Tamoxifen promotes apoptosis and inhibits invasion in estrogen‑positive breast cancer MCF‑7 cells

Li,Wei; Shi,Xingpeng; Xu,Yan; Wan,Jianmei; Wei,Shaohua; Zhu,Ran

doi:10.3892/mmr.2017.6603

Tamoxifen promotes apoptosis and inhibits invasion in estrogen‑positive breast cancer MCF‑7 cells

Authors:
- Wei Li
- Xingpeng Shi
- Yan Xu
- Jianmei Wan
- Shaohua Wei
- Ran Zhu
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Affiliations: Department of General Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, P.R. China, Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, P.R. China, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Medical College of Soochow University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine, Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, P.R. China
Published online on: May 18, 2017 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2017.6603
Pages: 478-484

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Abstract

Tamoxifen (TAM) is the earliest non-steroidal antiestrogen drug, which has been widely used in endocrine therapy targeting breast cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of TAM on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of the estrogen‑positive (ER+) breast cancer cell line MCF‑7 in vitro, and elucidate its mechanisms. It was demonstrated that TAM suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis in MCF‑7 cells. Further investigation revealed that the mitochondrial membrane potential and the amount of ATP were significantly decreased following the treatment of MCF‑7 cells with TAM. Mitochondria are an important source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and they are also the target of ROS as well. In the present study, TAM promoted the formation of ROS in MCF‑7 cells. In conclusion, these results reveal the underlying mechanism by which TAM induces ER+ breast cancer cell apoptosis and inhibits invasion, thereby supporting the use of TAM in breast cancer treatment.

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