The Comparative Role of BAMLET and 5-Fluorouracil in Colorectal Cancer Cells by Targeting WNT/& Beta; -Catenin Pathway

Aberrant activation of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway is involved in various types of cancers, particularly colorectal cancer (CRC), which is a prevalent malignancy. Targeting the Wnt signaling pathway has gained a reputation as an attractive therapeutic strategy, mainly because of its potential for regulating cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis.

The aim of the current research was to investigate the effects of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and bovine alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells (BAMLET), a complex of oleic acid with bovine α-lactalbumin protein, on colon cancer cells focusing on the Wnt signaling pathway.

For this purpose, HT-29 and HCT116 cells were treated with 5-FU and BAMLET, and the expression levels of Wnt signalingrelated proteins (β-catenin andE-cadherin) andVEGF as angiogenesis regulators were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western Blot analysis.

Bovine alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells (BAMLET) treatment down-regulated the expression of β-catenin and up-regulated the expression of E-cadherin significantly compared to the 5-FU (P < 0.0001). The reduced mRNA levels of VEGF in treated cells revealed the effectiveness of 5-FU and BAMLET on angiogenesis.

Bovine alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells (BAMLET) can be considered for targeting the Wnt signaling pathway and angiogenesis. It is amenable to further investigation in the development of CRC treatment.