| Summary: | The adhesion of cancer cells to vascular endothelium is a critical process in hematogenous metastasis and might be similar to the recruitment of leukocytes at the site of inflammation. It is mediated by E-selectin and its ligands, of which the most stereospecific is a glycoconjugate sialyl Lewis x (CD15s), which may be expressed as an oligosaccharide branch of the CD44 glycoprotein, as well as a self-contained glycosphingolipid. It is also known that increased sialylation of glycoconjugates is a feature of malignant cells. The aim of the study was to analyse the effect of a novel thieno[2,3-<i>b</i>]pyridine, compound <b>1</b>, in MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells (TNBCs) upon CD15s and CD44 expression in different cell subpopulations using flow cytometry. CD15s expression was compared between mesenchymal-like cancer stem cells (CSC, CD44<sup>+</sup>CD24<sup>−</sup>), epithelial cells without CD44 (CD44<sup>−</sup>CD24<sup>+</sup> and CD44<sup>−</sup>CD24<sup>−</sup>), and CD44<sup>+</sup>CD24<sup>+</sup> cells that exhibit mesenchymal and epithelial features. In addition, expression of CD44 in CD15s<sup>+</sup>CSC and CD15s<sup>−</sup>CSC was determined. Compound <b>1</b> significantly decreased the percentage of CD15s<sup>+</sup>CSC, CD15s<sup>+</sup>CD44<sup>+</sup>CD24<sup>+</sup>, and CD15s<sup>+</sup>CD44<sup>−</sup> subpopulations, as well as the expression of CD15s in CD44<sup>+</sup>CD24<sup>+</sup> and CD44<sup>−</sup> cells, and therefore shows potential as a treatment for TNBC.
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