Anti-cancer effects of 1,3-bis (2-ethoxyphenyl) on 4T1 breast cancer cell line, an in-vivo study

Triazene compounds are alkylators with certain chemical, physical, and anti-tumor properties that have been used extensively for producing anti-cancer drugs. In this research, we studied the anti- tumor effects of a new triazene derivate (1,3-bis (2-ethoxyphenyl) on 4T1 breast cancer cell line and induced breast tumors in BALB/c mice.

4T1 cell line was cultured and treated with different concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50µmol) of the 1, 3-bis (2-ethoxyphenyl) triazene in a 24-hour period. Cell survival was evaluated by MTT. Seven-week-old mice were subcutaneously injected with 4T1 cells. Once tumors were observed, mice were randomly grouped and treated with different concentrations of triazene. Tumor size of each group was measured and compared before and after the treatment. Expression of caspases-3 and 9 was investigated by RT-PCR. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 22.0 and p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.

The results of MTT test showed that the triazene induced cell death in a concentration-dependent pattern and decreased cell viability in the 4T1 cell line. Tumor size was significantly decreased in triazene-treated groups compared to control groups. RT-PCR results showed an increase in the expression of caspase genes in the triazene-treated group compared to the control groups.

We found that 1,3-bis (2-ethoxyphenyl) triazene can reduce the survival rate of 4T1 cells in vitro, decrease the size of the induced breast tumors, and also increase the expression of caspase genes in the tumor tissues.