In the present work, we investigated the effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on triple negative breast cancer cells (Hs578T) to reduce cell proliferation and to evaluate early apoptotic signals. The dynamic monitoring of Hs578T cells treated with EGCG using the xCELLigence System confirm the antiproliferative effects obtained by MTT test. EGCG induced significant increases in apoptosis at 48 and 72 h after treatment by activation of cell death pathways and apoptosis at mRNA level. Significant gene expression differences were observed for 22 genes, of which 18 were upregulated and four downregulated were identified. EGCG altered the expression of several antiapoptotic genes, while increasing the expression of other genes. The limited success may be due to the activation of the antiapoptotic genes BAG3, XIAP, RIPK2, which may be associated with resistance to cancer treatment.
Keywords: Epigallocatechin gallate; Hs578T cells; apoptosis; cell death.