MART-10, a 1α,25(OH)₂D₃ Analog, Potently Represses Metastasis of ER⁺ Breast Cancer Cells with VEGF-A Overexpression

Breast cancer ranks second in the list of cancer-related deaths for women. Even under multidisciplinary treatment, 25-50% of patients with breast cancer still ultimately develop metastasis, leading to poor prognosis. In addition to inducing angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is believed to directly increase cancer cell metastatic potential and overexpression of VEGF-A is associated with higher invasiveness of breast cancer. 1α,25(OH)₂D₃, the active form of vitamin D, and its analogs have been widely applied as anticancer agents in the past.

Western blot, migration and invasion assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunofluorescent stain were applied in this study.

VEGF-A increased cell migration and invasion in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer MCF-7 cells. VEGF-A induced an autocrine loop in MCF-7 cells as VEGF-A treatment increased both VEGF-A expression and secretion. The expression of VEGF receptor type 2 (VEGFR2) and neuropilin 1 was also up-regulated by VEGF-A in MCF-7 cells. In addition, F-actin synthesis and LIM domain kinase 1 (LIMK-1) phosphorylation were increased by VEGF-A. VEGF-A also increased β-catenin expression and nuclear translocation of both β-catenin and nuclear factor-ĸB (NF-ĸB), indicating increased β-catenin and NF-ĸB activity. 1α,25(OH)₂D₃ and MART-10, an analog of 1α,25(OH)₂D₃, effectively repressed VEGF-A-induced MCF-7 cell migration and invasion and other VEGF-A-induced effects on MCF-7 cells, with MART-10 being more potent than 1α,25(OH)₂D₃ Conclusion: MART-10 can be deemed as a promising agent for prevention and treatment of metastasis of ER+ breast cancer with VEGF-A overexpression.