Abstract
Purpose: Erianin is a small chemical compound extracted from Dendrobium chrysotoxum and has excellent antineoplastic effects against a variety of cancers. Combretastatin A-4 (CA4) is the most effective member of natural phenolic stilbene compounds isolated from the African willow tree Combretum caffrum. Ecust004 (Chemical Formula: C18H21NO7S) is a drug candidate optimized from structure-activity relationship studies of the sulfamate derivatives of Erianin and CA4, which has better bioavailability and pharmacokinetic profiles than Erianin and CA4. Methods: To investigate the antitumor activity of Ecust004 in different types of breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cells were treated with Ecust004. MTT and CCK8 were used to determine the effects of Ecust004 on cell proliferation. Wound-healing and Transwell assays were used to evaluate the migration and invasion level of cells treated with Ecust004. The expression of genes and proteins associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. In vivo studies further clarified the functional effects of Ecust004. Results: Ecust004 treatment decreased the growth and proliferation of MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cells at a lower dosage than Erianin. In addition, compared to Erianin and CA4, Ecust004 can better inhibit the invasion and migration of MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cells. Accordingly, the expression of genes associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition, such as E-cadherin and vinculin, was increased. Finally, compared with Erianin and CA4, Ecust004 exhibited a better anti-tumor activity in vivo. Conclusion: Ecust004 inhibits the proliferation, invasion, and migration of breast cancer cells, and therefore represents a potential agent for development as an antitumor drug.