Catharanthus roseus L. extract downregulates the expression profile of motility-related genes in highly invasive human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Catharanthus roseus L. (C. roseus) leaf extract on the migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cell line and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of action. Effect of the extract on cell viability was evaluated by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl2H-tetrazoliumbromide) assay. Anti-migratory and anti-invasive effects were evaluated using scratch and Transwell assays. Effect on the levels and activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 was determined using ELISA and gelatin zymography. Furthermore, changes in the expression of 84 genes commonly involved in cell motility were assessed by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and cell motility RT2 profiler PCR array. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed using DAVID. Using STRING and Cytoscape software, hub genes were determined. The extract significantly (p < 0.001) inhibited the migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells at non-cytotoxic concentrations. The activities and levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were decreased in a dose-dependent manner following C. roseus exposure. At 4 mu g/mL, the extract significantly downregulated the expression of 52 genes involved in extracellular matrix degradation, cytoskeleton reorganisation, focal adhesions and invadopodia formation. GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the downregulated genes were significantly enriched in biological processes and pathways closely related to cell motility. Our findings showed that C. roseus inhibited the migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells through altering the expression of various motility-related genes. This study provided data about the potential of C. roseus phytochemicals as promising therapeutic agents against breast cancer metastasis, especially at gene level.