(–)-Xanthatin as a Killer of Human Breast Cancer MCF-7 Mammosphere Cells: A Comparative Study with Salinomycin

Experimental evidence accumulated by our research group and others strongly suggests that (–)-xanthatin, a xanthanolide sesquiterpene lactone, exhibits anti-proliferative effects on human breast cancer cells (in vitro) as well as anti-tumor effects in experimental animals (in vivo). In cancer biolog...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shuso Takeda, Masayo Hirao-Suzuki, Mitsuru Shindo, Hironori Aramaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-08-01
Series:Current Issues in Molecular Biology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/44/9/264
Description
Summary:Experimental evidence accumulated by our research group and others strongly suggests that (–)-xanthatin, a xanthanolide sesquiterpene lactone, exhibits anti-proliferative effects on human breast cancer cells (in vitro) as well as anti-tumor effects in experimental animals (in vivo). In cancer biology, it is now critically important for anti-cancer agents to selectively target cancer stem cells (CSCs) in order to overcome cancer therapeutic resistance and recurrence. However, it has not yet been established whether (–)-xanthatin abrogates the formation of breast CSCs. In the present study, we utilized chemically synthesized pure (–)-xanthatin and a culture system to obtain mammospheres from human breast cancer MCF-7 cells, which are a CSC-enriched population. We herein demonstrated for the first time that (–)-xanthatin exhibited the ability to kill mammospheres, similar to salinomycin, an established selective killer of CSCs. A possible anti-proliferative mechanism toward mammospheres by (–)-xanthatin is discussed.
ISSN:1467-3037
1467-3045