Trehalose liposomes induce apoptosis of breast tumor cells in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

The inhibitory effects of trehalose liposomes (TL) comprising l-α-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and α-D-glucopyranosyl-α-D-glucopyranoside monomyritate (TreC14) were investigated on breast cancer MDA-MB-453 cells in vitro and in vivo. The IC50 values of TL for MDA-MB-453 cells were remarkably lower than those of DMPC liposomes. The inhibitory effects of TL on the proliferation of MDA-MB-453 cells mediated via apoptosis induction were observed following their accumulation on MDA-MB-453 cell membranes. The membrane fluidity of MDA-MB-453 cells increased after TL treatment, as evident from a fluorescence depolarization assay. TL induced the apoptosis of MDA-MB-453 cells through caspase activation and mitochondrial membrane potential reduction, and suppressed the nuclear factor kappa B activity. A remarkable reduction in tumor volume was observed in a human breast cancer mouse model topically treated with TL. Induction of apoptosis was evident in TL-treated breast cancer tumors of mice using the TUNEL assay.