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Inhibition of leptin gene expression and secretion by silibinin: possible role of estrogen receptors

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Abstract

Leptin plays the role of mitogenic factor in the breast carcinogenesis. Therefore, it could be considered as a target for breast cancer therapy. Leptin gene expression could be modulated by activation of estrogen receptors. Silibinin is an herbal compound with anti-cancer activity on prostate and colorectal cancers. Based on the fact that targeting of leptin can be considered as a novel strategy for breast cancer therapy, the aim of this study was the investigation of potentiality of silibinin for inhibition of leptin gene expression and secretion, and its link with expression of estrogen receptors. Cytotoxic effect of silibinin on T47D breast cancer cells was investigated by MTT assay test after 24, 48 and 72 h treatments with different concentrations of silibinin. The levels of leptin, estrogen receptor α and estrogen receptor β genes expression was measured by reverse-transcription real-time PCR. The amount of secreted leptin in the culture medium was determined by ELISA. Data were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA test. Silibinin inhibits growth of T47D cells in a time and dose dependent manner. There was significant difference between control and treated cells in the levels of leptin, estrogen receptor β expression levels and the quantity of secreted leptin was decreased in the treated cells in comparison to control cells. In conclusion, silibinin inhibits the expression and the secretion of leptin and in the future it might probably be a drug candidate for breast cancer therapy through leptin targeting.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Research Center for granting of this work and also Drug Applied Research Center for technical assistance. Both of these centers are affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. The authors declare that the abstract of current work has been presented as poster at “First international meeting on Cellular and Molecular Advances in Non-Contagious Diseases (May 2011, Babol City, Iran)” and published in the meeting journal (Cell Journal, Vol. 13, Supplement 2).

Conflict of interest

The authors have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tuberculosis and Lung Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Kazem Nejati-Koshki & Nosratollah Zarghami

  2. Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Kazem Nejati-Koshki, Nosratollah Zarghami, Mohammad Pourhassan-Moghaddam, Mahdie Mollazade, Marzieh Nasiri, Rana Jahanban Esfahlan & Amin Barkhordari

  3. Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Nosratollah Zarghami & Mohammad Rahmati-Yamchi

  4. Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Hamid Tayefi-Nasrabadi

Authors
  1. Kazem Nejati-Koshki
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  2. Nosratollah Zarghami
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  3. Mohammad Pourhassan-Moghaddam
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  4. Mohammad Rahmati-Yamchi
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  8. Amin Barkhordari
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Correspondence to Nosratollah Zarghami.

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Nejati-Koshki, K., Zarghami, N., Pourhassan-Moghaddam, M. et al. Inhibition of leptin gene expression and secretion by silibinin: possible role of estrogen receptors. Cytotechnology 64, 719–726 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-012-9452-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-012-9452-3

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