Flavonoid-induced autophagy in hormone sensitive breast cancer cells

The activity of 8-prenylapigenin (8-PA) and its 3'-methoxylated analogue isocannflavin B (IsoB) was investigated in estrogen-dependent T47-D and estrogen-independent MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines. 8-PA showed a biphasic effect on T47-D cell proliferation, while no significant effect was observed on MDA-MB-231 cells. Conversely, IsoB exhibited only an inhibitory effect on T47-D cell proliferation, accompanied by the appearance of an intense intracytoplasmic vacuolization of autophagic origin. Moreover, biochemical analysis showed that IsoB reduced Akt phosphorylation and p21Cip1 expression in T47-D cells. These data show that the prenylflavone moiety is a versatile platform for the induction and modulation of bioactivity.

Estrogenic activity of 8-prenylnaringenin (8-PN, 1) is well documented. Here we investigate the biological activity of the prenylated flavone 8-prenylapigenin (8-PA, 2b) and its 3'-methoxylated analogue isocannflavin B (IsoB, 2a).Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide