Jacalin-Curcumin Complex Sensitizes the Breast Cancer MDA-MB-231 Cell Line
Lidiya Petrova1, Nikolay Gergov2, Marie Stoup3
1Department of Biology, Medical University-Pleven, "St. Kliment Ohridski" Str. 1, 5800 Pleven, Bulgaria.
Abstract:
Protein-drug interactions are crucial for understanding drug delivery and cell functions. Jacalin is a suitable molecule for such targeting, as it specifically recognizes the tumor-associated Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigen that is expressed on the glycosylated proteins in cancer cells. The present paper describes the interaction of curcumin and jacalin, a possible carrier molecule for the delivery of antitumor drugs due to its ability to recognize tumor cells. Our results have shown that both steady-state fluorescence and fluorescent labelling of jacalin are two reliable methods to determine jacalin-curcumin interactions. The affinity of jacalin for curcumin is consistently within the micromolar range (using fluorescence and microscale thermophoresis) showing high-affinity binding of the complex. In vitro experiments on triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells indicated inhibition of cell growth after treating with the jacalin-curcumin complex for 48 h. The cell survival fraction was significantly reduced to 50% after combined treatment. In this paper, we report for the first time about the jacalin-curcumin interaction. We quantified this unique biomolecular interaction and gathered additional information on the binding event. We observed that the jacalin-curcumin complex inhibits the proliferation of the triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells.
Insights
This study explores the interaction between jacalin and curcumin, a potential cancer drug delivery system. The jacalin-curcumin complex effectively inhibits triple-negative breast cancer cell growth.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Protein-drug interactions are key for drug delivery and cellular function.
- Jacalin targets the Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigen on cancer cells.
- Curcumin is investigated as an antitumor agent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interaction between jacalin and curcumin.
- To evaluate the potential of the jacalin-curcumin complex as a targeted cancer therapy.
- To quantify the biomolecular interaction and binding characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy.
- Fluorescent labeling of jacalin.
- Microscale thermophoresis.
- In vitro cell culture experiments using MDA-MB-231 cells.
Main Results:
- Jacalin and curcumin exhibit high-affinity binding in the micromolar range.
- Fluorescence methods reliably detect jacalin-curcumin interactions.
- The jacalin-curcumin complex significantly inhibited MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cell proliferation.
- Cell survival was reduced to 50% after 48 hours of treatment.
Conclusions:
- The jacalin-curcumin interaction has been characterized for the first time.
- The jacalin-curcumin complex shows promise as a targeted therapeutic for triple-negative breast cancer.
- This complex offers a novel approach for delivering antitumor drugs to cancer cells.
