In the present study, we report the effects of honokiol, a phytochemical from Magnolia spp., on cancer cell migration capacity and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects using breast cancer cell lines as an in vitro model. Using cell migration assays, we found that the treatment of human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and murine mammary cancer cells (4T1) with honokiol resulted in a dos...

The strategies available for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer are limited. Dietary botanicals may have a better protective effect on this disease. We therefore investigated the effects of grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) on a highly metastatic mouse mammary carcinoma cell line. In vitro treatment of breast cancer cells, 4T1, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468, with GSPs resulted in significant in...

PURPOSE The specific targeting of interleukin-4 receptor α (IL4Rα) receptor offers a promising therapeutic approach for inhibition of tumor cell progression in breast cancer patients. In the current study, the in vitro efficacy of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles conjugated with anti-IL4Rα blocking antibodies (SPION-IL4Rα) via polyethylene glycol polymers was evaluated in 4T1 breast c...

Advanced tumors produce an excessive amount of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), which promotes tumor progression at late stages of malignancy. The purpose of this study was to develop anti-TGFβ therapeutics for cancer. We synthesized a novel small-molecule TGFβ receptor I kinase (activin receptor-like kinase 5) inhibitor termed N-[[4-([1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-6-yl)-5-(6-methylpyridin-2...

Solid tumors can generate a plethora of neurogenesis-related molecules that enhance their growth and metastasis. Among them, we have identified axonal guidance molecule Semaphorin 7A (SEMA7A) in breast cancer. The goal of this study was to determine the therapeutic effect of suppressing SEMA7A levels in the 4T1 murine model of advanced breast carcinoma. We used anti-SEMA7A short hairpin RNA (sh...

Doxorubicin is used to treat numerous types of tumors including breast cancer, yet dose-associated toxicities limit its clinical application. Here, we demonstrated a novel strategy by which to deliver doxorubicin to breast cancer cells by conjugating cancer cell-specific single-strand DNA aptamers with doxorubicin-encapsulated DOTAP:DOPE nanoparticles (NPs). We utilizing a whole-cell-SELEX stra...

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. The obesity process is normally accompanied by chronic, low-grade inflammation. Infiltration by inflammatory cytokines and immune cells provides a favorable microenvironment for tumor growth, migration, and metastasis. Epidemiological evidence has shown that aspirin is an effective agent against several types of cancer. The aim...

Blocking dephosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) is reported to alter proliferation and differentiation of various cells. Using salubrinal and guanabenz as an inhibitory agent of dephosphorylation of eIF2α, we addressed a question whether an elevated level of phosphorylated eIF2α attenuates malignant phenotypes of triple negative breast cancer cells (TNBCs) that...

We and others have reported that C-28 methyl ester of 2-cyano-3, 12-dioxoolen-1, 9-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO-Me) effectively inhibits the growth of multiple cancer cell types. Our previous studies indicated that prolonged CDDO-Me treatment inactivated extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling in acute myelogenous leukemia cells. Whether treatment with CDDO-Me has an earlier effect on other p...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of matrine on breast cancer and its underlying mechanism. Matrine is a major component of Sophora flavescens, exhibited antitumor activity in a number of neoplasms, including breast cancer. The present study revealed that matrine inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in 4T1 and MCF-7 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner i...