Human Breast Cancer Cells In Culture Research Articles

Nitrosonium Cation as a Cytotoxic Component of Dinitrosyl Iron Complexes with Thiol-containing Ligands (based on the Experimental Work on MCF7 Human Breast Cancer Cell Culture).

Here we demonstrate that binuclear dinitrosyl iron complexes with thiol-containing ligands (glutathione and mercaptosuccinate, B-DNIC-GSH and B-DNIC-MS, respectively) exert cytotoxic effects on MCF7 human breast cancer cells. We showed that they are mediated by nitrosonium cations released from these complexes (NO+). This finding is supported by the cytotoxic effect of both B-DNICs on MCF7 cells evidenced to retain or was even promoted in the presence of N-Methyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate (MGD). MGD recruits an iron nitrosyl group [Fe(NO)] from the iron-dinitrosyl fragment [Fe(NO)2] of B-DNIC-MS forming stable mononitrosyl complexes of iron with MGD and releasing NO+ cations from a [Fe(NO)2] fragment.

The cell-surface anchored serine protease TMPRSS13 promotes breast cancer progression and resistance to chemotherapy.

Breast cancer progression is accompanied by increased expression of extracellular and cell-surface proteases capable of degrading the extracellular matrix as well as cleaving and activating downstream targets. The type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs) are a family of cell-surface proteases that play critical roles in numerous types of cancers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify novel and uncharacterized TTSPs with differential expression in breast cancer and to determine their potential roles in progression. Systematic in silico data analysis followed by immunohistochemical validation identified increased expression of the TTSP family member, TMPRSS13 (transmembrane protease, serine 13), in invasive ductal carcinoma patient tissue samples compared to normal breast tissue. To test whether loss of TMPRSS13 impacts tumor progression, TMPRSS13 was genetically ablated in the oncogene-induced transgenic MMTV-PymT tumor model. TMPRSS13 deficiency resulted in a significant decrease in overall tumor burden and growth rate, as well as a delayed formation of detectable mammary tumors, thus suggesting a causal relationship between TMPRSS13 expression and the progression of breast cancer. Complementary studies using human breast cancer cell culture models revealed that siRNA-mediated silencing of TMPRSS13 expression decreases proliferation, induces apoptosis, and attenuates invasion. Importantly, targeting TMPRSS13 expression renders aggressive triple-negative breast cancer cell lines highly responsive to chemotherapy. At the molecular level, knockdown of TMPRSS13 in breast cancer cells led to increased protein levels of the tumor-suppressive protease prostasin. TMPRSS13/prostasin co-immunoprecipitation and prostasin zymogen activation experiments identified prostasin as a potential novel target for TMPRSS13. Regulation of prostasin levels may be a mechanism that contributes to the pro-oncogenic properties of TMPRSS13 in breast cancer. TMPRSS13 represents a novel candidate for targeted therapy in combination with standard of care chemotherapy agents in patients with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer or in patients with tumors refractory to endocrine therapy.

Quinoline‑ and Benzoselenazole-Derived Unsymmetrical Squaraine Cyanine Dyes: Design, Synthesis, Photophysicochemical Features and Light-Triggerable Antiproliferative Effects against Breast Cancer Cell Lines.

Photodynamic therapy is an innovative treatment approach broadly directed towards oncological diseases. Its applicability and efficiency are closely related to the interaction of three main components, namely a photosensitizer, light and molecular triplet oxygen, which should drive cell death. Recently, several studies have demonstrated that squaraine cyanine dyes have a set of photophysical and photochemical properties that have made of these compounds’ potential photosensitizers for this therapeutic modality. In the present research work, we describe the synthesis and characterization of four quinoline- and benzoselenazole-derived unsymmetrical squaraine cyanine dyes. Except for the precursor of aminosquaraine dyes, i.e., O-methylated derivative, all dyes were evaluated for their behavior and absorption capacity in different organic and aqueous solvents, their ability to form singlet oxygen, their light-stability, and in vitro phototherapeutic effects against two human breast cancer cell cultures (BT-474 and MCF-7). Regardless of the nature of the used solvents, the synthesized dyes showed intense absorption in the red and near-infrared spectral regions, despite the formation of aggregates in aqueous media. Dyes showed high light-stability against light exposure. Despite the low ability to produce singlet oxygen, aminosquaraine dyes demonstrated worthy in vitro phototherapeutic activity.

Identification of lipid biomarkers of metastatic potential and gene expression (HER2/p53) in human breast cancer cell cultures using ambient mass spectrometry.

