1. Academic Validation
  2. Pentadecanoic Acid, an Odd-Chain Fatty Acid, Suppresses the Stemness of MCF-7/SC Human Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells through JAK2/STAT3 Signaling

Pentadecanoic Acid, an Odd-Chain Fatty Acid, Suppresses the Stemness of MCF-7/SC Human Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells through JAK2/STAT3 Signaling

  • Nutrients. 2020 Jun 3;12(6):1663. doi: 10.3390/nu12061663.
Ngoc Bao To 1 Yen Thi-Kim Nguyen 1 Jeong Yong Moon 2 Meran Keshawa Ediriweera 2 Somi Kim Cho 1 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology and Science, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea.
  • 2 Subtropical/Tropical Organism Gene Bank, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea.
Abstract

Saturated fatty acids possess few health benefits compared to unsaturated fatty acids. However, increasing experimental evidence demonstrates the nutritionally beneficial role of odd-chain saturated fatty acids in human health. In this study, the anti-cancer effects of pentadecanoic acid were evaluated in human breast carcinoma MCF-7/stem-like cells (SC), a cell line with greater mobility, invasiveness, and Cancer stem cell properties compared to the parental MCF-7 cells. Pentadecanoic acid exerted selective cytotoxic effects in MCF-7/SC compared to in the parental cells. Moreover, pentadecanoic acid reduced the stemness of MCF-7/SC and suppressed the migratory and invasive ability of MCF-7/SC as evidenced by the results of flow cytometry, a mammosphere formation assay, an aldehyde dehydrogenase activity assay, and Western blot experiments conducted to analyze the expression of Cancer stem cell markers-CD44, β-catenin, MDR1, and MRP1-and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers-snail, slug, MMP9, and MMP2. In addition, pentadecanoic acid suppressed interleukin-6 (IL-6)-induced JAK2/STAT3 signaling, induced cell cycle arrest at the sub-G1 phase, and promoted caspase-dependent Apoptosis in MCF-7/SC. These findings indicate that pentadecanoic acid can serve as a novel JAK2/STAT3 signaling inhibitor in breast Cancer cells and suggest the beneficial effects of pentadecanoic acid-rich food intake during breast Cancer treatments.

Keywords

JAK2/STAT3 signaling; apoptosis; breast cancer; cancer stem cells; odd-chain fatty acids; pentadecanoic acid.

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