The natural compound magnolol inhibits invasion and exhibits potential in human breast cancer therapy.
Invasion and metastasis are the main causes of treatment failure and death in breast cancer. Thus, novel invasion-based therapies such as those involving natural agents are urgently required. In this study, we examined the effects of magnolol (Mag), a compound extracted from medicinal herbs, on breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Highly invasive cancer cells were found to be highly sensitive to treatment. Mag markedly inhibited the activity of highly invasive MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, Mag significantly downregulated matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression, an enzyme critical to tumor invasion. Mag also inhibited nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcriptional activity and the DNA binding of NF-κB to MMP-9 promoter. These results indicate that Mag suppresses tumor invasion by inhibiting MMP-9 through the NF-κB pathway. Moreover, Mag overcame the promoting effects of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on the invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells. Our findings reveal the therapeutic potential and mechanism of Mag against cancer.
1] School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China [2] The Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Gene & Antibody Therapy, State Key Laboratory of Health Science & Technology (prep), Center for Biotechnology & Biomedicine and Division of Life & Health Sciences, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China [3].
Ying
Y
Liu
Wei
W
Cao
Bo
B
Zhang
Yong-qiang
YQ
Liu
Zhong-yuan
ZY
Wang
Yan-ping
YP
Wu
Xian-Jun
XJ
Yu
Xu-dong
XD
Zhang
Ping-hong
PH
Ming
Guang-biao
GB
Zhou
Laiqiang
L
Huang
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D064593:Heterografts; D006801:Humans; D017705:Lignans / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D047368:Tumor Burden / Q000187:drug effects
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001688:Biological Products; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D017705:Lignans; D016328:NF-kappa B; C005498:magnolol; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9