Bisphosphonates induce apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines
2000
Bisphosphonates and Breast Cancer Cell Death
publication
Evidence: high
Author Information
Author(s): Senaratne S G, Pirianov G, Mansi J L, Arnett T R, Colston K W
Primary Institution: St George's Hospital Medical School
Hypothesis
Bisphosphonates may have a direct effect on breast cancer cells.
Conclusion
Bisphosphonates significantly reduce cell viability and induce apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines.
Supporting Evidence
- All four bisphosphonates significantly reduced cell viability in all three cell lines.
- Zoledronate was the most potent bisphosphonate with IC50 values of 15, 20 and 3 μM respectively in MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and Hs 578T cells.
- An increase in the proportion of cells having morphological features characteristic of apoptosis was observed.
- There was a time-dependent increase in the percentage of fragmented chromosomal DNA.
- Down-regulation in bcl-2 protein was noted.
- Proteolytic cleavage of PARP indicated apoptosis.
Takeaway
Bisphosphonates are medicines that can help kill breast cancer cells and make them die.
Methodology
The study investigated the effects of bisphosphonates on breast cancer cell lines using various assays to measure growth, viability, and apoptosis.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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