wu
Wei Yao
Bowen Wang
Shengya Wang

Abstract

Purpose: To study the influence of cucurbitacin on malignant biological behavior of mammary carcinoma cells, and the likely mechanism involved.
Methods: Human mammary carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-436 was selected for cell culture and treated with different concentrations of cucurbitacin. The effect of cucurbitacin on cell activity, cell colonyformation capacity, cell invasion, migration potential, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity, and levels of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), epithelial calcium adhesion (E-cadherin), and neurogenic calcium adhesion (N-cadherin) were measured. Moreover, levels of wave protein (vimentin), phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (p-EGFR), phosphorylated signaling transduction, and transcription activation factor 3 (p-STAT3) and phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt) were determined.
Results: With increase in cucurbitacin dose, there was significant decrease in cell viability, cell colony ratio, cell invasion and migration capacity, and expression levels of MMP-9, VEGFA, e-cadherin, ncadherin, vimentin, P-EGFR, P-STAT3 and p-Akt (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Cucurbitacin inhibits the proliferation, invasion, and migration of breast cancer cells by down-regulating the expressions of EGFR/STAT3/Akt signaling-related proteins, and inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition transformation.


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eISSN: 1596-9827
print ISSN: 1596-5996