title: Chemotherapeutic Vulnerability of Triple-negative Breast Cancer Cell-derived Tumors to Pretreatment with Vernonia amygdalina Aqueous Extracts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Unresponsive to most clinical therapies, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the dominant biological cause of population-based racioethnic disparities in breast cancer mortality in the United States. We report the chemotherapeutic vulnerability of TNBC cells and stem cell-derived tumors to Vernonia amygdalina aqueous leaf extracts (VA extracts). VA extracts arrest cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in vitro and inhibit growth of implanted tumors and show chemo-preventive efficacy in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  H(RAS) cells and MDA-MB-468 cells were subcutaneously implanted into nude mice with or without pretreatment with VA extracts before chemotherapeutic treatment with VA extracts and/or paclitaxel to evaluate their ability to inhibit tumor growth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most significant reduction in tumor volume was observed in the MDA-MB-468 cell-induced tumors following VA extract pre-treatment compared to those from HRAS cell implantation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VA extracts induce apoptosis, exhibit additive effects, inhibit tumor growth and display chemo-preventive actions against TNBCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Science Engineering and Technology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, U.S.A. carolyn.b.howard@jsums.edu.
authors.forename: Carolyn B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Science Engineering and Technology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Roderick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McDowell
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Science Engineering and Technology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Kidus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Feleke
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Science Engineering and Technology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Evangeline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Deer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Science Engineering and Technology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Symone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stamps
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Easter
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thames
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Vikash
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Shehla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pervin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D035741:Vernonia / Q000737:chemistry; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Vernonia amygdalina; anticancer; aqueous extracts; chemo-preventive; chemotherapeutic; triple-negative breast cancer