In Vitro and In Vivo Effects of the Combination of Polypurine Reverse Hoogsteen Hairpins against HER-2 and Trastuzumab in Breast Cancer Cells

oleh: Ester López-Aguilar, Patricia Fernández-Nogueira, Gemma Fuster, Neus Carbó, Carlos J. Ciudad, Véronique Noé

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-04-01

Deskripsi

Therapeutic oligonucleotides are powerful tools for the inhibition of potential targets involved in cancer. We describe the effect of two Polypurine Reverse Hoogsteen (PPRH) hairpins directed against the <i>ERBB2</i> gene, which is overexpressed in positive HER-2 breast tumors. The inhibition of their target was analyzed by cell viability and at the mRNA and protein levels. The combination of these specific PPRHs with trastuzumab was also explored in breast cancer cell lines, both in vitro and in vivo. PPRHs designed against two intronic sequences of the <i>ERBB2</i> gene decreased the viability of SKBR-3 and MDA-MB-453 breast cancer cells. The decrease in cell viability was associated with a reduction in <i>ERBB2</i> mRNA and protein levels. In combination with trastuzumab, PPRHs showed a synergic effect in vitro and reduced tumor growth in vivo. These results represent the preclinical proof of concept of PPRHs as a therapeutic tool for breast cancer.