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Proteomic analysis of the vitamin C effect on the doxorubicin cytotoxicity in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line

  • Original Article – Cancer Research
  • Published:
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Doxorubicin is an anthracycline drug which inhibits the growth of breast cancer cell lines. However, a major factor limiting its use is a cumulative, dose-dependent cardiotoxicity, resulting in a permanent loss of cardiomyocytes. Vitamin C was found to potentiate the cytotoxic effects of a variety of chemotherapeutic drugs including doxorubicin. The aim of the study was to describe the changes in protein expression and proliferation of the MCF-7 cells induced by the vitamin C applied with doxorubicin.

Methods

Label-free quantitative proteomics and real-time cell analysis methods were used to search for proteome and cell proliferation changes. These changes were induced by the pure DOX and by DOX combined with vitamin C applied on the MCF-7 cell line.

Results

From the real-time cell analysis experiments, it is clear that the highest anti-proliferative effect occurs with the addition of 200 µM of vitamin C to 1 µM of doxorubicin. By applying both the label-free protein quantification method and total ion current assay, we found statistically significant changes (p ≤ 0.05) of 26 proteins induced by the addition of vitamin C to doxorubicin on the MCF-7 cell line. These differentially expressed proteins are involved in processes such as structural molecule activity, transcription and translation, immune system process and antioxidant, cellular signalling and transport.

Conclusion

The detected proteins may be capable of predicting response to DOX therapy. This is a key tool in the treatment of breast cancer, and the combination with vit C seems to be of particular interest due to the fact that it can potentiate anti-proliferative effect of DOX.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Agency of the Slovak Ministry of Education for the Structural Funds of the EU, under project ITMS: 26220220143.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical and Clinical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11, Kosice, Slovakia

    Peter Bober, Michal Alexovic, Ivan Talian, Zuzana Tomkova, Zuzana Viscorova, Maria Benckova, Peter Kruzliak & Jan Sabo

  2. Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, East Slovakia Oncology Institute, Kosice, Slovakia

    Zuzana Viscorova & Igor Andrasina

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Rachele Ciccocioppo

  4. Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Daniel Petrovic

  5. Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland

    Mariusz Adamek

  6. Department of Chemical Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic

    Peter Kruzliak

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  1. Peter Bober
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Correspondence to Peter Kruzliak or Jan Sabo.

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Bober, P., Alexovic, M., Talian, I. et al. Proteomic analysis of the vitamin C effect on the doxorubicin cytotoxicity in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 143, 35–42 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-016-2259-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-016-2259-4

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