Flavopiridol Suppresses Cell Proliferation and Metastasis and Induces Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Background As the number of breast cancer, which is the most common type of cancer, increases, alternative medicine has come to the fore. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of flavopiridol on cell viability and apoptotic pathways associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) on triple negative breast cancer cells. Methods In this study, cell viability test (MTS) was used for the effect of flavopiridol on the viability of triple negative breast cancer cells and clonogenic assay to determine its effect on colony formation. Migration assay showed migration rates of cells, expressions of proteins involved in apoptosis, ERS [Glucose regulated protein (GRP78), DNA damage inducible gene 153 (GADD153) and the apoptotic rate was measured with Annexin V. Results Flavopiridol was found to significantly reduce cell viability in the triple negative breast cancer cell lines in the 200nM-700nM dose range. We also found that FP induces apoptosis via ERS. Conclusion Our results showed that flavopiridol, when used in combination with other cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, will have promising potential for the treatment of patients with aggressive breast cancer, but further studies are needed in this regard.