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Sulforaphane is a predominant isothiocyanate in Brassica oleracea, a family of cruciferous vegetables, and is known to be inversely related to the risk of various types of human carcinomas. Studies using oral carcinoma cell lines are scarce, however, and the role of sulforaphane on oral carcinoma cell metastasis is yet to be determined. In this study, the growth inhibition of oral carcinoma cell lines by sulforaphane was determined using aqueous soluble tetrazolium salts, and the growth of various oral cancer cell lines was attenuated. The migration and invasion activities of the cells also decreased, as observed in monolayer scratch assays and transwell invasion experiments. The molecular change behind the impairment of the migration and invasion was investigated via secreted metalloprotease level detection using Multiplex protein analysis kits. At the molecular level, the secreted forms of MMP-1 and MMP-2 were down-regulated. The expressions of MMP-1 and MMP-2 did not change when a conventional tumoricidal agent paclitaxel was used. These findings indicate that sulforaphane may have therapeutic potential as an inhibitor of metastasis in oral carcinoma patients.

BackgroundThe biological effects of CD24 (FL-80) cross-linking on breast cancer cells have not yet been established. We examined the impact of CD24 cross-linking on human breast cancer cell line MCF-7.MethodsMCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with anti-rabbit polyclonal IgG or anti-human CD24 rabbit polyclonal antibodies to induce cross-linking, and then growth was studied. Changes in cell characteristics such as cell cycle modulation, cell death, survival in three-dimensional cultures, adhesion, and migration ability were assayed after CD24 cross-linking in MCF-7.ResultsExpression of CD24 was analyzed by flow cytometry in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells where 2% and 66% expression frequencies were observed, respectively. CD24 cross-linking resulted in time-dependent proliferation reduction in MCF-7 cells, but no reduction in MDA-MB-231 cells. MCF-7 cell survival was reduced by 15% in three-dimensional culture after CD24 cross-linking. Increased MCF-7 cell apoptosis was observed after CD24 cross-linking, but no cell cycle arrest was observed in that condition. The migration capacity of MCF-7 cells was diminished by 30% after CD24 cross-linking.ConclusionOur results showed that CD24 cross-linking induced apoptosis and inhibited migration in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. We conclude that CD24 may be considered as a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Aim of the studyLactobacillus casei (L. casei) has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of several types of cancer in vivo, but its effect on cervical cells has not been reported. We incubated cells of the human cervical cell lines Caski and HeLa with extracts of L. casei and investigated its effects on the growth of the cells and possible synergy with anticancer drugs.Material and methodsCell-free extracts of L. casei were prepared and purified. Cultures of Caski and HeLa cells adhering to tissue culture plates were treated with L. casei extract. The effects of L. casei extract on the growth of cancer cells and its possible synergy with anti-cancer drugs in cervical cancer cell lines were investigated. The cells were treated with L. casei extract alone, anti-cancer drugs alone [doxorubicin, paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and cisplatin], or L. casei extract plus anti-cancer drugs.ResultsL. casei extract had no significant effect on the growth rate of the two cell lines. Anti-cancer drugs alone induced growth inhibition, but there was no synergistic effect of L. casei extract on growth inhibition.ConclusionsL. casei extract does not have a potent effect on the viability of cervical cancer cells in vitro. In addition, L. casei extract has no synergistic effect on the inhibition of growth of cancer cells in the presence of anti-cancer drugs.

Berberine treatment can inhibit proliferation through a cell cycle arrest in OVCAR-3 and SKOV-3 cells. Thus, berberine may be a novel anticancer drug for the treatment of ovarian cancer.