Search

In this work we present the synthesis and characterization of six new ruthenium compounds with general formulae [Ru(L)(dppb)(bipy)]PF

The triple-negative breast cancer subtype (TNBC) is highly aggressive and metastatic and corresponds to 15-20% of diagnosed cases. TNBC treatment is hampered, because these cells usually do not respond to hormonal therapy, and they develop resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. On the other hand, the severe side effects of cisplatin represent an obstacle for its clinical use. Ruthenium (Ru)-based complexes have emerged as promising antitumor and antimetastatic substitutes for cisplatin. In this study, we demonstrated the effects of a Ru/biphosphine complex, containing gallic acid (GA) as a ligand, [Ru(GA)(dppe)

Breast cancer is a complex and multifactorial disease. Tumors have a heterogeneous microenvironment, which have multiple interactions with other cell types, greatly influencing the behavior of tumor cells and response to therapy. The 3D culture mimics the microenvironment better found in vivo and is more appropriated than the traditional 2D culture made from plastic to test the cellular response to drugs. To investigate the effects of [10]-gingerol on breast tumor cells, we used physiologically relevant three-dimensional (3D) cultures of malignant and non-malignant human breast cells grown in laminin-rich extracellular matrix gels (lr-ECM). Our results showed selective cytotoxicity of [10]-gingerol against the malignant T4-2 breast cancer cell line compared to non-malignant S1 cells. The compound reverted the malignant phenotype of the cancer cells, downregulating the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and β1-integrin. Moreover, [10]-gingerol induced apoptosis in this cell line. These results suggest that [10]-gingerol may be an effective compound to use as adjuvant therapy in breast cancer treatment. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 2693-2699, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.