In breast cancer, overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) correlates with overactivation of lipogenesis, mutation of tumor suppressor p53, and increased metastatic potential. The mechanisms through which lipids mediate p53, HER2, and metastatic potential are largely unknown. We havedeveloped a desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) method to identify lipid biomarkers of HER2/p53 expression, metastatic potential, and disease state (viz. cancer vs. non-cancerous) in monolayer and suspension breast cancer cell cultures (metastatic potential: MCF-7, T-47D, MDA-MB-231; HER2/p53: HCC2218 (HER2+++/p53+), HCC1599 (HER2-/p53-), HCC202 (HER2++/p53-), HCC1419 (HER2+++/p53-) HCC70 (HER2-/p53+++); non-cancerous: MCF-10A). Unsupervised principal component analysis(PCA) of DESI-MS spectra enabled identification of twelve lipid biomarkers of metastatic potential and disease state, as well as ten lipids that distinguish cell lines based on HER2/p53 expression levels (> 200 lipids were identified per cell line). In addition, we developed a DESI-MS imaging (DESI-MSI) method for mapping the spatial distribution of lipids in metastatic spheroids (MDA-MB-231). Of the twelve lipids that correlate with changes in themetastatic potentialof monolayercell cultures, three were localized to the necrotic coreof spheroids, indicating a potential role in promoting cancer cell survival in nutrient-deficient environments. One lipid species, which was not detected in monolayer MDA-MB-231 cultures, was spatially localized to the periphery of the spheroid, suggesting a potential role in invasion and/or proliferation. These results demonstrate thatcombiningDESI-MS/PCA of monolayer and suspension cell cultures with DESI-MSI of spheroids isa promising approach for identifying lipid biomarkers of specific genotypes and phenotypes, as well as elucidating the potential functionof these biomarkers in breast cancer. Graphical Absract.

High-resolution deconstruction of evolution induced by chemotherapy treatments in breast cancer xenografts

The processes by which tumors evolve are essential to the efficacy of treatment, but quantitative understanding of intratumoral dynamics has been limited. Although intratumoral heterogeneity is common, quantification of evolution is difficult from clinical samples because treatment replicates cannot be performed and because matched serial samples are infrequently available. To circumvent these problems we derived and assayed large sets of human triple-negative breast cancer xenografts and cell cultures from two patients, including 86 xenografts from cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, cisplatin, docetaxel, or vehicle treatment cohorts as well as 45 related cell cultures. We assayed these samples via exome-seq and/or high-resolution droplet digital PCR, allowing us to distinguish complex therapy-induced selection and drift processes among endogenous cancer subclones with cellularity uncertainty <3%. For one patient, we discovered two predominant subclones that were granularly intermixed in all 48 co-derived xenograft samples. These two subclones exhibited differential chemotherapy sensitivity–when xenografts were treated with cisplatin for 3 weeks, the post-treatment volume change was proportional to the post-treatment ratio of subclones on a xenograft-to-xenograft basis. A subsequent cohort in which xenografts were treated with cisplatin, allowed a drug holiday, then treated a second time continued to exhibit this proportionality. In contrast, xenografts from other treatment cohorts, spatially dissected xenograft fragments, and cell cultures evolved in diverse ways but with substantial population bottlenecks. These results show that ecosystems susceptible to successive retreatment can arise spontaneously in breast cancer in spite of a background of irregular subclonal bottlenecks, and our work provides to our knowledge the first quantification of the population genetics of such a system. Intriguingly, in such an ecosystem the ratio of common subclones is predictive of the state of treatment susceptibility, showing how measurements of subclonal heterogeneity could guide treatment for some patients.

Microfluidic Devices for Studying the Effect of Netrin‐1 on Neutrophil and Breast Cancer Cell Migration

AbstractNetrin‐1 is well‐known for its chemoattractive and chemorepulsive properties for axon guidance. Early studies report that netrin‐1 inhibits granulocyte migration. On the other hand, netrin‐1 can promote cancer cell migration and invasion. The underlying mechanisms are not well understood, which requires more in‐depth characterizations of netrin‐1 mediated immune and cancer cell migration. The present study, for the first time, employs microfluidic devices that are recently developed to quantitatively investigate the effects of netrin‐1 on the motility and chemotaxis of human blood neutrophils and human breast cancer cells under well‐controlled gradient conditions. The results show that netrin‐1 reduces chemokinetic motility of human neutrophils, which is accompanied with reduced cell polarization and spreading. In addition, netrin‐1 reduces neutrophil chemotaxis to N‐formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe on fibronectin substrate but interestingly not on collagen substrate. By contrast, netrin‐1 promotes the migration of human breast cancer cells. Furthermore, it is found that netrin‐1 reduces neutrophil chemotaxis to the supernatant of human breast cancer cell culture. Collectively, this microfluidic cell migration study provides quantitative characterizations of the effects of netrin‐1 on the motility and chemotaxis of neutrophils and breast cancer cells, and further suggests the potential role of netrin‐1 in regulating neutrophil recruitment to breast cancer microenvironments.

