Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Department of Science, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Apr 5;24(7):6764. doi: 10.3390/ijms24076764.
Breast cancer is the most frequent form of cancer occurring in women of any age. Among the different types, the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype is recognized as the most severe form, being associated with the highest mortality rate. Currently, there are no effective treatments for TNBC. For this reason, the research of novel therapeutics is urgently needed. Natural products and their analogs have historically made a major contribution to pharmacotherapy and the treatment of various human diseases, including cancer. In this study, we explored the potential anti-cancer effects of erucin, the most abundant HS-releasing isothiocyanate present in arugula (Eruca sativa) in MDA-MB-231 cells, a validated in vitro model of TNBC. We found that erucin, in a concentration-dependent manner, significantly inhibited MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis and autophagy. Additionally, erucin prevented intracellular ROS generation promoting the expression of key antioxidant genes and halted MDA-MB-231 cell migration, invasion, and colony formation. In conclusion, using a cellular and molecular biology approach, we show that the consumption of erucin could represent a novel and promising strategy for intervention against TNBC.
乳腺癌是任何年龄段女性最常见的癌症类型。在不同类型中，三阴性乳腺癌（TNBC）被认为是最严重的一种，与最高的死亡率相关。目前，TNBC 没有有效的治疗方法。因此，迫切需要研究新的治疗方法。天然产物及其类似物在药物治疗和治疗各种人类疾病（包括癌症）方面做出了重大贡献。在这项研究中，我们探讨了芝麻菜（Eruca sativa）中含量最丰富的 HS 释放异硫氰酸酯——erucin，对 MDA-MB-231 细胞（TNBC 的一种已验证的体外模型）的潜在抗癌作用。我们发现 erucin 以浓度依赖的方式通过诱导细胞凋亡和自噬显著抑制 MDA-MB-231 细胞增殖。此外，erucin 可防止细胞内 ROS 的产生，促进关键抗氧化基因的表达，并阻止 MDA-MB-231 细胞迁移、侵袭和集落形成。总之，我们通过细胞和分子生物学方法表明，erucin 的摄入可能代表一种针对 TNBC 的新的有前途的干预策略。
