C-Phycocyanin exerts anti-cancer effects via the MAPK signaling pathway in MDA-MB-231 cells

Abstract

BackgroundTriple-negative breast cancer is a biological subtype of breast cancer, which is unresponsive to conventional chemotherapies and has a poor prognosis. C-Phycocyanin (C-PC), a marine natural purified from Spirulina platensis, has been investigated that has anti-cancer function. The mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway plays a crucial role in the development and progression of cancer. Therefore, we would like to study the anti-cancer effects of C-phycocyanin in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer, and explore the role of MAPK pathway in the anti-tumor effects of C-phycocyanin.MethodsCell proliferation, cell cycle, cell apoptosis and cell migration were explored in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell lines. AKT, MAPK and membrane death receptor signaling were evaluated in MDA-MB-231 cell lines.ResultsOur study indicated that C-phycocyanin inhibited cell proliferation and reduced colony formation ability of MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, C-phycocyanin induced cell cycle G0/G1 arrest by decreasing protein expression levels of Cyclin D1 and CDK-2 and increasing protein expression levels of p21 and p27. In addition, C-phycocyanin induced cell apoptotic by activating cell membrane surface death receptor pathway. Besides, C-phycocyanin down-regulated the protein expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2, and further inhibited MDA-MB-231 cells migration. We also found cell death induced by C-phycocyanin was carried through the MAPK signaling pathways. C-Phycocyanin was able to induce MDA-MB-231 cell apoptosis by activating p38 MAPK and JNK signaling pathways while inhibiting ERK pathway.ConclusionsC-Phycocyanin exerted anti-cancer activity via the MAPK signaling pathway in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Lanatoside C Induces G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest and Suppresses Cancer Cell Growth by Attenuating MAPK, Wnt, JAK-STAT, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathways

“…Activated JNK and ERK1/2 could lead to cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase [53], which is also witnessed in our study. The role of p38MAPK and MEK1 was diverse in the cancer cells, as they can promote or inhibit cell survival [54]. In the present study, we showed that Lanatoside C at its lethal doses can alter the mechanism of MAPK signaling and inhibits p38MAPK, MEK1, and SAPK/JNK (Figures 4 and 6).…”

Tanshinone I induces cell apoptosis by reactive oxygen species-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress and by suppressing p53/DRAM-mediated autophagy in human hepatocellular carcinoma

“…p21, a broad-spectrum CDK inhibitor, has been demonstrated to promote cell cycle arrest by inhibiting the activity of various cyclin-CDK complexes [22,23]. Moreover, some studies have suggested that upregulating p21 expression plays an essential role in G0/G1 arrest [24,25]. Wang et al revealed that TA I inhibited cell cycle progression by decreasing cyclin B and Cdk2 proteins [5].…”

A highly purified C-phycocyanin from thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus and its cytotoxic activity assessment using an in vitro cell-based approach

“…Several studies have determined the mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effect of C-PC isolated from various rich sources on the growth of different cancer cells. Mainly, cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis, induction of autophagic cell death, inhibition of DNA replication, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were reported among the underlying mechanisms [11,[48][49][50]. However, further clarification of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of C-PC on cancer as well as normal cells is mandatory in order to develop an effective strategy and to direct its clinical application [39].…”

“…Several studies have pointed to the role of C-PC as an antioxidant, anti-cancer, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory agent, as well as a non-toxic photosensitizer in tumour treatment [5][6][7]. The importance of pure C-PC resides in its anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on different types of cancer cell lines [8][9][10][11], where there are no recorded side effects on normal cells [5,12]. For this reason, the purity of C-PC is considered the main challenge among researchers [3,13].…”