Conclusion
These findings suggest that E2 disrupts intracellular iron metabolism in such a way that increases cell susceptibility to Dox-induced cytotoxicity.
Methods
Breast, ovarian, and liver cancer cell lines treated with E2, Dox, or a combination of both were assessed for intracellular iron status, mitochondrial function, cell cycle, and apoptosis.
Results
E2+Dox treatment in MCF7, SKOV3 and MDA-MB231 cells resulted in enhanced apoptosis compared with Dox-treated cells. Expression of γH2AX was significantly higher and that of survivin significantly lower in E2+Dox-treated cells than Dox-treated cells. At 48 hours, E2+Dox had induced a significant increase in the percentage of sub-G1 apoptotic cells, increased CHK1 expression, and decreased cyclin D1, CDK4, and CDK6 expression. Ferroportin and ferritin expression was significantly higher and that of TfR1 significantly lower in E2+Dox-treated cells than Dox-treated cells. Intracellular iron content was significantly reduced in E2+Dox-treated cells at 48 hours posttreatment. Lastly, E2+Dox-treated cells showed higher levels of mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarization than Dox-treated cells.