Melatonin Regulates Angiogenic Factors under Hypoxia in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Title:Melatonin Regulates Angiogenic Factors under Hypoxia in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Volume: 16 Issue: 3

Author(s): Bruna Victorasso Jardim-Perassi, Mateus Repolês Lourenço, Gabriel Mandarini Doho, Ingrid Helen Grígolo, Gabriela Bottaro Gelaleti, Lívia Carvalho Ferreira, Thaiz Ferraz Borin, Marina Gobbe Moschetta and Debora Aparecida Pires de Campos Zuccari

Affiliation:

Keywords: Angiogenesis, breast neoplasms, cell hypoxia, cell line, gene expression, melatonin, vascular endothelial growth factors.

Abstract: Angiogenesis is the process of new blood vessel formation, regulated by a number of pro- and antiangiogenic factors and usually begins in response to hypoxia. Exogenous administration of melatonin has shown numerous anti-tumor effects and appears to inhibit tumor angiogenesis. However, many factors involved in the anti-angiogenic effect of melatonin are still under investigation. Here, we evaluate the effects of melatonin on cell viability and expression of angiogenic factors in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells under hypoxic conditions. Cell viability was investigated by MTT and gene and protein expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) were verified by qPCR and immunocytochemistry after melatonin treatment (1 mM) under hypoxic conditions. Additionally, a protein array with 20 different cytokines/factors was performed on tumor cell lysates. The results showed that 1 mM of melatonin reduced the viability of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells (p < .05). This treatment also decreased both gene and protein expression of HIF-1α and VEGF-A under hypoxic conditions (p < .05). Among the proteins evaluated by protein array, melatonin treatment during hypoxia reduced VEGF-C, VEGFR receptors (VEGFR2 and VEGFR3), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and Angiogenin in MCF-7 cells. In MDA-MB-231 cells, a significant decrease was observed in VEGFR2, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Angiogenin (p < .05). Taken together, these results showed that melatonin acts in the regulation of angiogenic factors in breast tumor cells and suggests an anti-angiogenic activity, particularly under hypoxic conditions.

Cite this article as:

Jardim-Perassi Victorasso Bruna, Lourenço Repolês Mateus, Doho Mandarini Gabriel, Grígolo Helen Ingrid, Gelaleti Bottaro Gabriela, Ferreira Carvalho Lívia, Borin Ferraz Thaiz, Moschetta Gobbe Marina and Pires de Campos Zuccari Aparecida Debora, Melatonin Regulates Angiogenic Factors under Hypoxia in Breast Cancer Cell Lines, Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 2016; 16 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871520615666150511094201