Integrative systems biology and in-vitro analysis of cryptolepine's therapeutic role in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Chemotherapy faces challenges like drug resistance, side effects, and recurrence, underscoring the need for innovative therapies. This study explores cryptolepine, a natural compound, for its therapeutic potential against heterogeneous BC by targeting specific molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

we conducted an ADMET analysis to assess cryptolepine's pharmacokinetic properties and drug-likeness. Target prediction was performed using SWISS-TARGET-PREDICTION and Integrative Pharmacology for BC. Identified targets were cross-referenced with BC-related genes from Gene Atlas, TCGA, and OMIM. Protein-protein interactions were analyzed using STRING, and pathway enrichment was assessed using KEGG and ShinyGO. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations evaluated cryptolepine's binding efficacy while in-vitro assays, including proliferation studies and mRNA expression analysis, validated these findings.

RESULTS

Cryptolepine demonstrated favorable drug-likeness and multi-target activity, interacting with key cancer pathways such as p53, STAT3, and PI3K-Akt. Network pharmacology revealed its potential to reduce drug resistance. Cryptolepine regulated important genes (PTGS2, STAT3, CCND1) across critical pathways (cAMP, PI3K/AKT, P53, IL6/JAK2/STAT3). Molecular docking confirmed strong binding (ΔG - 8.2 kcal/mol), and in-vitro assays showed IC50 values of 4.6 μM for MDA-MB-231 and 3.1 μM for Mcf-7. mRNA expression analysis indicated increased cytochrome C and BAX, while pro-caspase levels decreased.

CONCLUSION

Cryptolepine shows promise as a therapeutic candidate for BC. Future research should optimize its pharmacological profile for specificity and reduced toxicity.