Origanum syriacum L. Attenuates the Malignant Phenotype of MDA-MB231 Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Among breast cancer types, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive, and is resistant to hormonal and chemotherapeutic treatments. As such, alternative approaches that may provide some benefit in fighting this debilitating pathology are critically needed; hence the utilization of herbal medicine. Origanum syriacum L., one of the most regularly consumed plants in the Mediterranean region, exhibits antiproliferative effect on several cancer cell lines. However, whether this herb modulates the malignant phenotype of TNBC remains poorly investigated. Here, we show that in MDA-MB-231, a TNBC cell line, Origanum syriacum L. aqueous extract (OSE) inhibited cellular viability, induced autophagy determined by the accumulation of lipidized LC3 II, and triggered apoptosis. We also show that OSE significantly promoted homotypic cell-cell adhesion while it decreased cellular migration, adhesion to fibronectin, and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells. This was supported by decreased activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), reduced α2 integrin expression, and downregulation of secreted PgE2, MMP2 and MMP-9, in OSE-treated cells. Finally, we also show that OSE significantly inhibited angiogenesis and downregulated the level of nitric oxide (NO) production. Our findings demonstrate the ability of OSE to attenuate the malignant phenotype of the MDA-MB-231 cells, thus presenting Origanum syriacum L. as a promising potential source for therapeutic compounds for TNBC.

Fractionation and phytochemical composition of an ethanolic extract of Ziziphus nummularia leaves: antioxidant and anticancerous properties in human triple negative breast cancer cells

“…This action maybe mediated by the ZNE-and F6-mediated reduction of integrin-β1 protein levels in TNBC cells. This is in line with other studies which have shown that plants extracts have reduced cell-ECM adhesion and thus inhibited the metastatic potential of TNBC cells (El Hasasna et al, 2016;AlKahlout et al, 2022;Mesmar et al, 2022b). These results invite future investigation of the ability of Z. nummularia to impact other EMT proteins such as E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, Slug, Snail, and others (Singh and Settleman, 2010;Thiery and Lim, 2013;El-Hajjar et al, 2019;AlKahlout et al, 2022;Mesmar et al, 2022b).…”

“…It is plausible that inhibition of MMP-9 activity is responsible for the compromised migratory and invasive capabilities induced by ZNE and F6. Other plant extracts have been reported to attenuate the migration and invasion of cancer cells by acting through MMP-2 and MMP-9 reduction (AlKahlout et al, 2022).…”

Cardioprotective effect of Sanguisorba minor against isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in rats

“…There is an increased appreciation of medicinal plants and their phytochemicals both in pharmacological studies and drug development programs (Al Dhaheri et al, 2014;El Hasasna et al, 2015;El Hasasna et al, 2016;Athamneh et al, 2017;Alsamri et al, 2019;Badran et al, 2019;Alsamri et al, 2021a;Mesmar et al, 2021;AlKahlout et al, 2022;Alsamri et al, 2022). Approximately, a third of all drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the past 20 years have been obtained from or inspired by natural/herbal compounds/derivatives (Izzo et al, 2020).…”

Elucidating the chemical profile and biological studies of Verbascum diversifolium Hochst. extracts

“…One resource that is bountiful in such compounds is plants. Indeed, natural products from medicinal plants and their constituents serve as a crucial source of bioactives that appear promising to prevent or manage various diseases ( Anwar et al, 2016 ; Anwar et al, 2017 ; Anwar et al, 2018 ; Kim et al, 2018 ; Samaha et al, 2019 ; Fardoun et al, 2020 ; AlKahlout et al, 2022 ). For example, three plants belonging to the genus Verbascum (family Scrophulariaceae), namely, V. cheiranthifolium V. myriocarpum and V. pyroliforme , are rich in phenolics and possess significant antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities ( Zengin et al, 2023 ).…”