Glabridin attenuates the migratory and invasive capacity of breast cancer cells by activating microRNA-200c

Abstract

Current treatments for breast cancer, a common malignancy in human females, are less than satisfactory because of high rates of metastasis. Glabridin (GLA), which acts through the FAK/ROS signaling pathway, has been used as an antioxidant and anti-metastatic agent. However, little is known regarding the effect of microRNA (miRNA) on GLA's anti-metastatic activity. The miRNA-200 family, which is frequently expressed at low levels in triple negative breast cancers, inhibits metastasis by blocking the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Here, we found that GLA attenuated the migratory and invasive capacity of breast cancer cells by activating miR-200c. GLA induced the mesenchymal-epithelial transition in vitro and in vivo, as determined by increased expression of the epithelial marker, E-cadherin, and decreased expression of the mesenchymal marker, vimentin. Overexpression of miR-200c enhanced the expression of E-cadherin and decreased the expression of vimentin. Furthermore, in MDA-MB-231 and BT-549 breast cancer cells exposed to GLA, knockdown of miR-200c blocked the GLA-induced mesenchymal-epithelial transition and alleviated the GLA-induced inhibition of migration and invasion. Thus, elevation of miR-200c by GLA has considerable therapeutic potential for anti-metastatic therapy for breast cancer patients. Glabridin, an active isoflavan in the hydrophobic fraction of licorice root, up-regulates E-cadherin mediated by miR-200c, and attenuates the migratory and invasive capacities in vitro and in vivo. This findings expand understanding of the anti-metastatic potential of Glabridin. © 2014 The Authors. Cancer Science published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.