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Biochanin A Inhibits Breast Cancer Tumor Growth in A Murine Xenograft Model

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ABSTRACT

Purpose

Our objective was to determine the effect of the flavonoid biochanin A (BCA), administered alone or in combination with the flavonoids quercetin and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), on the growth of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells in a murine xenograft animal model.

Materials and Methods

MCF-7 tumors were implanted into mice and groups of mice were treated with vehicle, BCA at 2 doses (5 or 15 mg/kg), quercetin and EGCG (5 mg/kg each), or BCA combined with quercetin and EGCG (5 mg/kg each). The flavonoids were injected once daily intraperitoneally, with treatment starting 4 weeks prior to cell inoculation.

Results

Treatment with 15 mg/kg of BCA or the mixture of the 3 flavonoids resulted in a reduction in tumor incidence. Tumor size in xenograft mice treated with 15 mg/kg BCA was significantly smaller than in the control group. Although quercetin/EGCG administration did not affect tumor size, treatment with the mixture of the 3 flavonoids at doses of 5 mg/kg produced similar effects as seen with 15 mg/kg BCA.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that BCA inhibits tumor growth in a xenograft animal model; BCA may represent a breast cancer preventive agent, either administered alone or in combination with other flavonoids.

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Abbreviations

BCA:

biochanin A

EGCG:

epigallocatechin-3-gallate

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This study was supported by grants from the Susan G. Komen and Cancer Research and Prevention Foundations. We thank Drs. Atif Awad and Carol Fink for their assistance with the murine xenograft model.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, 517 Hochstetter Hall, Amherst, New York, 14260-1200, USA

    Young Jin Moon, Guohua An & Marilyn E. Morris

  2. College of Pharmacy, Catholic University of Daegu, 330 Geumnak 1-ri, Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongbuk, 712-702, South Korea

    Beom Soo Shin

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  1. Young Jin Moon
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Correspondence to Marilyn E. Morris.

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Moon, Y.J., Shin, B.S., An, G. et al. Biochanin A Inhibits Breast Cancer Tumor Growth in A Murine Xenograft Model. Pharm Res 25, 2158–2163 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-008-9583-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-008-9583-6

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