[Inhibitory effects of capsaicin on migration and invasion of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and its mechanism].

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of capsaicin on migration and invasion of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and its possible mechanism. The MDA-MB-231 cells were incubated in the medium containing different concentrations of capsaicin for 24 h. CCK-8 assay was employed to detect the cell viability. The cell migration and invasion were assessed by wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay, respectively. The protein levels of c-Src, p-c-Src (Tyr416), FAK, p-FAK (Tyr576), Paxillin, p-Paxillin (Tyr118), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and MMP9 in the MDA-MB-231 cells were detected by Western blotting. The mRNA expressions of MMP2 and MMP9 were measured by RT-PCR. The result showed that capsaicin (25 and 50 μmol/L) remarkably reduced the abilities of migration and invasion (P < 0.05), inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Src, FAK and Paxillin (P < 0.05), and down-regulated MMP2 and MMP9 expressions at mRNA and protein levels (P < 0.05) in MDA-MB-231 cells. These effects of capsaicin were all in dose-dependent manners. These results suggest that capsaicin may suppress the migration and invasion of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells by inhibiting the phosphorylations of c-Src, FAK and Paxillin, and down-regulating the mRNA and protein levels of MMP2 and MMP9.