Abstract

Purpose. Radiotherapy is an effective treatment modality in the clinical treatment of breast cancer. The present work investigated the effect of 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) on γ-irradiation sensitizing human breast carcinoma. Methods. Cell survival, intracellular ROS levels, cell cycle distribution, cell apoptosis, and expression of proteins related to apoptosis were measured with MTT assays, flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis, respectively. Results. In vitro DIM plus γ-irradiation arrested the activity of G2/M phase cell cycle, increased intracellular ROS level, significantly suppressed PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase), and enhanced γ-irradiation-induced apoptosis, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. Conclusion. These data provide a rationale for the use of DIM as a promising sensitizer of γ-irradiation.

Highlights

  • Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer-related female deaths

  • The present paper investigated the effect of DIM on the intracellular ROS level, cell cycle distribution, cell apoptosis, and expression of proteins related to apoptosis of γ-irradiation treated MCF-7 cells

  • As seen, when MCF-7 cells were exposed to DIM (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 μM) with or without γ-irradiation their proliferation could be suppressed to various degrees

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Summary

Introduction

Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer-related female deaths. It is estimated that 1,383,500 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed annually worldwide, 458,400 of which will die of this disease [1, 2]. An adjuvant therapy or medication in combination with radiation is more likely to increase the overall effectiveness of radiotherapy in patients with breast cancer, resulting in better survival. IR kills cancer cells by inducing DNA damage and generating ROS, which in turn leads to the damage of biomolecules [6]. Several studies suggested that DIM possessed chemopreventive and therapeutic properties and was nontoxic to normal cells [15,16,17]. In this context, the present paper investigated the effect of DIM on the intracellular ROS level, cell cycle distribution, cell apoptosis, and expression of proteins related to apoptosis of γ-irradiation treated MCF-7 cells

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