Therapeutic Potential of Alpha-pinene in Breast Cancer: Targeting miR-21 and PTEN Gene Expression

Background: Alpha-pinene is an organic compound with anticancer properties. This compound has been used as a therapeutic factor in breast cancer (BC). miR-21 causes cancer cell invasion by inhibiting Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). The present study evaluates the potential effect of Alpha-piene on the expression of PTEN and miR-21 genes in BC cells (MCF-7 cell line). Materials and Methods: In this study, the MCF-7 cell line was used. The cells were treated with Alpha- pinene. The viability of cells with different Alpha-pinene concentrations (i.e., 40, 50, 100, 150, and 200 μM) was evaluated with MTT assay. The expression of PTEN and miR-21 genes was evaluated using RT-qPCR. Results: The survival rate of cells in all concentrations was higher 24 h after treatment compared to 48 h after the treatment (P<0.0001). The expression of miR-21 in cells treated with 100 and 50 μM of Alpha- pinene reduced significantly compared to the control cells(P<0.001). PTEN gene expression was exactly the opposite of miR-21. Therefore, its expression increased significantly in cells treated with 100 μM of Alpha- pinene compared to the control cells (P<0.0001). Conclusion: In general, the use of Alpha- pinene led to decreased and increased expression of miR-21 and PTEN, respectively. These changes lead to the reduction of invasion and proliferation of BC cells. Therefore, the Alpha- pinene combination can be used as a therapeutic strategy to treat patients.