• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2013

Background: Tumor angiogenesis correlates with recurrence and appears to be a prognostic factor for both breast and prostate cancers. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the correlation of microvessel density (MVD), a measure of angiogenesis, with nuclear pleomorphism, mitotic count, and vascular invasion in breast and prostate cancers at preclinical and clinical levels. Methods: Samples from xenograft tumors of luminal B breast cancer and prostate adenocarcinoma, established by BT-474 and PC-3 cell lines, respectively, and commensurate human paraffin-embedded blocks were obtained. To determine MVD, specimens were immunostained for CD-34. Nuclear pleomorphism, mitotic count, and vascular invasion were determined using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides. Results: MVD showed significant correlations with nuclear pleomorphism (r=0.68, P=0.03) and vascular invasion (r=0.77, P=0.009) in breast cancer. In prostate cancer, MVD was significantly correlated with nuclear pleomorphism (r=0.75, P=0.013) and mitotic count (r=0.75, P=0.012). In the breast cancer xenograft model, a significant correlation was observed between MVD and vascular invasion (r=0.87, P=0.011). In the prostate cancer xenograft model, MVD was significantly correlated with all three parameters (nuclear pleomorphism, r=0.95, P=0.001; mitotic count, r=0.91, P=0.001; and vascular invasion, r=0.79, P=0.017; respectively). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that MVD is correlated with nuclear pleomorphism, mitotic count, and vascular invasion at both preclinical and clinical levels. This study therefore supports the predictive value of MVD in breast and prostate cancers.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.212-217
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• 2020

Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) serves as a key factor in the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells and is a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain largely unknown. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is induced and over-expressed in various cancers and is associated with features of tumor aggressiveness. Recent studies have shown that HO-1 is a major downstream target of PPARγ. In this study, we investigated the effects of induction of HO-1 by PPARγ on TPA-induced MMP-9 expression and cell invasion using MCF-7 breast cancer cells. TPA treatment increased NF-κB /AP-1 DNA binding as well as MMP-9 expression. These effects were significantly blocked by 15d-PGJ₂, a natural PPARγ ligand. 15d-PGJ₂ induced HO-1 expression in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, HO-1 siRNA significantly attenuated the inhibition of TPA-induced MMP-9 protein expression and cell invasion by 15d-PGJ₂. These results suggest that 15d-PGJ₂ inhibits TPA-induced MMP-9 expression and invasion of MCF-7 cells by means of a heme oxygenase-1-dependent mechanism. Therefore, PPARγ/HO-1 signaling-pathway inhibition may be beneficial for prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.379-387
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• 2024

Breast cancer (BC) is most commonly diagnosed worldwide. Liquiritigenin is a flavonoid found in various species of the Glycyrrhiza genus, showing anti-tumor activity. This article was to explore the influences of liquiritigenin on the biological behaviors of BC cells and its underlying mechanism. BC cells were treated with liquiritigenin alone or transfected with oe-HSP90 before liquiritigenin treatment. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were employed to examine the levels of HSP90, Snail, E-cadherin, HSC70, and LAMP-2A. Cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion were evaluated by performing MTT, colony formation, scratch, and Transwell assays, respectively. Liquiritigenin treatment reduced HSP90 and Snail levels and enhanced E-cadherin expression as well as inhibiting the proliferation, migration, and invasion of BC cells. Moreover, liquiritigenin treatment decreased the expression of HSC70 and LAMP-2A, proteins related to chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). HSP90 overexpression promoted the CMA, invasion, and migration of BC cells under liquiritigenin treatment. Liquiritigenin inhibits HSP90-mediated CMA, thereby suppressing BC cell growth.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3507-3511
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• 2012

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate possible mechanisms of LOX gene effects on invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells by RNA interference. Methods: LOX-RNAi-LV was designed, synthesized, and then transfected into a breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231). Expression of LOX, MMP-2 and MMP-9 was determined by real-time PCR, and protein expression of LOX by Western blotting. Cell migration and invasiveness were assessed with Transwell chambers. A total of 111 cases of breast cancer tissues, cancer-adjacent normal breast tissues, and 20 cases of benign lesion tissues were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Results: Expression of LOX mRNA and protein was suppressed, and the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was significantly lower in the RNAi group than the control group (P<0.05), after LOX-RNAi-LV was transfection into MDA-MB-231 cells. Migration and invasion abilities were obviously inhibited. The expression of LOX protein in breast cancer, cancer-adjacent normal breast tissues and benign breast tumor were 48.6% (54/111), 26.1% (29/111), 20.0% (4/20), respectively, associations being noted with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor size and ER, PR, HER2, but not age. LOX protein was positively correlated with MMP-2 and MMP-9. Conclusion: LOX displayed an important role in invasion and metastasis of breast cancer by regulating MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression which probably exerted synergistic effects on the extracellular matrix (ECM).

