Tripterine and miR-184 show synergy to suppress breast cancer progression

The anti-cancer activities of tripterine in human cells offer promising therapeutic solutions to patients living with cancer. However, the effects of tripterine on breast cancer (BC) have not been closely examined. This study was to investigate the underlying biological pathway through which tripterine and miR-184 influence BC progression. Two human BC cell lines (MCF-7 and BT-474) were cultured in this study. Different concentrations of tripterine (0, 5, 10 and 15 μM) were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and then added to the cells. The expression of miR-184 was measured using qRT-PCR. The inhibitory impact of tripterine and miR-184 on BC development was assessed by CCK-8, BrdU, transwell, and wound healing assays. Western blot assay was also performed to analyze Bax and Bcl-2 protein expression of BC cells. Findings indicated that tripterine suppressed BC cells' viability, proliferation, migration, invasion capacity and Bcl-2 protein expression, but it induced BC cells’ Bax protein expression. It was also found miR-184 expression was high in the BC cell lines treated with tripterine and that miR-184 overexpression reduced the viability, proliferation, and invasion abilities of BC cells under tripterine treatment. Interference with miR-184 neutralized the effects of tripterine on BC cell viability, proliferation and invasion. This research suggested that by interacting with miR-184, tripterine could restrain the progression of BC. This knowledge could be instrumental in developing highly effective treatment solutions for BC. •Tripterine suppressed the malignancy of breast cancer cells.•Tripterine suppressed breast cancer progression via a synergy with miR-184.•Silencing miR-184 reversed the effects of tripterine on the proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells.•The transfection efficiency of miR-184 mimic and inhibitor in breast cancer cells.