Breast cancer stem-like cells are inhibited by a non-toxic aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have increased resistance to cancer chemotherapy. They can be enriched as drug-surviving CSCs (D-CSCs) by growth with chemotherapeutic drugs, and/or by sorting of cells expressing CSC markers such as aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 (ALDH). CSCs form colonies in agar, mammospheres in low-adherence cultures, and tumors following xenotransplantation in Scid mice. We hypothesized that tranilast, a non-toxic orally active drug with anti-cancer activities, would inhibit breast CSCs.

Methodology/findings

We examined breast cancer cell lines or D-CSCs generated by growth of these cells with mitoxantrone. Tranilast inhibited colony formation, mammosphere formation and stem cell marker expression. Mitoxantrone-selected cells were enriched for CSCs expressi

SUBMITTER: Prud'homme GJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2972222 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature