Despite recent advances in our understanding of the biological processes leading to the development and progression of cancer, there is still a need for new and effective agents to treat this disease. Phytoprostanes (PhytoPs) and phytofurans (PhytoFs) are non-enzymatically oxidized products of α-linolenic acid that are present in seeds and vegetable oils. They have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and apoptosis-promoting activities in macrophages and leukemia cells, respectively. In this work, seven PhytoPs (PP1-PP7) and one PhytoFs (PF1) were evaluated for their cytotoxic, chemosensitization, and anti-migratory activities using the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Among the tested compounds, only three PhytoPs had a significant effect on cell viability compared to the control group: Ent-9-L1-PhytoP (PP6) decreased cell viability in both cell lines, while 16-F1t-PhytoP (PP1) and 9-L1-PhytoP (PP5) decreased viability of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. When combined with a sub-cytotoxic dose of doxorubicin, these three PhytoPs displayed significantly enhanced cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 cells while the chemotherapeutic drug alone had no effect. In cellular motility assays, Ent-9-(RS)-12-epi-ST-Δ10-13-PhytoF could significantly inhibit cellular migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, Ent-9-(RS)-12-epi-ST-Δ10-13-PhytoF also enhanced cellular adhesion of MDA-MB-231 cells.
Keywords: breast cancer; lipids; phytoprostane.