Ficus crocata leaf extracts decrease the proliferation and invasiveness of breast cancer cells

Lorena Cayetano-Salazar; Brenda de la Cruz-Concepción; Napoleón Navarro-Tito; Patricia Álvarez-Fitz; Marco A Leyva-Vázquez; Macdiel Acevedo-Quiroz; Ana E Zacapala-Gómez; Carlos Ortuño-Pineda; Dinorah N Martinez-Carrillo; Eduardo Castañeda-Saucedo; Alejandra P García-Hernández; Miguel A Mendoza-Catalán

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11405

Ficus crocata leaf extracts decrease the proliferation and invasiveness of breast cancer cells

Heliyon. 2022 Nov 5;8(11):e11405. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11405. eCollection 2022 Nov.

Affiliations

¹ Facultad de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Ciudad Universitaria, Chilpancingo 39090, Guerrero, Mexico.
² CONACYT-Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Ciudad Universitaria, Chilpancingo 39090, Guerrero, Mexico.
³ Tecnológico Nacional de México, Instituto Tecnológico/IT de Zacatepec, Calzada Tecnológico 27, Centro, Zacatepec 62780, Morelos, Mexico.
⁴ Laboratorio Estatal de Salud Pública, Secretaría de Salud Guerrero, Acapulco 37915, Guerrero, Mexico.

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype due to its greater invasive capacity and non-response to hormone therapy. Several species of the Ficus genus have been used as an alternative to traditional medicine against malignant diseases. Previously, leaf extracts from Ficus crocata (Miq.) Mart. ex Miq. (F. crocata) showed antiproliferative activity in vitro against breast and cervical tumor cells without having a cytotoxic effect on non-tumor cell lines. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of hexane (Hex-EFc), dichloromethane (Dic-EFc), and acetone (Ace-EFc) extracts from F. crocata on the proliferative and invasive capacity of breast cancer cells MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231.

Materials and methods: The phytochemical profile was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were determined by MTT, wound closure, and transwell assays, respectively. MMPs activity was analyzed using gelatin zymography, and fluorescence microscopy was used to visualize F-actin distribution.

Results: Hex-EFc, Dic-EFc, and Ace-EFc showed cytotoxic activity on MDA-MB-231 tumor cells and, to a lesser extent, on MCF-7 cells, without presenting cytotoxicity at the same concentrations in MCF-10A non-tumor cells. Dic-EFc and Ace-EFc (5-10 μg/mL) reduced the migration capacity of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Interestingly, exposure to Dic-EFc and Ace-EFc (5-10 μg/mL) inhibited the invasive ability of MDA-MB-231 cells, reducing the secretion and activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9, as well as the F-actin distribution.

Conclusions: Dic-EFc and Ace-EFc at low concentrations decreased breast cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness, mainly of MDA-MB-231 cells. The above supports the potential use of compounds from leaf extracts of F. crocata in neoadjuvant therapy to reduce the progression of breast cancer tumors, mainly triple-negative tumors.

Keywords: Cell invasion; Complementary therapy; Ficus; Moraceae; Triple-negative breast cancer.