[10]-gingerol induces apoptosis and inhibits metastatic dissemination of triple negative breast cancer in vivo

There is increasing interest in the use of non-toxic natural products for the treatment of various pathologies, including cancer. In particular, biologically active constituents of the ginger oleoresin (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) have been shown to mediate anti-tumour activity and to contribute to the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiemetic properties of ginger. Here we report on the inhibitory properties of [10]-gingerol against metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in vitro and in vivo. We show that [10]-gingerol concentration-dependently induces apoptotic death in mouse and human TNBC cell lines in vitro. In addition, [10]-gingerol is well tolerated in vivo, induces a marked increase in caspase-3 activation and inhibits orthotopic tumour growth in a syngeneic mouse model of spontaneous breast cancer metastasis. Importantly, using both spontaneous and experimental metastasis assays, we show for the first time that [10]-gingerol significantly inhibits metastasis to multiple organs including lung, bone and brain. Remarkably, inhibition of brain metastasis was observed even when treatment was initiated after surgical removal of the primary tumour. Taken together, these results indicate that [10]-gingerol may be a safe and useful complementary therapy for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and warrant further investigation of its efficacy, either alone or in combination with standard systemic therapies, in pre-clinical models of metastatic breast cancer and in patients

[10]-Gingerol Reverts Malignant Phenotype of Breast Cancer Cells in 3D Culture.

Breast cancer is a complex and multifactorial disease. Tumors have a heterogeneous microenvironment, which have multiple interactions with other cell types, greatly influencing the behavior of tumor cells and response to therapy. The 3D culture mimics the microenvironment better found in vivo and is more appropriated than the traditional 2D culture made from plastic to test the cellular response to drugs. To investigate the effects of [10]-gingerol on breast tumor cells, we used physiologically relevant three-dimensional (3D) cultures of malignant and non-malignant human breast cells grown in laminin-rich extracellular matrix gels (lr-ECM). Our results showed selective cytotoxicity of [10]-gingerol against the malignant T4-2 breast cancer cell line compared to non-malignant S1 cells. The compound reverted the malignant phenotype of the cancer cells, downregulating the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and β1-integrin. Moreover, [10]-gingerol induced apoptosis in this cell line. These results suggest that [10]-gingerol may be an effective compound to use as adjuvant therapy in breast cancer treatment. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 2693-2699, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

[10]-Gingerol Reverts Malignant Phenotype of Breast Cancer Cells in 3D Culture.

Breast cancer is a complex and multifactorial disease. Tumors have a heterogeneous microenvironment, which have multiple interactions with other cell types, greatly influencing the behavior of tumor cells and response to therapy. The 3D culture mimics the microenvironment better found in vivo and is more appropriated than the traditional 2D culture made from plastic to test the cellular response to drugs. To investigate the effects of [10]-gingerol on breast tumor cells, we used physiologically relevant three-dimensional (3D) cultures of malignant and non-malignant human breast cells grown in laminin-rich extracellular matrix gels (lr-ECM). Our results showed selective cytotoxicity of [10]-gingerol against the malignant T4-2 breast cancer cell line compared to non-malignant S1 cells. The compound reverted the malignant phenotype of the cancer cells, downregulating the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and β1-integrin. Moreover, [10]-gingerol induced apoptosis in this cell line. These results suggest that [10]-gingerol may be an effective compound to use as adjuvant therapy in breast cancer treatment. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 2693-2699, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc