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. 2011 Sep;23(3):208-13.
doi: 10.1007/s11670-011-0208-y.

Shu-Gan-Liang-Xue Decoction Simultaneously Down-regulates Expressions of Aromatase and Steroid Sulfatase in Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer Cells

Xue-Song Fu  1 , Ping-Ping Li
Affiliations

Shu-Gan-Liang-Xue Decoction Simultaneously Down-regulates Expressions of Aromatase and Steroid Sulfatase in Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer Cells

Xue-Song Fu et al. Chin J Cancer Res. 2011 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: Estradiol (E2) plays an important role in the development of breast cancer. In postmenopausal women, the estrogen can be synthesized via aromatase (CYP19) pathway and steroid-sulfatase (STS) pathway in peripheral tissues, when the production in ovary has ceased. The objective of our study was to explore the effects of Shu-Gan-Liang-Xue Decoction (SGLXD) on the expressions of CYP19 and STS in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer MCF-7 and T47D cells.

Methods: The effects of SGLXD on the cell viability of MCF-7 and T47D were analyzed by MTT assay. By quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, we evaluated the mRNA and protein expressions of CYP19 and STS in MCF-7 and T47D cells after SGLXD treatment.

Results: By MTT assay, the cell viability rates of MCF-7 and T47D were significantly inhibited by SGLXD in a dose-dependent manner, the IC50 values were 40.07 mg/ml for MCF-7 cells and 25.62 mg/ml for T47D cells, respectively. As evidenced by real-time PCR and Western blot, the high concentrations of SGLXD significantly down-regulated the expressions of CYP19 and STS both in the transcript level and the protein level.

Conclusion: The results suggest that SGLXD is a potential dual aromatase-sulfatase inhibitor by simultaneously down-regulating the expressions of CYP19 and STS in MCF-7 and T47D cells.

Keywords: Aromatase (CYP19); Breast cancer; Shu-Gan-Liang-Xue Decoction (SGLXD); Steroid-sulfatase (STS).

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Inhibitory effects of various concentrations of SGLXD on cell proliferation of MCF-7 (A) and T47D (B) by MTT assay. MTT assays were performed after culturing cells in the presence of various concentrations of SGLXD for 24 h. Data of one representative experiment are expressed as a percentage of cell viability relative to negative control group that is normalized to 100%. Data are shown as x̄±s. *P<0.05; **P<0.001 compared with negative control group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fold-changes of CYP19 mRNA and STS mRNA in MCF-7 (A) and T47D (B) cells after treated with various concentrations of SGLXD (10, 20, 40 mg/ml for MCF-7 and 5, 15, 25 mg/ml for T47D) for 24h, measured by real-time PCR and calculated by 2-ΔΔCT method. Data were shown as x̄±s. *P<0.05; **P<0.001 compared with negative control group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Images of protein expressions of STS, CYP19 and β-actin in MCF-7 and T47D cells (A) which were treated with different concentrations of SGLXD for 24h. Relative intensity of CYP19 and STS proteins in MCF-7 (B) and T47D (C) cells is presented, negative control group is considered as 1. Data are shown as x̄±s. *P<0.05; **P<0.001 compared with negative control group.
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