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Anti-proliferative effect of digoxin on breast cancer cells via inducing apoptosis
1Tangshan People's Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei, China. yanjinyin2014@yeah.net.
Insights
Digoxin, a heart medication, shows potential as an anti-cancer drug. It effectively inhibited breast cancer cell growth and induced apoptosis in vitro, suggesting a new therapeutic avenue.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside primarily used for heart conditions.
- Its anti-tumor properties have not been extensively studied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the anti-cancer effects of digoxin on the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line.
- To explore the pharmacological activity of digoxin in breast cancer treatment.
Main Methods:
- Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay for cell proliferation.
- Flow cytometry and acridine orange staining for apoptosis analysis.
- Western blot to assess Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression.
Main Results:
- Digoxin demonstrated dose-dependent inhibition of breast cancer cell growth.
- Apoptotic cell numbers were significantly increased following digoxin treatment.
- Digoxin altered the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, reducing Bcl-2 and increasing Bax, thus increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.
Conclusions:
- Digoxin exhibits potential anti-tumor activity against breast cancer cells in vitro.
- The mechanism may involve the induction of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis.
Objective:
Digoxin is a kind of plant-derived cardiac glycoside that is mainly used to treat heart diseases, especially in congestive heart failure or arrhythmia. However, its potentiality presented in anti-tumor remains unexplored. The purpose of this study was designed to investigate the beneficial pharmacological activity of digoxin on breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231, MM231).
Materials And Methods:
The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was utilized to detect the proliferation of the breast cancer MM231. The apoptotic cell numbers were determined by the flow cytometry analysis. The expressions of Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma-2) and Bax (Bcl2-associated X protein) were detected by Western blot analysis.
Results:
Digoxin dose-dependently blocked the cell growth of the breast cancer MM231 through MTT assay, whereas the apoptotic numbers were significantly elevated as reflected in acridine orange staining and flow cytometry analysis. In addition, findings from Western blotting method indicated that digoxin intervention showed reduced Bcl-2 expression and elevated Bax level in MM231 cells, characterized by increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.
Conclusions:
Digoxin plays a potential anti-tumor role in breast cancer in vitro, possibly by inducing mitochondria-dependent apoptosis.
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