title: 3,3'-Diindolylmethane inhibits angiogenesis and the growth of transplantable human breast carcinoma in athymic mice.
abstract: Studies have linked the consumption of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables to a reduced risk of breast cancer. The phytochemical indole-3-carbinol (I3C), present in cruciferous vegetables, and its major acid-catalyzed reaction product 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) have bioactivities relevant to the inhibition of carcinogenesis. In this study, the effect of DIM on angiogenesis and tumorigenesis in a rodent model was investigated. We found that DIM produced a concentration-dependent decrease in proliferation, migration, invasion and capillary tube formation of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Consistent with its antiproliferative effect, which was significant at only 5 microM DIM, this indole caused a G1 cell cycle arrest in actively proliferating HUVECs. Furthermore, DIM downregulated the expression of cyclin-dependent kinases 2 and 6 (CDK2, CDK6), and upregulated the expression of CDK inhibitor, p27(Kip1), in HUVECs. We observed further in a complementary in vivo Matrigel plug angiogenesis assay that, compared with vehicle control, neovascularization was inhibited up to 76% following the administration of 5 mg/kg DIM to female C57BL/6 mice. Finally, this dose of DIM also inhibited the growth of human MCF-7 cell tumor xenografts by up to 64% in female athymic (nu/nu) mice, compared with the vehicle control. This is the first study to show that DIM can strongly inhibit the development of human breast tumor in a xenograft model and to provide evidence for the antiangiogenic properties of this dietary indole.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaofei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Janet C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tou
authors.forename: Chibo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Hyeon-A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jacques E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Riby
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Firestone
authors.forename: Leonard F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Bjeldanes
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D016193:G1 Phase / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000637:transplantation; D014471:Umbilical Veins; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D007211:Indoles; C016392:3,3'-diindolylmethane