Doxorubicin inhibits SIRT2 and NF-kB p65 phosphorylation in Brest cell-line cancer

Doxorubicin (DOXO) is a widely used anti-cancer agent, yet the precise mechanism underlying the induction of tumor cell death remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate new mechanisms by which doxorubicin induces apoptosis in the EMT6 mouse breast carcinoma cell line. The role of doxorubicin was assessed using the XTT assay. The assessment of oxidative stress markers, alongside the analysis of SIRT2 and NF-κB p65 (RelA) phosphorylation inhibition, was conducted. In silico studies, including density functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular docking simulations, were employed to characterize the molecular interactions between doxorubicin and SIRT2. Additionally, doxorubicin was assessed for its capacity to modulate gene expression and associated pathways using multiple bioinformatics tools and web-based platforms. Our finding indicates that Doxorubicin induced apoptosis in EMT6 cells with an IC50 of 8,32 μM. At lower concentrations, doxorubicin enhances the oxidative balance and promotes cell viability. At high concentrations, doxorubicin inhibits SIRT2. Furthermore, an experimental investigation revealed that doxorubicin inhibits RelA phosphorylation. The results also showed that doxorubicin modulated the expression of 19 genes involved in different pathways and several transcription factors. The results of implementing the gene set with SIRT2 and RELA consolidated the experimental results. In conclusion, Doxorubicin was observed to induce EMT6 apoptosis through the inhibition of SIRT2 and RelA proteins. The outcomes of both experimental and bioinformatic studies provide a novel perspective on the biological effects of doxorubicin and underscore the potential of inhibiting the SIRT2-RelA axis as a promising biological target for cancer therapy.