Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Jalal Ale Ahmad Highway, P.O. Box: 14115-111, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Nano-Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, 14115-175, Tehran, Iran.
Sci Rep. 2023 May 31;13(1):8844. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-35767-4.
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Magnetic fields have shown anti-tumor effects in vitro and in vivo as a non-invasive therapy method that can affect cellular metabolism remotely. Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most commonly used drugs for treating breast cancer patients. It can be assumed that combining chemotherapy and magnetotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for breast cancer. This study aimed to investigate the potential cytotoxic effect of DOX at low concentrations in combination with extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF; 50 Hz; 20 mT). The breast cancer cell line MCF-7 was examined for oxidative stress, cell cycle, and apoptosis. MCF-7 cells were treated with various concentrations of DOX as an apoptosis-inducing agent and ELF-EMF. Cytotoxicity was examined using the MTT colorimetric assay at 12, 24, and 48 h. Consequently, concentration- and time-dependent cytotoxicity was observed in MCF-7 cells for DOX within 24 h. The MTT assay results used showed that a 2 μM concentration of DOX reduced cell viability to 50% compared with control, and as well, the combination of ELF-EMF and DOX reduced cell viability to 50% compared with control at > 0.25 μM doses for 24 h. In MCF-7 cells, combining 0.25 μM DOX with ELF-EMF resulted in increased ROS levels and DOX-induced apoptosis. Flow cytometry analysis, on the other hand, revealed enhanced arrest of MCF-7 cells in the G0-G1 phase of the cell cycle, as well as inducing apoptotic cell death in MCF-7 cells, implying that the synergistic effects of 0.25 μM DOX and ELF-EMF may represent a novel and effective agent against breast cancer.
乳腺癌是全球女性癌症死亡的主要原因之一。磁场已显示出体外和体内的抗肿瘤作用，作为一种非侵入性的治疗方法，可以远程影响细胞代谢。阿霉素（DOX）是治疗乳腺癌患者最常用的药物之一。可以假设化疗和磁疗相结合是治疗乳腺癌最有效的方法之一。本研究旨在研究低浓度 DOX 与极低频电磁场（ELF-EMF；50 Hz；20 mT）联合使用对乳腺癌细胞 MCF-7 的潜在细胞毒性作用。检测 MCF-7 细胞的氧化应激、细胞周期和细胞凋亡。用不同浓度的 DOX 作为凋亡诱导剂和 ELF-EMF 处理 MCF-7 细胞。在 12、24 和 48 h 时用 MTT 比色法检测细胞毒性。结果显示，24 h 内 DOX 对 MCF-7 细胞的浓度和时间依赖性细胞毒性。MTT 检测结果显示，2 μM DOX 浓度使细胞活力降低至 50%，与对照组相比，而 ELF-EMF 与 DOX 联合作用使细胞活力降低至 50%，24 h 时剂量大于 0.25 μM。在 MCF-7 细胞中，0.25 μM DOX 与 ELF-EMF 联合作用导致 ROS 水平升高和 DOX 诱导的细胞凋亡。另一方面，流式细胞术分析显示 MCF-7 细胞细胞周期 G0-G1 期阻滞增强，并诱导 MCF-7 细胞凋亡，这表明 0.25 μM DOX 和 ELF-EMF 的协同作用可能代表一种针对乳腺癌的新型有效药物。