Benzyl butyl phthalate promotes breast cancer stem cell expansion via SPHK1/S1P/S1PR3 signaling.

Understanding the regulatory mechanisms unique to breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) is required to control breast cancer metastasis. We found that phthalates promote BCSCs in human breast cancer cell cultures and xenograft tumors. A toxic phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), activated aryl hydrocarbon receptor in breast cancer cells to stimulate sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1)/sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)/sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 3 (S1PR3) signaling and enhance formation of metastasis-initiating BCSCs. BBP induced histone modifications in S1PR3 in side population (SP) cells, but not in non-SP cells. SPHK1 or S1PR3 knockdown in breast cancer cells effectively reduced tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo. Our findings suggest S1PR3 is a determinant of phthalate-driven breast cancer metastasis and a possible therapeutic target for regulating BCSC populations. Furthermore, the association between breast carcinogenesis and environmental pollutants has important implications for public health.

Total Synthesis of (±)-Glyceollin II and a Dihydro Derivative.

Stressed soybeans produce a group of phytoalexins that belong to the 6a-hydroxypterocarpan family of flavonoids. Certain of the more prominent members, such as the glyceollins I, II, and III, have demonstrated potential antidiabetic properties and promising cytotoxicity in both human breast and prostate cancer cell cultures with preliminary studies in animals further demonstrating antitumor effects in estrogen-dependent, human breast cancer cell implants. Although syntheses of glyceollin I have been reported previously, this work constitutes the first total directed synthesis of (±)-glyceollin II. It involves 12 steps with an overall yield of 7% using practical methods that should be readily scalable to produce quantities needed for advanced biological characterization. Highlights include a novel intramolecular benzoin condensation, a chelation-controlled lithium aluminum hydride-mediated reduction, and an intramolecular cyclization via the formation of a transient epoxide intermediate to cap the construction of the 6a-hydroxypterocarpan system. Additionally, a dihydro analogue has been obtained, and several isolated intermediates have been made available for evaluation of their biological properties and possible contributions toward elaborating key structure-activity relationship data among this family of promising phytoalexins elicited from stressed soybeans.

Antimetastatic effect of fluvastatin on breast and hepatocellular carcinoma cells in relation to SGK1 and NDRG1 genes.

Metastasis occurs due to migration of the cells from primary tumor toward other tissues by gaining invasive properties. Since metastatic invasion shows a strong resistance against conventional cancer treatments, the studies on this issue have been focused. Within this context, inhibition of migration and determination of the relationships at the gene level will contribute to treatment of metastatic cancer cases. We have aimed to demonstrate the impact of TGF-β1 and fluvastatin on human breast cancer (MCF-7) and human hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep3B) cell cultures via Real-Time Cell Analyzer (RTCA) and to test the expression levels of some genes (NDRG1, SGK1, TWIST1, AMPKA2) and to compare their gene expression levels according to RTCA results. Both of cell series were applied TGF-β1 and combinations of TGF-β1/fluvastatin. Primer and probes were synthesized using Universal Probe Library (UPL, Roche) software, and expression levels of genes were tested via qPCR using the device LightCycler 480 II (Roche). Consequently, fluvastatin dose-dependently inhibited migration induced by TGF-β1 in both groups. This inhibition was accompanied by low level of SGK1 messenger RNA (mRNA) and high levels of NDRG1 and AMPKA2 mRNA. Thus, we conclude that fluvastatin plays an important role in reducing resistance to chemotherapeutics and preventing metastasis.

