Abstract
Background: There is increasing evidence that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the process of carcinogenesis and treatment using chemotherapy. Pterostilbene, a phytochemical agent with natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, has been shown to modulate oncogenic processes in many cancers. However, there has been limited research on the association between pterostilbene and the expression of lncRNAs.Methods: MCF7 breast cancer cells were treated with various concentrations of pterostilbene and their gene expression profile was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence.Results: Treatment with pterostilbene inhibited cell proliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and increased cell apoptosis, autophagy and ER stress. The Akt/mTOR pathway was downregulated, but p38 MAPK/Erk signaling was activated in cells following treatment with pterostilbene. Pterostilbene increased the expression of the lncRNAs MEG3, TUG1, H19, and DICER1-AS1 whereas the expression of LINC01121, PTTG3P, and HOTAIR declined. Knockdown of lncRNA H19 resulted in a reduction of the cell invasion, with the cells becoming more sensitive to pterostilbene therapy.Conclusions: These results suggest that efficient optimum disruption of lncRNA expression might possibly improve the anti-tumor effects of phytochemical agents, thus serving as a potential therapy for breast cancer.
Highlights
Cancer is among the leading causes of death
An MTT assay was performed to ascertain the effects of pterostilbene on the proliferation of MCF7 breast cancer cells
The results revealed that the proliferation of cells treated with 100 μM pterostilbene was significantly inhibited at the start of the treatment (Figure 1A), whereas inhibition with 50 μM pterostilbene was significant at 24 and 48 h
Summary
Cancer is among the leading causes of death. Distant tumor metastasis is generally considered a major cause of poor survival. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is recognized as an important process associated with increased aggressive, invasive and metastatic potential in many types of cancer cells. There is increasing evidence to suggest that targeting EMT could overcome resistance to chemotherapy. Phytochemical agents have often been utilized as alternative therapies to improve the outcomes of traditional cancer treatment. As an emerging tumor suppressor, pterostilbene is effective in modulating various cancers, including breast cancers [6], by inhibiting the proliferation of breast cancer cells and reducing the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase [7]. There is increasing evidence that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the process of carcinogenesis and treatment using chemotherapy. Pterostilbene, a phytochemical agent with natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, has been shown to modulate oncogenic processes in many cancers. There has been limited research on the association between pterostilbene and the expression of lncRNAs
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