Effects of Electroporation on Tamoxifen Delivery in Estrogen Receptor Positive (ER+) Human Breast Carcinoma Cells

Estrogen receptor positive breast cancer is the most common type of breast cancer and in most cases, hormone therapy is considered complementary to surgery. Tamoxifen is one of the most common drugs used in hormone therapy for treating estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells. However, it has severe side-effects depending on the duration of treating breast cancer and amount of tamoxifen used. In this study, we examined the effects of electroporation on the tamoxifen uptake in estrogen receptor positive MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The survival rate of MCF-7 cells had a negative relationship with energy dissipation in cells. Similarly, the electrical charge delivered to cells during electroporation was inversely proportional to survival rate. The combined application of electroporation and tamoxifen is much more effective than the usage of tamoxifen alone in the treatment of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. The application of electroporation increased the uptake of tamoxifen into MCF-7 cells and reduced the minimal tamoxifen dosage which, is needed for the treatment of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.