The Cytotoxicity of 27-Hydroxycholesterol in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231

Mehran Rashidi Alavijeh; Hossein Etesami; Amin Dehghan; Amirhesam Babajani; Shaghayegh Haghjooy Javanmard

doi:10.4103/abr.abr_13_23

The Cytotoxicity of 27-Hydroxycholesterol in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231

Adv Biomed Res. 2023 Oct 28:12:246. doi: 10.4103/abr.abr_13_23. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Mehran Rashidi Alavijeh^{1

2}, Hossein Etesami^{1

2}, Amin Dehghan^{1

2}, Amirhesam Babajani³, Shaghayegh Haghjooy Javanmard¹

Affiliations

¹ Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
² Student Research Committee, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
³ Oncopathology Research Center, Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Although several roles of 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-HC), the most abundant oxysterol in blood circulation, in cancers have been elucidated, its impact on breast cancer proliferation and its pathway remain unknown.

Materials and methods: The effect of 27-HC on breast cancer cell proliferation and its pathway was evaluated using Michigan Cancer Foundation - 7 (MCF-7) and M.D. Anderson - Metastatic Breast 231 (MDA-MB-231) cell lines. The MTT assay was applied after 24- and 48-hour incubation to distinguish cell proliferation. To determine the cause of different viability results from the MTT assay, the Annexin-FITC/PI test was used at concentrations of 0.1, 1, and 10 μM after 24- and 48-hour incubation.

Results: 27-HC in concentrations of 5, 10, and 20 μM induced cell cytotoxicity compared with control. Also, the annexin V conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide (Annexin-FITC/PI) test revealed an increase in total apoptotic cells treated with 0.1, 1, and 10 μM of 27-HC after 48 hours (P value < 0.05). Besides, the cytotoxic effect of 27-HC was observed at 10 μM concentration in both cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 (P value < 0.05).

Conclusion: The identification of 27-HC's cytotoxic effects on both estrogen receptor (ER)-negative and ER-positive breast cancer cell lines is a novel discovery that may be linked to LXRβ.

Keywords: 27-Hydroxycholesterol; MCF-7; MDA-MB-231; cell viability; estrogen receptor; liver X receptor.