Combination of Pan-EGFR inhibitor and all-trans retinoic acid suppresses the migration ability of triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line


AYVAZ Ş., Ismailoglu S. M., BOLAT Z. B.

GENE REPORTS, cilt.45, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 45
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.genrep.2026.102614
  • Dergi Adı: GENE REPORTS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts Core, EMBASE
  • Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

Objectives: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer, associated with lack of effective targeted therapy options. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a key driver of TNBC progression by promoting proliferation, survival, and metastasis. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is known to influence cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, and to reverse epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The current study investigates the migration ability of Dacomitinib (a pan-EGFR inhibitor) and ATRA on the MDA-MB-231 cell line. Material and methods: Cell viability and clonogenic survival was conducted by MTS and colony formation assay, respectively. The migration ability was assessed by scratch assay, and gene expression levels of Akt, E-cadherin, and EGFR genes were determined by qPCR analysis. Results: The present study revealed that the combined treatment of 1.5 & micro;M Dacomitinib and 5 & micro;M ATRA exerted an inhibitory effect on cell viability (54.22 +/- 3.71%). Furthermore, scratch assays demonstrated a significant reduction in combination group with a 16.06% wound closure rate when compared to the control group. Similarly, the colony diameter in control group (2642.79 & micro;m) reduced significantly in combination group to 153.50 & micro;m. Gene expression analysis showed a significant decrease to 0.19-fold of E-cadherin gene while AKT and EFGR gene expression levels showed a non-significant change in combination group. Conclusion: Overall, these findings indicate that the combined treatment of Dacomitinib and ATRA may represent a therapeutic strategy for suppressing migration ability in TNBC therapy.