Hydroxyl safflower yellow B combined with doxorubicin inhibits the proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells

Kehao Lin; Ze Qin; Chuanjun Qu; Xiaoyu Chen; Qingling Jiang; Minjing Li; Qiusheng Zheng; Defang Li

doi:10.3892/ol.2021.12687

Hydroxyl safflower yellow B combined with doxorubicin inhibits the proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells

Oncol Lett. 2021 May;21(5):426. doi: 10.3892/ol.2021.12687. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Authors

Kehao Lin¹, Ze Qin², Chuanjun Qu¹, Xiaoyu Chen¹, Qingling Jiang¹, Minjing Li¹, Qiusheng Zheng^{1

3}, Defang Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Yantai Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Tumor Metabolism, School of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong 264003, P.R. China.
² Department of Anesthesia, The Fourth Hospital of Shijiazhuang, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050011, P.R. China.
³ Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic Phytomedicine Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832002, P.R. China.

Abstract

Doxorubicin (DOX) is currently the preferred chemotherapeutic agent for breast cancer, and hydroxyl safflower yellow B (HSYB) has a tumor growth-inhibiting activity. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of HSYB combined with DOX on the proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and explore the underlying mechanism. MTT and cell colony formation assays revealed that the proliferation rate of MCF-7 cells was signifiscantly decreased after HSYB and DOX treatment. Combined HSYB and DOX treatment significantly decreased the expression levels of BCL-2 in MCF-7 cells, while the expression levels of apoptosis-associated proteins, including cleaved caspase-9, BAX and cleaved caspase-3, were markedly increased. Furthermore, flow cytometry and western blot analysis demonstrated that combined HSYB and DOX treatment stimulated an increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species and promoted the release of cytochrome c, leading to apoptosis. The current data suggested that the combination of HSYB and DOX may have marked antitumor activity.

Keywords: MCF-7 cells; apoptosis; breast cancer; doxorubicin; hydroxyl safflower yellow B.

Grants and funding

The present study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 31870338), the Key Research and Development Program of Shandong Province of China (grant no. 2019GSF108214), Taishan Scholars Construction Engineering of Shandong Province (grant no. tsqn201812099), the Dominant Disciplines' Talent Team Development Scheme of Higher Education of Shandong Province (grant no. 2016052410), the Introduction and Cultivation Project for Young Creative Talents of Higher Education of Shandong Province (grant no. 20191008189) and the Guidance Plan of Science and Technology Research and Development of Shijiazhuang (grant no. 171561533).