Betulinic acid induces apoptosis and ultrastructural changes in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of betulinic acid (BA) on triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and observe the ultrastructural changes. The concentration of BA required to induce apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells has been previously reported. In this study, a cell counting kit-8 proliferation assay was used to measure cell viability and the apoptosis rate. Western blotting was performed to observe the protein expression levels of Bcl-2. Cell morphology and changes in cell density were observed by microscopy. Electron microscopy revealed pyknotic nuclei as well as vacuoles. Collectively, our results showed the morphological mechanisms by which BA impairs the ultrastructure of MDA-MB-231 cells.

KEYWORDS:

• Betulinic acid
• MDA-MB-231
• apoptosis
• ultrastructural changes

Acknowledgments

We thank colleagues in our laboratories for technical assistance and advice during the experiments.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Funding

This research received support from the NSFC [under Grant No. 81472765] and from the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province [under Grant No. 2014CKB508].

Additional information

Funding

This research received support from the NSFC [under Grant No. 81472765] and from the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province [under Grant No. 2014CKB508].