Inactivated Sendai virus strain Tianjin induces apoptosis in breast cancer MCF-7 cells by promoting caspase activation and Fas/FasL expression.

Virotherapy represents a promising new approach for treating cancer. Here the authors have analyzed the effect of ultraviolet-inactivated Sendai virus strain Tianjin (UV-Tianjin) on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, UV-Tianjin inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and T47D breast cancer cell lines, although MCF-7 cells were most susceptible to UV-Tianjin treatment. Hoechst staining and flow cytometric analysis of UV-Tianjin-treated MCF-7 cells revealed that UV-Tianjin induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, UV-Tianjin treatment resulted in reductions in the mitochondria membrane potential of MCF-7 cells and regulated the levels and activities of Bcl-2, Bax, cyt c, caspases, Fas, and Fas ligand (FasL). In vivo, UV-Tianjin inhibited the growth of MCF-7 tumors in nude mice and increased tumor cell apoptosis compared with saline-treated controls. In addition, the percentage of tumor cells positive for cleaved versions of caspase-7, caspase-8, and caspase-9 was higher in UV-Tianjin-treated tumors than in saline-treated controls. In summary, UV-Tianjin exhibited the antitumor activity in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells both in vitro and in vivo. The UV-Tianjin treatment seemed to induce apoptosis by activating both the mitochondrial and death receptor apoptotic pathways.