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Synergistic anticancer effects of lectin and doxorubicin in breast cancer cells

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Abstract

We studied the effects, either combined or alone, of lectin from Korean mistletoe (Viscum album var. coloratum agglutinin, VCA) and doxorubicin (DOX) in MCF-7 (estrogen receptor-positive) and MDA-MB231 (estrogen receptor-negative) human breast cancer cells. When VCA and DOX were combined, a strong synergistic effect was shown in cell growth inhibition, compared to VCA or DOX treatment alone. In quantitative apoptosis studies analyzed by flow cytometry, a combination of two agents showed an increase in apoptosis in both cells, compared to agents alone. Also, pro-apoptotic proteins including Bax, Bik, and Puma were increased in both cells, and the survival factor Bcl-2 was inhibited in MCF-7 cells when drugs were combined. Furthermore, VCA combined with DOX mediated S phase arrest, accompanied with a decrease of cell number at G0/G1 phase. This suggests that VCA and DOX combination may possibly lead to a novel strategy for the treatment of breast cancer.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by “Establishment of Economic Technology for the Cultivation of Mistletoe and Development of Strategic Export Products Using Its Functional Compounds (project No.: 313011-3)”, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, South Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Chonnam National University, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 500-757, Korea

    Chang-Eui Hong

  2. Department of Pharmacy, Sunchon National University, 255 Jungangno, Suncheon, 540-742, Jeonnam, Korea

    Ae-Kyung Park & Su-Yun Lyu

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  1. Chang-Eui Hong
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  2. Ae-Kyung Park
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Correspondence to Su-Yun Lyu.

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Hong, CE., Park, AK. & Lyu, SY. Synergistic anticancer effects of lectin and doxorubicin in breast cancer cells. Mol Cell Biochem 394, 225–235 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-014-2099-y

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