Propofol Inhibits Breast Cancer Cells Proliferation and Migration by Down-Regulating TGFβ1/Smad2/MMP-9 Signal

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. Previous studies have suggested that propofol plays key roles in cancer progression by suppressing the growth and metastasis of tumor cells. However, the function and molecular mechanism of propofol on breast cancer cells remain unknown.Methods: The effects of propofol on the proliferation and migration capacity of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and wound healing assays, respectively. The mRNA and protein levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), Smad2 and MMP-9 in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis. In addition, pcDNA3.1+TGF-β1 vector was transfected into MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells to assess the role of TGF-β1 in the effects of propofol on the biological behavior of the cells.Results: Propofol inhibited the proliferation and migration capacity of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Meanwhile, the mRNA and protein levels of TGF-β1, Smad2 and MMP-9 were down-regulated in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells after treatment with propofol. Moreover, exogenous over-expression of TGF-β1 in propofol-treated breast cancer cells indicated that propofol inhibited the cells growth and migration via TGFβ1/Smad2/MMP-9 signaling pathway.Conclusions: These findings demonstrated that propofol inhibited breast cancer cells proliferation and migration by down-regulating TGFβ1/Smad2/MMP-9 signal. Citation: Lei Zhou, Xi He, Gong Chen, Jian-Bin Tong, Yu-Hui Wu, and Wen Ouyang. Propofol inhibits breast cancer cells proliferation and migration by down-regulating TGFβ1/Smad2/MMP-9 Signal. J Anesth Perioper Med 2016; 3: 193-9. doi: 10.24015/JAPM.2016.0026This is an open-access article, published by Evidence Based Communications (EBC). This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format for any lawful purpose. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.