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.288-292
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• 2009

Interactions between tumor cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) strongly influence tumor development, affecting cell survival, proliferation and migration. Fibronectin, a major component of ECM, has been shown to interact with integrins especially the ${\alpha}5{\beta}1$ integrin. Cell invasion and metastasis are often associated with matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) which are capable of digesting the different components of the ECM and basement membrane. MMP-2 is produced as a latent pro-MMP-2 (72 kDa) to be activated, resulting the 62 kDa active MMP-2. In this study, we investigated the effect of fibronectin on activation of pro-MMP-2 and the cellular invasiveness in H-Ras-transformed MCF10A human breast epithelial cells. Here we show that fibronectin induces activation of pro-MMP-2 and up-regulation of MT1-MMP and TIMP-2 in H-Ras MCF10A cells. These results demonstrate that H-Ras MCF10A cells secrete high levels of active MMP-2 when cultured with fibronectin, suggesting a possible interaction between the ECM network and H-Ras MCF10A cells to generate active MMP-2 which is important for proteolysis and ECM remodeling. Invasive and migratory abilities of H-Ras MCF10A cells were enhanced by fibronectin. Fibronectin up-regulated the expression of ${\beta}1$ integrin which may play a role in cellular responses exerted by fibronectin. Since acquisition of pro-MMP-2 activation can be associated with increased malignant progression, this study provides a mechanism for the cell surface-matrix degrading effect of fibronectin which will be crucial to breast cell invasion and migration.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.375-380
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• 2011

This study investigated the effects of inorganic sulfur on metastasis in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured in the absence or presence of various concentrations (12.5, 25, or 50 ${\mu}mol$/L) of inorganic sulfur. Cell motility, invasion, and the activity and mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) were examined. Numbers of viable MDA-MB-231 cells did not differ by inorganic sulfur treatment from 0 to 50 ${\mu}mol$/L within 48 h. Inorganic sulfur significantly decreased cell motility and invasion in the MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05), as determined using a Boyden chamber assay and a Matrigel chamber. The activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were significantly reduced by inorganic sulfur in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The inorganic sulfur also significantly inhibited MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression in the cells (P<0.05). These data suggest that inorganic sulfur can suppress cancer cell motility and invasion by inhibiting MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity and gene expression in MDA-MB-231 cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.759-765
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• 2014

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2), which is known to have tumor suppressor functions, is frequently down-regulated in breast cancers and potentially involved in preventing the migration and invasion of malignant tumor cells. In the present study, we examined the inhibitory effects of NDRG2 overexpression, specifically focusing on the role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the migration of breast cancer cells. NDRG2 overexpression in MDA-MB-231 cells inhibited the expression of the COX-2 mRNA and protein, the transcriptional activity of COX-2, and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) production, which were induced by a treatment with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). Nuclear transcription factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) signaling attenuated by NDRG2 expression resulted in a decrease in PMA-induced COX-2 expression. Interestingly, the inhibition of COX-2 strongly suppressed PMA-stimulated migration and invasion in MDA-MB-231-NDRG2 cells. Moreover, siRNA-mediated knockdown of NDRG2 in MCF7 cells increased the COX-2 mRNA and protein expression levels and the PMA-induced COX-2 expression levels. Consistent with these results, the migration and invasion of MCF7 cells treated with NDRG2 siRNA were significantly enhanced following treatment with PMA. Taken together, our data show that the inhibition of NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling by NDRG2 expression is able to suppress cell migration and invasion through the down-regulation of COX-2 expression.

• Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2016

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignant disease in women. The patients with advanced breast cancer develop metastasis to bone. Bone metastasis and skeletal-related events by breast cancer are frequently associated with the invasiveness of breast cancer cells and osteoclasts-mediated bone resorption. Forsythia koreana is used in oriental traditional medicine to treat asthma, atopy, and allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of F. koreana extracts on the invasion of breast cancer cells and bone resorption by osteoclasts. Methods: Cell viability was measured by an MTT assay and the migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells were detected by a Boyden chamber assay. The formation of osteoclasts and pit was detected using tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining and calcium phosphate-coated plates, respectively. The activities of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and cathepsin K were evaluated by gelatin zymography and a cathepsin K detection kit. Results: The fruit and leaf extracts of F. koreana significantly inhibited the invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells at noncytotoxic concentrations. The fruit extract of F. koreana reduced the transforming growth factor ${\beta}1-induced$ migration, invasion and MMPs activities of MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, the fruit, branch, and leaf extracts of F. koreana also inhibited the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand-induced osteoclast formation and osteoclast-mediated bone-resorbing activity by reducing the activities of MMPs and cathepsin K. Conclusions: The extracts of F. koreana may possess the potential to inhibit the breast cancer-induced bone destruction through blocking invasion of breast cancer cells, osteoclastogenesis, and the activity of mature osteoclasts.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.629-633
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• 2009

The present study investigated the antimetastatic property of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) by evaluating motility, invasion, and the amount and activity of MMP-9 in MDA-MB-231 human breast carcinoma cells. Treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells with increasing concentrations of COS led to a concentration-dependent decrease in cell migration. COS significantly inhibited the invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells through a Matrigel-coated membrane. The treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells with COS reduced the amounts of secreted MMP-9. The activity and amount of MMP-9 protein in MDA-MB-231 cells were decreased by treatment with COS and occurred in a concentration-dependent manner. Our data indicated that COS can serve as a potential novel therapeutic candidate for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.782-788
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• 2013

Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herbich var. latilobum Kitamura (Compositae), colloquially known "Gujulcho" in Korea, has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, including cough, common cold, bladder-related disorders, gastroenteric disorders, hypertension, and inflammatory diseases, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, pharyngitis, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) However, the effect of Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum on breast cancer invasion is unknown. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum extract (CZE) on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression and cell invasion, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in MCF-7 cells. CZE were not cytotoxic up to 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ concentration in the MCF-7 cell line. CZE decreased MMP-9 expression. TPA substantially increased NF-${\kappa}B$ DNA binding activity. Pre-treatment with CZE inhibited TPA-stimulated NF-${\kappa}B$ binding activity and NF-${\kappa}B$ related protein expression. To identify invasion ability of MCF-7 cells decreased by CZE, we used martrigel invasion assay. As a result, it is significantly decreased cell invasion. These results indicate that CZE-mediated inhibition of TPA-induced MMP-9 expression and cell invasion involves the suppression of the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway in MCF-7 cells. Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum may have potential value in restricting breast cancer metastasis.