PMID: 29492513Mar 2, 2018Paper

Hirsutine induces apoptosis of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells through mitochondrial pathway

Sheng li xue bao : [Acta physiologica Sinica]
Qi-Wei HuangDao-Ming Li

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hirsutine on apoptosis of breast cancer cells and its possible mechanism. The MCF-10A, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with hirsutine at different concentrations for 48 h or incubated with 160 μmol/L hirsutine for 24, 48, and 72 h. The MCF-10A cell line is a non-tumorigenic epithelial cell line, and the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 are human breast adenocarcinoma cell lines. CCK-8 assay was employed to detect the cell viability. Flow cytometry was used to assay the apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). The protein expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved-caspase 9, cleaved-caspase 3 and cytochrome C (Cyt C) in the MDA-MB-231 cells were detected by Western blotting. The results showed that hirsutine remarkably reduced the viability of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05) with IC50 values of 447.79 and 179.06 μmol/L, respectively. In the MDA-MB-231 cells, hirsutine induced apoptosis and depolarization of MMP (P < 0.05), released Cyt C from mitochondria (P < 0.05), and activated caspase 9 and caspase 3 (P < 0.05). However, these effects induced by hirsutine were all inhibited by cyclosporin A (CsA) (P < 0.05), a specific inhibit...Continue Reading

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