title: Resveratrol impairs the formation of MDA-MB-231 multicellular tumor spheroids concomitant with ceramide accumulation.
abstract: Resveratrol exerts a drastic growth inhibitory effect on human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells grown both in vitro and in vivo. Here we show that resveratrol affects the aggregation properties of MDA-MB-231 cells into multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTSs), in association with induction of de novo synthesis of ceramide. After 9 days of 3D growth in the presence of resveratrol (64 microM), MDA-MB-231 cells formed significantly smaller MCTSs. Further, cells from these aggregates failed to form colonies. Addition of resveratrol (64 microM) to preformed MDA-MB-231 MCTSs caused no significant size change, consistent with lack of ceramide induction. Only some apoptotic blebs were found on the MCTSs surface. Altogether these findings indicate that resveratrol might be effective for prevention of breast cancer cell growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Genetics for Health Sciences, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Ersilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dolfini
authors.forename: Leda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roncoroni
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dogliotti
authors.forename: Giusy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Erba
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sacchi
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghidoni
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects; D002518:Ceramides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077185:Resveratrol; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*; D013267:Stilbenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D013267:Stilbenes; D000077185:Resveratrol