Melatonin modulation of radiation-induced molecular changes in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

Abstract

Radiation therapy is an important component of cancer treatment scheduled for cancer patients, although it can cause numerous deleterious effects. The use of adjuvant molecules aims to limit the damage in normal surrounding tissues and to enhance the effects of radiation therapy either killing tumor cells or slowing down their growth. Melatonin, an indoleamine released by the pineal gland, behaves as a radiosensitizer in breast cancer since it enhances the therapeutic effects of ionizing radiation and mitigates side effects on normal cells. However, the molecular mechanisms through which melatonin modulates the molecular changes triggered by radiotherapy remain mostly unknown. Here we report that melatonin potentiated the antiproliferative effect of radiation in MCF-7 cells. Treatment with ionizing radiation induced changes in expression of many genes. Out of a total of twenty-five genes altered by radiation, melatonin potentiated changes in thirteen of them, whereas reverted the effect in another ten cases. Among them, melatonin elevated the levels of PTEN and NME1, whereas counteracted the induction by radiation of SNAI2, ERBB2, AKT, SERPINE1, SFN, PLAU, ATM and N3RC1. We also analyzed the expression of several microRNAs and found that melatonin enhanced the effect of radiation on the levels of miR-20a, miR-19a, miR-93, miR-20b, miR-29a. Rather surprisingly, radiation induced miR-17, miR-141 and miR-15a but melatonin treatment prior to radiation counteracted this stimulatory effect. Radiation alone enhanced the expression of the cancer suppressor miR-34a, and melatonin strongly stimulated this effect. Melatonin further enhanced the radiationmediated inhibition of Akt. Finally, in an in vivo assay, melatonin restrained new vascularization in combination with ionizing radiation. Our results confirm that melatonin blocks many of the undesirable effects of ionizing radiation in MCF-7 cells and enhances changes that lead to optimed treatment results