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William J. Gradishar, MD, FACP, FASCO
William J. Gradishar, MD, FACP, FASCO
Posted: Tuesday, August 27, 2024
The potential anticancer effects of Citrus limon L–derived extracellular nanovesicles (CLENs) in the treatment of breast cancer are still unknown. Massimiliano Papi, PhD, of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, and colleagues aimed to evaluate these plant-derived extracellular vesicles to improve outcomes among patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. Published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, the results of this study suggest that CLENs are a promising natural neuromedicine that demonstrates antitumor activity against triple-negative breast cancer cells.
“These results highlight the potential of CLENs as a complementary therapy in combination with conventional oncological pharmacotherapies to mitigate the spread of circulating tumor cells and enhance treatment efficacy,” concluded the study authors. “The biocompatible and biosafe characteristics of CLENs provide valuable insights into the therapeutic potential of plant-derived extracellular vesicles.”
Triple-negative breast cancer cell lines 4T1 and HCC-1806 were grown in two-dimensional and three-dimensional culture environments. Confocal microscopy was used to evaluate the internal mechanisms and cellular uptake efficiency of CLENs. Additionally, the influence of CLENs on the evasion and migratory capabilities of triple-negative breast cancer cells was observed in terms of wound healing. The phosphorylation levels of protein kinase B (AKT), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) expression were also assessed.
The evasion and migration capacity of triple-negative breast cancer cells appeared to be inhibited significantly with exposure to 40 and 80 μg/mL of CLENs. Further, it was found that triple-negative breast cancer cells internalized CLENs using endocytosis, which caused decreased cell viability in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. Of note, levels of AKT, PI3K, and ERK were observed to be downregulated in triple-negative breast cancer cell lines exposed to CLENs, suggesting the inhibition of cancer cell evasion, migration, and proliferation may be mediated by PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathway inhibition.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
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