J Anesth Perioper Med. 2016;3(5):193-199. https://doi.org/10.24015/ebcmed.japm.2016.0026
From 1Department of Anesthesiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China; 2The Medical Central Laboratory, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China; 3Department of Breast Surgery, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China; 4The Seniors Anesthesia and Perioperative Management Research Center; The State Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Correspondence to Dr. Wen Ouyang at ouyangwen15@sina.com or Dr. Yu-Hui Wu at wuyuhui56@sina.com.
EBCMED ID: ebcmed.japm.2016.0026 DOI: 10.24015/ebcmed.japm.2016.0026
Background
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. Previous studies have suggested that propofol plays key roles in cancer progression by suppressing the growth and metastasis of tumor cells. However, the function and molecular mechanism of propofol on breast cancer cells remain unknown.
Methods
The effects of propofol on the proliferation and migration capacity of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and wound healing assays, respectively. The mRNA and protein levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), Smad2 and MMP-9 in MCF-7 and MDAMB-231 cells were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) and western blot analysis. In addition, pcDNA3.1+TGF-β1 vector was transfected into MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells to assess the role of TGF-β1 in the effects of propofol on the biological behavior of the cells.
Results
Propofol inhibited the proliferation and migration capacity of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner. Meanwhile, the mRNA and protein levels of TGF-β1, Smad2 and MMP-9 were down-regulated in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells after treatment with propofol. Moreover, exogenous overexpression of TGF-β1 in propofol-treated breast cancer cells indicated that propofol inhibited the cells growth and migration via TGFβ1/Smad2/MMP-9 signaling pathway.
Conclusions
These findings demonstrated that propofol inhibited breast cancer cells proliferation and migration by down-regulating TGFβ1/Smad2/MMP-9 signal.
Article Type
Original Article
Declaration of Interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest for this work to declare.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by grants from the National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC No. 81172200) and the Nature Science Foundation of Hunan Province of China (No. 12JJ3079). We thank Prof. Wei Tian for the laboratory techniques assistance and the critical reading of this manuscript and helpful discussions.
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