Expression of melatonin receptors in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in African American and Caucasian women: relation to survival

In the normal rodent breast, the pineal hormone melatonin controls the development of ductal and alveolar tissue. Melatonin counteracts tumor occurrence and tumor cell progression in vivo and in vitro in animal and human breast cancer cell cultures. It acts predominantly through its melatonin MT1 receptor. Our aim was to investigate the presence or absence of the MT1 melatonin receptor in the aggressive triple negative group of human breast carcinoma (TNBC) and its possible relationship to the course of the disease. A total of 167 patients with a ER−, PR−, Her-2/neu− phenotype in which tissue for receptor studies was available were examined. The MT1 receptor immunostain was evaluated semiquantitatively as staining intensity (0, 1, 2, 3), percentage of stained cells and the weighted index (WI) (staining intensity times percentage of stained cells). A score of WI < 60 was regarded as “negative”. There was a striking difference in incidence of MT1 positivity and staining intensity between carcinomas in African American (AA) and Caucasian (C) women. The AA showed a higher incidence of MT1 negative tumors (41/84 = 48.8 % in AA, 6/51 = 11.8 % in C) and a lower average WI. MT1 positivity in TNBC was associated with a lower stage and a smaller tumor size at time of diagnosis. In multivariable survival analysis, MT1 negative TNBC in all cases regardless of race showed a significantly higher hazard ratio for disease progression, shorter progression free survival, and disease-related death, and shorter OS. This was especially pronounced in the AA group but did not reach statistical significance in the smaller group of C alone. These results suggest that melatonin or a melatonin receptor agonist may be useful biologic additions in the treatment of some forms of TNBC, especially in AA who generally show a more aggressive course of their disease.

Cytometric and biochemical characterization of human breast cancer cells reveals heterogeneous myoepithelial phenotypes

To determine whether cell cultures maintain the cellular heterogeneity of primary tissues and may therefore be used for in vitro modeling of breast cancer subtypes, we evaluated the expression of a cell surface marker panel in breast cancer cell cultures derived from various subtypes of human breast carcinoma. We used a four-color flow cytometry strategy to immunophenotype seven human breast cancer cell cultures and four reference breast cancer cell lines. We analyzed 28 surface markers selected based on their potential to distinguish epithelial or mesenchymal lineage, to identify stem cell populations, and to mediate cell adhesion and migration. We determined their ability to form mammospheres and analyzed luminal cytokeratins CK18, CK19, and myoepithelial/basal CK5, SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin), and vimentin expression by western blot. All cell surface markers showed a unimodal profile. Ten/28 markers were homogenously expressed. Four (CD66b, CD66c, CD165, CD324) displayed negative/low expression. Six (CD29, CD55, CD59, CD81, CD151, CD166) displayed homogenous high expression. Eighteen (CD9, CD10, CD24, CD26, CD44, CD47, CD49b, CD49f, CD54, CD61, CD90, CD105, CD133, CD164, CD184, CD200, CD227, CD326) were heterogeneously expressed. Spearman's rank test demonstrated a significant correlation (p< 0.001) between mesenchymal phenotype and breast cancer cell cultures. Breast cancer cell cultures, all CD44+, displayed concomitant high expression of only three antigens (CD10, CD54, CD90), and low expression of CD326; cell cultures formed mammospheres and expressed CK5, SMA and vimentin, and were weakly CK19-positive. We demonstrate that breast cancer cell cultures preserve inter-tumor heterogeneity and express stem/progenitor markers that can be identified, quantified and categorized by flow cytometry. Therefore, cell cultures can be used for in vitro modeling of breast cancer subtypes; immunophenotyping may mirror breast cancer heterogeneity and reveal molecular characteristics of individual tumors useful for testing target therapy.

Induction of lethal bystander effects in human breast cancer cell cultures by DNA-incorporated Iodine-125 depends on phenotype

Purpose: This study uses a three-dimensional cell culture model to investigate lethal bystander effects in human breast cancer cell cultures (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231) treated with 125I-labeled 5-iodo-2 -deoxyuridine (125IdU). These breast cancer cell lines respectively form metastatic xenografts in nude mice in an estrogen-dependent and independent manner.Materials and methods: In the present study, these cells were cultured in loosely-packed three-dimensional architecture in a Cytomatrix™ carbon scaffold. Cultures were pulse-labeled for 3 h with 125IdU to selectively irradiate a minor fraction of cells, and simultaneously co-pulse-labeled with 0.04 mM 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) to identify the radiolabeled cells using Click-iT® EdU and flow cytometry. The cultures were then washed and incubated for 48 h. The cells were then harvested, serially diluted, and seeded for colony formation. Aliquots of cells were subjected to flow cytometry to determine the percentage of cells labeled with 125IdU/EdU. Additional aliquots were used to determine the mean 125I activity per labeled cell. The percentage of labeled cells was about 15% and 10% for MCF-7 and MDA cells, respectively. This created irradiation conditions wherein the cross-dose to unlabeled cells was small relative to the self-dose to labeled cells. The surviving fraction relative to EdU-treated controls was measured.Results: Survival curves indicated significant lethal bystander effect in MCF-7 cells, however, no significant lethal bystander effect was observed in MDA-MB-231 cells.Conclusions: These studies demonstrate the capacity of 125IdU to induce lethal bystander effects in human breast cancer cells and suggest that the response depends on phenotype.

