Nervonic Acid Inhibits Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis Through Redox Balance Alteration and Upregulation of Caspase-8 in a Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line (MDA-MB-231)

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer-related death for women globally. There is currently no tumor-specific targeted therapy for TNBC, in contrast to other clinical subtypes of breast cancer. Nervonic acid (NA), a very long-chain omega-9 fatty acid, has been reported to have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties, but the anticancer effect of NA is poorly understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the anticancer potential of NA. Methods: In order to investigate the anticancer effect of nervonic acid on the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, we performed a cell viability assay, assessed redox balance, performed nuclear morphological staining, evaluated gene expression, and carried out immunoblotting. Results: The results showed that NA treatment markedly decreased cell viability, increased ROS production, and increased protein expression levels of the apoptotic markers Caspase-3, -8, and -9 and p53 compared to untreated cells. Conclusions: From a mechanistic viewpoint, NA treatment altered the redox balance and changed the expression pattern of p53 and Caspase-3, -8, and -9 proteins to initiate apoptosis. This investigation has shown that NA has potential anticancer activity against the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line.