Ukrain, a plant derived semi-synthetic compound, exerts antitumor effects against murine and human breast cancer and induce protective antitumor immunity in mice

• Published in: Experimental oncology Vol. 34; no. 4; p. 340
• Main Authors: Bozeman, E N, Srivatsan, S, Mohammadi, H, Daniels, D, Shashidharamurthy, R, Selvaraj, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ukraine 01.12.2012
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Apoptosis - drug effects; Berberine Alkaloids - pharmacology; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cell Survival - drug effects; Female; Humans; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental - drug therapy; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Phenanthridines - pharmacology; Phytotherapy - methods
• ISSN: 1812-9269

Despite the recent advances in anti-cancer therapies, breast cancer accounts for the highest percentage of estimated new cases among female cancer patients. The anti-cancer drug Ukrain, a plant-derived semi-synthetic compound, has been shown to be effective in a variety of tumor models including colon, brain, ovarian, melanoma and lymphoma. However, the direct cytotoxic effects of Ukrain have yet to be investigated in breast cancer models. Herein, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity of Ukrain using murine (4T07 and TUBO) and human (SKBR-3) breast cancer cell lines. Cells were treated with varying concentrations of Ukrain for up to 72 h and analyzed for viability by trypan blue exclusion, apoptosis by intracellular caspase 3 and Annexin V staining, and proliferative potential by a clonogenic assay. Female BALB/c mice were challenged subcutaneously (s.c.) with 4T07-RG cells and administered 5 mg/kg or 12.5 mg/kg body weight Ukrain intravenously (i.v.) on the same day and 3 days later. Protective immune responses were determined following re-challenge of tumor-free mice 35 days post primary challenge. Ukrain exposure induced apoptosis in a dose and time-dependent manner with 50 µg/mL Ukrain leading to >50% cell death after 48 h exposure for all three breast cancer cell lines. Ukrain administration (12.5 mg/kg) led to significant inhibition of 4T07 tumor growth in vivo and sustained protective anti-tumor immunity following secondary challenge. Our findings demonstrate the in vitro and in vivo cytotoxic effects of Ukrain on breast cancer cells and may provide insight into designing Ukrain-based therapies for breast cancer patients.