Imipramine Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits the Metastatic Potential of Triple-negative Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract

Background/aim: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive and deadly subtype of breast cancer, and there is an urgent need for new therapeutic strategies. The highly metastatic and anti-apoptotic characteristics are known to be the major factors causing uncontrolled growth in TNBC. Imipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant that possesses anti-inflammatory activity and has been reported to inhibit the progression of highly metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Materials and methods: This study used MTT assay, apoptosis markers flow cytometry analysis, open-source data analysis, NF-B reporter gene assay, and western blotting to elucidate the effect of imipramine on MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells.

Results: Imipramine induced caspase-mediated extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis and was potentially associated with patient overall survival. Furthermore, imipramine suppressed the invasion and migration abilities and the expression of metastasis-associated proteins in TNBC cells.

Conclusion: Imipramine effectively suppressed TNBC progression by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting metastasis.

Keywords: Imipramine; apoptosis; metastasis; triple-negative breast cancer.