α-Pinene inhibits tumor invasion through downregulation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB-regulated matrix metalloproteinase-9 gene expression in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells

Abstract

2,6,6-Trimethylbicyclo[3.1.1]hept-2-ene (α-Pinene) is an organic compound of the terpene class found in the essential oil of many plants. In this study, the inhibitory effect of α-pinene on tumor invasion in highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells was evaluated. α-Pinene inhibited tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced invasiveness of MDA-MB-231 cells as revealed by three-dimensional spheroid invasion assay. Further analysis showed that α-pinene reduced TNFα-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 gene promoter activation and mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, α-pinene treatment attenuated TNFα-induced nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation and NF-κB-dependent transcriptional activity. These results suggest that α-pinene has a significant effect on the inhibition of tumor invasion and may potentially be developed into an anti-metastatic drug.