Biomarker in human breast cancer cells

Multiplex measurement of biomarkers in human breast cancer cell culture supernatesJane Schmidt, Ph.D, Michael Hall, Richard Fuerstenberg. R&amp;D Systems, Inc. Minneapolis, Minn.The mixture of biomarkers that is produced in the tumor microenvironment has an important role in cancer pathogenesis. For example, cytokines that are released in response to infection, inflammation and immunity can function to either promote or inhibit tumor development and progression. The multiplex immunoassay has become an efficient tool both for rapid screening and more in‐depth analysis of cancer cell supernates, while requiring only a single, small sample volume. In this study, the VersaMAP™ Development System was used to rapidly and simultaneously screen for human biomarkers in supernates from six human breast cancer cell lines. Fifteen positive biomarkers were identified and biomarker profiles were established for each of the cell lines. The VersaMAP Development System, developed by R&amp;D Systems,Inc., is a customized assay system designed for the simultaneous measurement of multiple biomarkers from a single 50 μL sample. It offers the ability to measure up to 10 biomarkers chosen by the user from a continuously expanding library of 39 available analytes. The assay is available in a custom premixed form, giving the user total flexibility to choose their multiplex panel. The assay system is a bead‐based multiplex immunoassay designed for use with a Luminex® or Bio‐Rad® Bio‐Plex® analyzer.

Sanguisorba minor extract suppresses plasmin-mediated mechanisms of cancer cell migration

BackgroundSanguisorba minor, as well as several other edible herbs and vegetables, has been used extensively in traditional medicine. The observed beneficial effects can be attributed at least in part to the direct modulation of several enzymatic activities by its polyphenolic constituents. MethodsThe ethanol extract of Sanguisorba minor was characterized by reversed-phase liquid chromatography, and most relevant analytes were identified by multiple stage mass spectrometry. The whole extract and the most relevant isolated constituents were tested for their ability to modulate the activity of human plasmin both toward a synthetic substrate and in human breast cancer cell culture models. Kinetic and equilibrium parameters were obtained by a concerted spectrophotometric and biosensor-based approach. ResultsQuercetin-3-glucuronide was recognized as the compound mainly responsible for the in vitro plasmin inhibition by S. minor extract, with an inhibition constant in the high nanomolar range; in detail, our approach based on bioinformatic, enzymatic and binding analyses classified the inhibition as competitive. Most interestingly, cell-based assays showed that this flavonoid was effective in suppressing plasmin-induced loss of cancer cell adhesion. General significanceOur results show that the extract from Sanguisorba minor limits plasmin-mediated tumor cell motility in vitro, mostly due to quercetin-3-glucuronide. This glucuronated flavonoid is a promising template for rational designing of anticancer drugs to be used in the treatment of pathological states involving the unregulated activity of plasmin.

Antitumor liposomes bearing a prodrug of combretastatin A-4 and a tetrasaccharide ligand of selectins

Therapeutic liposomes with an average diameter of 100 nm based on natural phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol) containing palmitoyl or oleoyl derivatives of the antimitotic agent combretastatin A-4 were constructed. The cytotoxicity of liposomes with the oleoyl derivative in the human breast cancer cell culture turned out to be only three times lower than that of combretastatin A-4, thus indicating the probability of facile intracellular hydrolysis of the prodrug. To achieve selective drug delivery to the tumor tissue in vivo, the diglyceride conjugate of the tetrasaccharide ligand of selectins, viz., Sialyl-Lewis X (SiaLeX, 2 mol.%) was incorporated into the liposomes. The SiaLeX-equipped liposomes loaded with the lipophilic prodrug showed a reliable inhibition of tumor growth on the model of spontaneous breast cancer in mice.

