Abstract
Abstract Objective Folate deficiency is closely related to the occurrence of human tumors and plays an important role in cell growth, differentiation, repair, and host defense. We studied the effects of folic acid on the apoptosis of breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) and on the activity of the PTEN/AKT/P53 signaling pathway in breast cancer cells. Methods Breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) were treated with folate alone or in combination with a PTEN specific inhibitor, SF1670. Cell viability was detected by a MTT assay, and the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and PTEN/AKT/P53 signaling pathway were detected via Western blot analysis. Rate of apoptosis was measured via cytometry. Results Folic acid inhibited the cell viability of MDAMB-231 cells and the expressions of Bcl-2 and p-AKT proteins and upregulate the expression of Bax, PTEN, and P53 proteins, thereby inducing apoptosis in these cells. SF1670 treatment inhibited the expressions of Bcl-2 and p-AKT protein and upregulate Bax, PTEN, and P53 protein expression. Conclusion Folic acid has cytotoxic effects on MDAMB-231 cells and can induce apoptosis by targeting the PTEN/AKT/P53 signaling pathway.
Highlights
Breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) were treated with folate alone or in combination with a phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) specific inhibitor, SF1670
SF1670 treatment inhibited the expressions of Bcl-2 and p-AKT protein and upregulate Bax, PTEN, and P53 protein expression
The results of MTT assay showed that folic acid had an inhibitory effect on the cell viability of MDA-MB-231 cells, and the inhibitory effect increased with increasing folic acid concentration (P
Summary
Breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) were treated with folate alone or in combination with a PTEN specific inhibitor, SF1670. Rate of apoptosis was measured via cytometry. For the folic acid concentration gradient treatment, MDAMB-231 cells were treated with folic acid at concentrations of 0, 1, 5, 10, and 20 μM for 24 h. For the PTEN inhibitor (SF1670) combined with folic acid treatment, MDA-MB-231 cells were uniformly seeded into a six-well plate, cultured for 8–12 h overnight, pretreated with 1 μM SF1670 for 2 h, and supplemented with 20 μM folic acid in the culture solution for 24 h. MDA-MB-231 cells in logarithmic growth phase were uniformly seeded into six-well plates. Flow cytometry was used to detect the rate of , and the percentage of apoptosis was analyzed using the Flowjo software
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