title: Cyclophosphamide promotes breast cancer cell migration through CXCR4 and matrix metalloproteinases.
abstract: Cyclophosphamide is indicated for the treatment of cancerous diseases such as breast cancer and cervical cancer. Recent studies have shown that cyclophosphamide may induce cancer metastasis, but the cause of this unexpected adverse effect is not fully understood. In this study, we investigate the effect of cyclophosphamide on cancer cell migration and its correlation to chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4), a biomarker for cancer metastasis. Two human cancer cell lines with significant difference in endogenous CXCR4 expression, the breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, and the melanoma cell line, MDA-MB-435S, were treated with various concentrations of cyclophosphamide, followed by the assessment of CXCR4 expression and cell migration. We found that the migration ability of MDA-MB-231 cells was enhanced with increasing concentrations of cyclophosphamide, which induced the cell-surface expression of CXCR4, but had no effect on the overall amount of CXCR4. In MDA-MB-435S cells, in which CXCR4 was barely detectable, cyclophosphamide was unable to activate cell-surface CXCR4, and did not promote cell migration. Studies on the mRNA expression profile of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in MDA-MB-231 cells further indicate that MMP9 and MMP13 may be involved in the action of cyclophosphamide. The protein expression of both MMP9 and MMP13 was increased in the presence of cyclophosphamide. Results from this study provide the molecular basis for the possible pathway of cyclophosphamide to induce cancer metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou, University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chao-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan.|Innovative Research Center of Medicine, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Chiang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan.|Department of Bioscience Technology, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tzu-Yu
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Chang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Innovative Research Center of Medicine, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan.|Department of Bioscience Technology, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mon-Juan
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: C527276:CXCR4 protein, human; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases
keywords: Endoxan; chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4); cyclophosphamide; matrix metalloproteinases; melanoma cells; metastasis