The anticancer effect of 2'-3'-dehydrosalannol on triple-negative breast cancer cells.

BACKGROUND Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15-20% of all breast tumors and these breast tumors are usually aggressive and highly metastatic. Unfortunately, treatment options for TNBCs are limited; we have identified a novel molecule, 2'-3'-dehydrosalannol (DHS) and in this study we investigated the anticancer effect of DHS against TNBC cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS TNBC (MDA-MB 231; MDA-MB 468) cells were treated with DHS and its effect on cell viability, apoptosis and molecular mechanisms were analyzed. RESULTS DHS inhibited growth and induced apoptosis in TNBC cell lines. Molecular analysis suggested that DHS inhibited cathepsin-mediated pro-survival signaling [pAKT: phosphorylated protein kinase B; BCL-2: B-cell lymphoma 2 and cyclin D1] and induced pro-apoptotic markers such as BAX [BCL-2-associated X protein] and cleaved caspase-3. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that DHS inhibits cathepsin-mediated pro-survival signaling which resulted in growth arrest of TNBC cells. These findings suggest that DHS may be a promising agent for the prevention and treatment of TNBC.