Meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid induces apoptosis and inhibits cell migration via p38 activation and EGFR/Src/intergrin β3 downregulation in breast cancer cells

AimsMeso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (MDA) is known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-tumor activity. However, the anti-breast cancer effect and the mechanism of MDA remain undefined.Main methodsIn this study, we examined the anti-cancer activity and the mechanisms of action of MDA in breast cancer cell lines, 4T-1 and MCF-7 cells; and 4T-1 bearing mouse model.Key findingsMDA showed cytotoxic effects on 4T-1 and MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, MDA increased the amount of Annexin V-positive apoptotic bodies, phosphorylated JNK and p38 in 4T-1 cells. MDA also down-regulated cell-cycle dependent proteins, CDK-4 and cyclin D1; and induced cleaved caspase-3 in MDA-treated 4T-1 cells. We further verified that MDA-induced apoptosis is mediated by p38 and caspase-3 activation in 4T-1 cells. Next, we studied the effect of MDA treatment on cell migration and found that MDA significantly reduced cell migration. Moreover, MDA reduced EGFR and intergrin β3 expression, and dephosphorylated Src in a dose-dependent manner in 4T-1 cells. Furthermore, we observed in vivo effect of MDA in 4T-1 cell inoculated mice. MDA (20 mg/kg/day) significantly suppressed mammary tumor volume and activated caspase-3 in tumor tissues.SignificanceThese results suggest novel targets of MDA in breast cancer in vitro and in vivo, making it a potential candidate as a chemotherapeutic drug.