Cyclopeptide RA-V has potent anti-
tumor and anti-angiogenic activities, but its potential anti-metastatic activity is unknown.
Cancer cells acquire invasive ability to degrade and adhere to extracellular matrix (ECM), allowing them to migrate to adjacent tissues and ultimately metastasize. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of
RA-V on cell adhesion, migration, invasion and matrix degradation, and its underlying mechanism in two human
breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 (ER-positive) and MDA-MB-231 (ER-negative). Our results demonstrated that
RA-V (12.5 nM) can significantly inhibit
breast cancer cell adhesion and migration via interfering
cofilin signaling and
chemokine receptors involved in cell migration.
RA-V reduced the expressions of vascular intracellular adhesion molecule (VCAM), intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM),
focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and
integrins. The activities and expressions of
matrix metalloproteinases (
MMPs), tissue inhibitors of
matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs) and
urokinase-type of
plasminogen activator (uPA) were also inhibited by
RA-V. Furthermore,
RA-V inhibits the expressions of EGFR, PI3K/AKT and NF-κB signaling molecules, and reduces the binding of β-
estradiol to ER via affecting binding ability of ER in MCF-7 cells.
RA-V inhibits
breast cancer cell migration, adhesion and ECM degradation in vitro, implying that
RA-V is a potential anti-metastatic agent in
breast cancer, and likely acts via PI3K/AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways in both ER-positive and ER-negative
breast cancer cells.