Melatonin effect on modulation of MIRNA-200 on metastatic breast cancer cell line

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common type and the second leading cause of death in women worldwide. Metastasis can occur by different mechanisms, and currently microRNAs (miRNAs) are being investigated as possible determinants of this process. Recent studies show that miRNAs have a significant role in regulating gene expression during the differentiation processes, cell cycle progression and apoptosis. The miRNA expression is intimately associated with tumor growth, invasion and metastasis of several cancers. One of the most important miRNAs involved in the regulation of tumor metastasis suppressor is miR-200, which acts directly on the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, the miR-200 family plays a role not only in control of metastasis but also on the mechanism of angiogenesis and apoptosis. The melatonin has oncostatic properties, being capable of inhibiting invasiveness of malignant cells, and modify the expression of many genes related to breast cancer, indicating its potential also in the regulation of miRNAs. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of melatonin in the regulation of miR-200 through a migration assay and invasion in MDA-MB-231 cell line of breast cancer. The data obtained here may provide evidence of the effectiveness of melatonin as a therapeutic agent in the breast cancer treatment and to evaluate its relationship with the expression of miR-200.