Berberine Inhibits MDA-MB-231 Cells by Attenuating Their Inflammatory Responses

Abstract

Breast cancer initiation is closely associated with cytokines that can change the inflammatory tumor microenvironment. Compounds extracted from plants have been explored for the possibility of cancer treatment in the recent decades. Berberine is an isoquinoline plant alkaloid with remarkable antioxidant and anti-inflammation roles, which is used in ethnic medicines, including traditional Chinese and North American medicine. In the present study, we investigated the effects of berberine on the malignant tumor cell behaviors in a breast cell line, MDA-MB-231. We found that berberine could not influence the cell viability in normal condition but was able to decrease the cancer cell migration capability in a scratch wound model and accordingly prolong the wound healing time. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that berberine inhibited the increased phosphorylation of c-Jun and c-Fos in these scratched cancer cells. With the cotreatment with LPS, which could boost the expression of cytokines in these cancer cells, berberine significantly reduced the increased expression of TNF-α and IL-6. Meanwhile, we found that berberine inhibited the activation of NF-κB by preventing the degradation of IκBα.

Berberine as a Potential Anticancer Agent: A Comprehensive Review

“…Zhao and Zhang recently investigated the role of berberine regarding the behavior of the MDA-MB-231 malignant breast tumor cell line. Namely, BBR reduced cell migration ability, provoked inhibition of phosphorylation, decreased overexpression of the tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and Interleukin 6 (IL-6), and induced suppression of the nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated β cells (NF-Κβ) [ 47 ].…”

Biological Activity of Berberine—A Summary Update

“…Downregulation of key lipogenic enzymes, leading to suppression of lipid synthesis, which is linked to cell proliferation through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, has been described as one of the anticancer mechanisms of berberine [ 53 ]. Similarly, the influence on JNK kinases described above is important in anticancer and chemopreventive activity based on the influence on lipid metabolism [ 94 , 95 ].…”

Hyaluronan/Poly-L-lysine/Berberine Nanogels for Impaired Wound Healing

“…This finding can be related to the electrostatic interactions occurring between HA and berberine, which made HA less available for promoting cell gap disclosure. Indeed, Zhao and coworkers demonstrated that berberine retarded wound healing in vitro of scratched breast cancer cells [ 49 ].…”

“…This finding can be related to the electrostatic interactions occurring between HA and berberine, which made HA less available for promoting cell gap disclosure. Indeed, Zhao and coworkers demonstrated that berberine retarded wound healing in vitro of scratched breast cancer cells [49]. Finally, the wound-closure-promoting properties of the developed nanogels (NG6B, NG6L) were studied using an in vitro wound-healing assay to preliminarily assess the potentiality of the formulated nanogels for wound-healing applications.…”