Sulforaphane Suppresses MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells Growth via miR-19/PTEN Axis to Antagonize the Effect of Butyl Benzyl Phthalate

Nutr Cancer. 2023;75(3):980-991. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2022.2156555. Epub 2022 Dec 21.

Abstract

Sulforaphane (SFN), a major isothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables, reportedly exerts extensive antitumor effects. Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), a widely used plasticizer, plays a crucial role in the promotion of breast cancer. In the present study, we demonstrated that SFN inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis, and suppressed the stemness of MCF-7 cells, whereas BBP exerted the opposite effects; microRNA-19 (miR-19) plays an important role in BBP-induced cell growth and dysregulation mediated via PTEN and p21. The growth-promoting effect of BBP could be mitigated by SFN, accompanied by a reversal of altered expression of miR-19a, miR-19b, PTEN, and p21. SFN also suppressed BBP-induced binding of upregulated miR-19 with PTEN, as determined using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Collectively, these results demonstrated, for the first time, that SFN regulates the miR-19/PTEN axis to exert protective effects against BBP-mediated breast cancer promotion, suggesting a new potential role for SFN (or SFN-rich foods) in phthalate antagonism.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis
  • Breast Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Isothiocyanates / pharmacology
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • MicroRNAs* / genetics
  • MicroRNAs* / metabolism
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase / genetics
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase / metabolism

Substances

  • MicroRNAs
  • butylbenzyl phthalate
  • sulforaphane
  • Isothiocyanates
  • PTEN protein, human
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase
  • MIRN19 microRNA, human