Rapid Raman Imaging of Stable, Functionalized Nanoshells in Mammalian Cell Cultures

Two Raman-active poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) molecules, one linear (MW 5000) and the other branched (MW 2420), are synthesized to stabilize gold-silica nanoshells in cell culture media and track nanoparticles in mammalian cell cultures. The linear PEG provides greater nanoshell stability in saline solution compared to commercially available PEG-thiol or the branched PEG. Surface enhanced Raman scattering rapidly tracks the probes and provides semiquantitative information regarding particle localization within mouse macrophage (RAW 264.7) and human breast cancer (MCF 7) cell cultures.

Retinoids, carotenoids, and human breast cancer cell cultures: a review of differential effects.

Cancer of the breast is the most common incident cancer and cause of death from cancer in women. Several epidemiologic studies have reported a significant inverse relationship between the intake of vitamin A and/or provitamin A-rich foods and the incidence of certain cancers, including breast cancer. A large number of studies have been conducted to determine the effect of retinoids (all-trans-retinoic acid, in particular), and to a lesser extent of carotenoids, on breast cancer using cell culture models. In general, the results of these studies demonstrate beneficial effects of all-trans-retinoic acid on different breast cancer cells. This review compares studies conducted in different laboratories using retinoids and carotenoids as treatments for breast cancer cells and suggests what may be the underlying reasons for the differential effects of these compounds on the same cell lines.

A Novel Anticancer Gold(III) Dithiocarbamate Compound Inhibits the Activity of a Purified 20S Proteasome and 26S Proteasome in Human Breast Cancer Cell Cultures and Xenografts

Although cisplatin has been used for decades to treat human cancer, some toxic side effects and resistance are observed. It has been suggested that gold(III) complexes, containing metal centers isoelectronic and isostructural to cisplatin, are promising anticancer drugs. Gold(III) dithiocarbamate complexes were shown to exhibit in vitro cytotoxicity, comparable with and even greater than cisplatin; however, the involved mechanism of action remained unknown. Because we previously reported that copper(II) dithiocarbamates are potent proteasome inhibitors, we hypothesized that gold(III) dithiocarbamate complexes could suppress tumor growth via direct inhibition of the proteasome activity. Here, for the first time, we report that a synthetic gold(III) dithiocarbamate (compound 2) potently inhibits the activity of a purified rabbit 20S proteasome and 26S proteasome in intact highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, resulting in the accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and the proteasome target protein p27 and induction of apoptosis. The compound 2-mediated proteasome inhibition and apoptosis induction were completely blocked by addition of a reducing agent DTT or N-acetyl-L-cysteine, showing that process of oxidation is required for proteasome inhibition by compound 2. Treatment of MDA-MB-231 breast tumor-bearing nude mice with compound 2 resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth, associated with proteasome inhibition and massive apoptosis induction in vivo. Our findings reveal the proteasome as a primary target for gold(III) dithiocarbamates and support the idea for their potential use as anticancer therapeutics.

Multimodal Image-Guided Enzyme/Prodrug Cancer Therapy

The conjugate of bacterial cytosine deaminase (bCD) and poly-l-lysine (PLL) that was functionalized with biotin, rhodamine, and Gd3+-DOTA was synthesized and characterized. It demonstrated high relaxivity, improved enzymatic specificity to prodrug 5-fluorocytosine, low cytotoxicity, efficient cell uptake, and high enzymatic stability in fresh mouse serum and human breast cancer cell culture.

Cimicifuga racemosa extract BNO 1055 inhibits proliferation of the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP

Extracts from black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa, CR) exert an anti-proliferative action in human breast cancer cell cultures, which has been attributed to an anti-estrogenic effect. However, CR constituents do not bind to either of the known estrogen receptors. Thus, the anti-tumor effect of CR me be mediated by mechanisms not involving these receptors. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are toxic environmental pollutants, which indirectly act as anti-estrogens by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The AhR is widely expressed in mammalian tissues and tumors. A recent screening study demonstrated activation of the AhR by a variety of herbal extracts, among others, CR. Since activation of the AhR causes inhibition of growth of prostate cancer cells, we addressed the question, whether CR may not only inhibit growth of breast cancer--but also of prostate cancer cells. In the AhR ligand assay, the CR extract BNO 1055 reduced tracer binding to 71% of the control demonstrating interaction of constituents of this extract with the receptor. Under basal as well as under estradiol- and dihydrotestosterone stimulated conditions, the CR extract dose dependently inhibited proliferation of LNCaP cells. A significant reduction of cell growth was observed at a concentration as low as 50 ng/ml. Thus, it is demonstrated for the first time that CR compounds potently inhibit the growth of human prostate cancer cells in vitro. This anti-proliferative effect may be mediated via the AhR.