Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide inhibits the metastasis of breast cancer to the lungs by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Breast cancer is a highly aggressive cancer in females. Metastasis is a major obstacle to the efficient and successful treatment of breast cancer. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has anti-tumor effects on a variety of tumors. We showed that CTAB inhibits the metastasis of breast cancer to the lungs both in vitro and in vivo. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to be one of the major processes mediating breast cancer metastasis. We found that CTAB suppressed EMT and regulated the levels of the classical EMT markers E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, Snail and Twist1. Moreover, as a candidate anti-tumor agent, CTAB showed primary safety in vivo. Taken together, our results suggest that CTAB inhibits the migration of primary breast cancer to the lungs. Our findings confirm the clinical potential of CTAB for the treatment of breast cancer by targeting EMT. CTAB may thus be a promising novel anti-tumor drug for the treatment of breast cancer metastasis.