Doxycycline targets aldehyde dehydrogenase‑positive breast cancer stem cells

  • Authors:
    • Chang‑Ching Lin
    • Miao‑Chia Lo
    • Rebecca R. Moody
    • Nicholas O. Stevers
    • Samantha L. Tinsley
    • Duxin Sun
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: March 27, 2018     https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2018.6337
  • Pages: 3041-3047
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Abstract

Targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs) is a key strategy to prevent cancers from developing drug resistance and metastasis. Mitochondria have been reported to be a vulnerability of CSCs by multiple studies. Here, we report that doxycycline, functioning as an inhibitor of mitochondrial biogenesis, can effectively target breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Our results revealed that doxycycline significantly decreased the frequency of aldehyde dehydrogenase‑positive (ALDH+) BCSCs as well as mammosphere formation efficiency in HER2+ and triple‑negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. Doxycycline also ameliorated paclitaxel‑induced enrichment of ALDH+ BCSCs in TNBC. Mechanistically, we showed that doxycycline decreased the level of reactive oxygen species and their downstream p38 MAPK pathway. In agreement with the key role for p38 in maintaining BCSCs, a specific inhibitor targeting this MAPK pathway significantly decreased the number of ALDH+ cells. Doxycycline is a FDA‑approved drug with minor and limited side‑effects. Given doxycycline's low toxicity and strong effect on BCSC inhibition, we report that doxycycline should be safe to be used concomitantly with chemotherapy drugs to eradicate both CSCs and bulk tumor cells.
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June-2018
Volume 39 Issue 6

Print ISSN: 1021-335X
Online ISSN:1791-2431

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Lin CC, Lo MC, Moody RR, Stevers NO, Tinsley SL and Sun D: Doxycycline targets aldehyde dehydrogenase‑positive breast cancer stem cells. Oncol Rep 39: 3041-3047, 2018.
APA
Lin, C., Lo, M., Moody, R.R., Stevers, N.O., Tinsley, S.L., & Sun, D. (2018). Doxycycline targets aldehyde dehydrogenase‑positive breast cancer stem cells. Oncology Reports, 39, 3041-3047. https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2018.6337
MLA
Lin, C., Lo, M., Moody, R. R., Stevers, N. O., Tinsley, S. L., Sun, D."Doxycycline targets aldehyde dehydrogenase‑positive breast cancer stem cells". Oncology Reports 39.6 (2018): 3041-3047.
Chicago
Lin, C., Lo, M., Moody, R. R., Stevers, N. O., Tinsley, S. L., Sun, D."Doxycycline targets aldehyde dehydrogenase‑positive breast cancer stem cells". Oncology Reports 39, no. 6 (2018): 3041-3047. https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2018.6337