• International Journal of Oncology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.1509-1520
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• 2020

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway plays an important role in human cancer as it regulates critical cellular functions, such as survival, proliferation and metabolism. In the present study, a novel PI3Kα inhibitor (HS-146) was synthesized and its anticancer effects on MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, SKBR3 and BT-474 human breast cancer cell lines were confirmed. HS-146 was found to be most effective in inhibiting the proliferation of MCF-7 cells and in inducing cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase by downregulating cyclin D1, cyclin E, cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)2 and Cdk4, and upregulating p21Waf1/Cip1 protein levels in this cell line. The induction of apoptosis by HS-146 was confirmed by DAPI staining and western blot analysis. Cell shrinkage and nuclear condensation, which are typical morphological markers of apoptosis, were increased by HS-146 in the MCF-7 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, and HS-146 also increased the protein expression levels of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and decreased the protein expression levels of Mcl-1 and caspase-7. In addition, HS-146 effectively decreased the phosphorylation levels of downstream PI3K effectors, such as Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), p70S6K1 and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1). Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression were also suppressed by HS-146 under hypoxic conditions, and HS-146 inhibited the migration and invasion of MCF-7 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. On the whole, the findings of the present study suggest that HS-146, a novel PI3Kα inhibitor, may be an effective novel therapeutic candidate that suppresses breast cancer proliferation and metastasis by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.44-68
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• 2018

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the trend in the research on breast cancer using traditional Korean medicine (TKM) and establish the direction for further study. Methods: Breast cancer studies using Korean medicine were searched using the Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS). The search term was 'breast' and there was no restriction in year. The searched studies were analyzed according to the type of research. Results: 1. 83 studies were searched. The types and numbers of study were as follows: 42 were in vitro studies, 5 were in vivo studies, 12 were studies for review, and 27 were clinical research including case reports. 2. Various cell lines such as MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, SKBR3, and MCF-10A were used for in vitro studies. The studies reported a decrease in cell viability, induction of apoptosis, and change of expression in cancer-related genes. In vivo studies also reported induction of apoptosis, and anti-proliferative activity of herbal medicine against the cancer cells. 3. Among the clinical research, 8 were cross-sectional studies, 3 were controlled-trial, and 15 were case reports. The baseline characteristics of breast cancer patients were analyzed in the cross-sectional studies. Interventions such as pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, massage, Qi gong, acupuncture, electroacupuncture and moxibustion were used in clinical research. 4. Research on the review of breast cancer covered various subjects as follows: herbal medicine, acupuncture, pattern identification of breast cancer in traditional Korean medicine, analysis of previous experimental studies, and clinical trials. Conclusion: We have found the applicability of TKM for treatment of breast cancer through this review. It is necessary to conduct further studies, such as well-designed clinical trials based on the results from experimental research.