title: Apoptotic effect of tolfenamic acid on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and xenograft tumors.
abstract: Recent studies have indicated that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), particularly tolfenamic acid, can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis invarious cancer cells. Breast cancer represents one-third of all cancers diagnosed in women and is the second leading cause of cancer death in Western European and North American women. In the present study, we investigated the apoptotic effect of tolfenamic acid in MDA-MB-231 estrogen receptor-negative human breast carcinoma cells and in a xenograft tumor model. Treatment of cells with tolfenamic acid significantly decreased cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Notably, tolfenamic acid increased apoptosis-related proteins, such as p53 and p21, within 48 h. Furthermore, in vivo experiments showed that tolfenamic acid treatment resulted in a significant reduction in tumor volume over 5 weeks. Immunohistochemistry results showed that apoptosis-related protein induction by tolfenamic acid was significantly higher in the 50 mg/kg-treated group compared to the control group. Together, these results indicate that tolfenamic acid induces apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and tumor xenograft model and it may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent against breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Companion and Laboratory Animal Science, Kongju National University, Yesan 340-702, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyeong-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung-Dae
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: So-Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Changsun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jong-Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeong-Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Ki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Han Kwon
authors.forename: Kyung-Sun
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Ji-Youn
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Jung
keywords: MDA-MB-231; apoptosis; p21; p53; tolfenamic acid