Grape Seed Procyanidins Inhibit the Growth of Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cells by Down-Regulating the EGFR/VEGF/MMP9 Pathway

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. However, it is not clear about its effective treatments. As a potential anticancer agent, grape seed procyanidins (GSPs) have been shown to inhibit the proliferation of various cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. In this study, it was shown that GSPs significantly inhibit MCF-7 cell proliferation in a concentration/time-dependent manner. The flow cytometric data clearly demonstrated that GSPs cause cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, followed by cell apoptosis. Moreover, it also confirmed that growth inhibition mediated by treatment with GSPs is related to the induction of apoptosis due to p53 elevation, purportedly by inhibition of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) pathway. Taken together, these findings suggest that GSPs inhibit MCF-7 cells proliferation and induce cell apoptosis by suppressing EGFR/VEGF/MMP9 pathway.