Tabersonine enhances cisplatin sensitivity by modulating Aurora kinase A and suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition in triple-negative breast cancer.

Context: Tabersonine has been investigated for its role in modulating inflammation-associated pathways in various diseases. However, its regulatory effects on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have not yet been fully elucidated.

Objective: This study uncovers the anticancer properties of tabersonine in TNBC cells, elucidating its role in enhancing chemosensitivity to cisplatin (CDDP).

Materials and methods: After tabersonine (10 μM) and/or CDDP (10 μM) treatment for 48 h in BT549 and MDA-MB-231 cells, cell proliferation was evaluated using the cell counting kit-8 and colony formation assays. Quantitative proteomics, online prediction tools and molecular docking analyses were used to identify potential downstream targets of tabersonine. Transwell and wound-healing assays and Western blot analysis were used to assess epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotypes.

Results: Tabersonine demonstrated inhibitory effects on TNBC cells, with IC₅₀ values at 48 h being 18.1 μM for BT549 and 27.0 μM for MDA-MB-231. The combined treatment of CDDP and tabersonine synergistically suppressed cell proliferation in BT549 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Enrichment analysis revealed that the proteins differentially regulated by tabersonine were involved in EMT-related signalling pathways. This combination treatment also effectively restricted EMT-related phenotypes. Through the integration of online target prediction and proteomic analysis, Aurora kinase A (AURKA) was identified as a potential downstream target of tabersonine. AURKA expression was reduced in TNBC cells post-treatment with tabersonine.

Discussion and conclusions: Tabersonine significantly enhances the chemosensitivity of CDDP in TNBC cells, underscoring its potential as a promising therapeutic agent for TNBC treatment.