Title:Antitumoral Activity of Indole-3-carbinol Cyclic tri- and Tetrameric Derivatives Mixture in Human Breast Cancer Cells: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies
Volume: 13
Issue: 4
Author(s): Giorgio Brandi, Alessandra Fraternale, Simone Lucarini, Mirko Paiardini, Mauro De Santi, Barbara Cervasi, Maria F. Paoletti, Luca Galluzzi, Andrea Duranti and Mauro Magnani
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Akt, Breast Cancer, FOXO3a, GADD45A, I3C cyclic derivatives, LMW cyclin E, CTr/CTet, p21/CDKN1A, p27/CDKN1B
Abstract: Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and its oligomeric derivatives have been widely studied for their chemopreventive and
chemotherapeutic properties. We have previously shown that the I3C cyclic tetrameric derivative CTet inhibits breast cancer cell
proliferation in vitro and in xenotrasplanted tumor. Here we report the antitumoral activity of a mixture of tri- and tetrameric cyclic I3C
derivatives (CTr/CTet) both in vitro (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines) and in vivo in a tumor xenograft model.
CTr/CTet mixture avoids the low solubility drawbacks of CTet, thus favouring its solubilization, and reducing purification process, time
and costs. CTr/CTet mixture has been shown to inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation (IC50 = 1.3 and 1.6 μg/ml in MCF-7 and MDAMB-
231, respectively) inducing the G0/1 cell cycle phase accumulation. The main molecular events related to CTr/CTet activity are the
overexpression of p21, p27 and GADD45A, nuclear translocation of FOXO3a, inhibition of Akt activity and downregulation of estrogen
receptor. In vivo, the growth of xenotransplanted tumor has been inhibited and the pro-tumoral low molecular weight cyclin E
downregulation has been detected. Our data indicate that CTr/CTet is a potential anticancer combination agent for both hormoneresponsive
and triple-negative breast tumors.
