fatostatin and Breast-Neoplasms

Estrogen receptor α (ERα) plays a key role in the adaptive response of liver metabolism to energy demands, especially in controlling lipid metabolism. Tamoxifen (TMX), a main drug for the treatment of ER-positive breast cancer in clinical, is a selective ER modulator (SERM). However, accordingly, the long-term use of TMX would lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) in clinical, which had no definite treatment up to now. Fatostatin (Fato), an inhibitor of sterol-regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP2), was reported as a synergistic inhibitor of ER-positive breast cancer with TMX, but the hepatic lipid regulation of this combination is still unknown. Herein, we aimed to explore the effect and mechanism of Fato against TMX-induced NAFLD. The results identified that hepatic cholesterol content increase was the main reason for TMX-induced NAFLD. It was caused by the upregulation of circulating cholesterol uptake mediated by low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) in liver, which resulted from the activation of SREBP2. Meanwhile, Fato could inhibit activation of SREBP2-LDLR pathway, alleviating TMX-induced hepatic cholesterol accumulation. In summary, these results provided a new insight into the mechanism of TMX-induced NAFLD. Moreover, it supported the combination of Fato and TMX for the treatment of ER-positive breast cancer to reduce the adverse effect of TMX in clinical.

Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Cholesterol; Estrogen Receptor alpha; Female; Humans; Liver; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Pyridines; Receptors, LDL; Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators; Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 2; Tamoxifen; Thiazoles

Tamoxifen is the cornerstone of adjuvant therapy for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Despite its efficacy, limited drug sensitivity and endocrine resistance remain the important clinical challenges. The main objective of this study was to investigate fatostatin, which was found to sensitize breast cancer to the antitumour effect of tamoxifen both in vitro and in vivo.. Fatostatin-induced ER degradation was detected by immunoprecipitation assay. The antitumour effect of fatostatin and tamoxifen on MCF-7 and T47D cells was assessed by MTT and colony forming assays. Cell cycle arrest was detected by flow cytometric analysis. Apoptosis was detected by annexin V/propidium iodide double staining and TUNEL assay. Autophagy was detected by MDC assay and acridine orange staining. Migration and invasion assays were performed using a Transwell system, and the efficacy of the synergistic use of fatostatin and tamoxifen in vivo was evaluated using an MCF-7 xenograft model in BALB/c nu/nu female mice.. The synergistic use of fatostatin and tamoxifen significantly suppressed cell viability and invasion, induced cell cycle arrest, and regulated apoptosis and autophagy in MCF-7 and T47D cell lines via PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling. Additionally, the expression levels of Atg7/12/13, beclin and LC3B increased while p-mTOR and P62 expression levels decreased after treatment with fatostatin and tamoxifen. Tumor growth in the xenograft model was suppressed significantly with the synergistic treatment of fatostatin and tamoxifen.. Fatostatin could induce ER degradation by K48-linked polyubiquitination, which was the key mechanism contributing to tamoxifen inhibition of PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling in breast cancer. Fatostatin may have a promising clinical use for ER-positive breast cancer patients.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Female; Humans; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Pyridines; Receptors, Estrogen; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tamoxifen; Thiazoles